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Diving the Cape Peninsula and False Bay/13th Apostle

The dive site 13th Apostle is an offshore rocky reef in the Llandudno area on the Atlantic seaboard of the Cape Peninsula, near Cape Town in the Western Cape Province of South Africa.

Understand

This granite reef and pinnacle has been known to exist for many years, as there is a break over it in a large swell, but no details were reported until an exploratory party visited it on 3rd October 2010, to investigate what had shown up on a side-scan sonar image from a reef survey by the Council for Geoscience as a massive mound of rock. What they found is a huge granite corestone tor with a variety of interesting topographical features, on a low profile rocky bottom with sand patches.

Position
This site is in the Table Mountain National Park Marine Protected Area since 2004. A permit is required. This site is within the Karbonkelberg restricted area
 * S33°59.486' E18°19.922' — (top of pinnacle)

Name
The name "13th Apostle" is a reference to the position at the end of the mountain range called the Twelve Apostles, south of Table Mountain.

Depth
Maximum depth is about 24 m and the top of the pinnacle is about 6 m. Average depth on a dive is likely to be about 15 to 18 m

Visibility
Visibility is variable, and can be in excess of 15 m on a good day.

Topography
At 18 m the reef extends about 200 m from north west to south east. The top of the reef is a ridge running roughly true east-west, and approximately 10m deep on the crest, which is broken, but quite long. Towards the east side of the ridge is a peak which is about 6 m deep on top. There are several small sand patches in the immediate vicinity, visible in good conditions from the ridge, and a few larger ones further away to the north east, south and west. The bottom is at roughly 23 m on the sand patches near the main reef. The north side is fairly sheer, dropping almost vertically from near the top to about 20 m, possibly lower in places, and is undercut at the east end by an overhang close to the bottom. At the west end of the reef there is a large swimthrough with a high, narrow entrance at S33°59.490' E18°19.902' at roughly 18 m depth at the top and about 3 or 4 m high and only about 600 mm wide at the widest point near the top. The entry to the east is about 2 m square, and is somewhat deeper and at the bottom of a wide crack. The cavern inside is over 3 m wide and high, and is about 10 m long and is formed by a huge boulder covering the top of a big crack with a sand bottom. To the north of the widest part there is a skylight crack, a couple of metres long and possibly wide enough for a thin diver to get through. Both entries are not obvious. You need to look for them to find them.

A short way (10 to 15 m) to the south-east, a large overhang called the "bus shelter" at S33°59.494' E18°19.907', faces south at about 15 m depth at the ceiling. The top of this overhang is concave and will probably trap air, and the edge of the roof is approximately horizontal over part of its length and slopes down to the south east side. The outlook from this position to the south west is over low reef or sand at a depth of probably about 24 m. Divers following the lower edge of the main reef may not notice the overhang which will be several metres above them

Further around to the south-east the reef is flatter, with isolated high boulders, and there is another much smaller swimthrough at S33°59.507', E18°19.935'.

The 18 m contour turns north about 200 m south east of the west end.

Geology: Pre-Cambrian granite of the Peninsula pluton.

Get in
Access to the site is only by boat, as it is too far to swim from shore.

The site is about 13.3 km from Hout Bay harbour slipway, or 14.4 km from Oceana Power Boat Club slipway

Marine life
The top of the reef at about 10 m has a fairly dense forest of split-fan kelp, which is quite usual for this area, however thickets of this kelp are frequent down to 15 to 18 m, which indicate that there is often good lighting at this reef, and that implies frequent good visibility. There is also a moderate amount of other brown seaweeds at this depth range, and rather surprisingly, some filamentous green algae.

The deeper, more horizontal surfaces appear to be largely colonised by Cape urchins, with olive and purple soft corals, spiny starfish, encrusting coralline algae and brown ball sponges. The steeper, vertical and overhanging surfaces, as is to be expected, carry a dense encrustation of a wide variety of invertebrates, notable among which are sponges, Noble corals, multicolour sea fans, Red bait and other ascidians, bushy and fan hydroids, and dark sea cucumbers. Knobbly anemones, strawberry anemones, granular sea stars, and a range of bryozoans can also be found.

Other animals reported from this site include: Cuttlefish, basket stars, Lots of different nudibranchs including Flabellina capensis, gas flame and silver tipped, and white ones with brown spots, furry sponge crab, kelp klipfish, big shoals of large hottentot seabream, and some massive rock lobster deep inside holes.

Features
There are several swim-throughs, overhangs and deep gullies, some are described in the Topography section.

Photography
If the visibility is good, wide angle lenses with ambient lighting will provide some spectacular views, otherwise macro equipment with flash will almost always produce good results. The use of flash for intermediate distances should be reserved for external strobes to minimize backscatter. Even on a good day there will be some suspended material.

Suggested Routes
At this stage only one route is suggested, not because of lack of things to see, but because very few of the features have been mapped.
 * 1) Enter at the top of the pinnacle, swim north over the wall and descend to the bottom of the wall. Swim west along or near the base of the wall at a depth of 18 m until you can turn south. Look out for the opening to the big swimthrough at about 18 m - it is not very wide but is quite high - if you turn southwest and find the bus shelter you have gone about 15 m too far. Explore the swimthrough and then continue at between 15 and 18 m with the reef to your left in a roughly southwesterly direction to the "Bus shelter" overhang, Enjoy the view if the visibility allows, and then if you want to look for the smaller swimthrough, continue along the 18 m contour. The smaller swimthrough is in a small indentation in the reef, and the tunnel appears to be several metres long and moderately high, but rather narrow. After this you are on your own. Explore as your time and gas allow, and work your way up the reef to extend dive time. If you find anything interesting, describe it here or on the article's Talk page.

Hazards
No known site specific hazards

Skills
No special skills required. Certification appropriate to the depth is expected, and the ability to deploy a DSMB is recommended

Equipment
Dry suit recommended, as it will normally be cold if the visibility is good. Nitrox can significantly extend safe dive times. A DSMB and Reel are recommended to indicate your position to the boat while surfacing.

Nearby

Back to the Alphabetical list of sites, or list of dive sites in the Llandudno area

Other regional dive sites:
 * Dive sites of Table Bay and approaches

 * Dive sites of the Cape Peninsula east coast
 * Dive sites of False Bay offshore and approaches
 * Dive sites of False Bay east coast
 * Fresh water dive sites of the Cape Town Metropolitan Area

license: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/


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Diving the Cape Peninsula and False Bay/A-Frame

The dive site A-Frame, or Oatlands Point is an inshore rocky reef in the Oatlands Point area of Simon's Town on the False Bay shore of the Cape Peninsula, near Cape Town in the Western Cape province of South Africa.

Understand

The site is reasonably easily accessible and is one of the most popular shore dives. It has areas which are suitable for open water training of novice divers as well as reefs with a wide range of interesting invertebrates.

Position

 * S34°12.484’ E018°27.662’

Oatlands Point is the first point south of the Froggy Pond area. There is a small group of houses on the seaward side of the main road, and more houses up the mountainside. It is easily recognised by the large flattish topped granite boulder just offshore.

This site is in a Marine Protected Area (2004). A permit is required. The site is partly inside the Boulders Restricted Zone. Those parts east of the big rock are outside the Restricted zone.

Name
The site was named for a wooden tripod navigation beacon which has now been replaced by a simple post.

Depth
The bottom is generally from 5 to 10 m deep on the sand.

Topography
Sand bottom with bedrock reef and big boulders, some breaking the surface. There are a few swim-throughs among the boulder groups north of the big rock. The big rock is pretty sheer on the south face, with a few deep crevices and overhangs. There are several medium sized boulders a little further to the south. The seaward end of the big rock is also quite sheer, with a small cave, and is on a low flattish outcrop. A ridge of medium height extends beyond this outcrop, with another parallel a few metres to the north west of it. These ridges end about 25 m east of the big rock, and a large sheer sided boulder rising from the sand bottom at 10 m, to 3 m below sea level stands a bit beyond. Beyond this is a group of lower steep sided outcrops, about 8m away to the east. There is a relatively high and small one to the south of the group and a much larger but lower one to the north. The gap between them is about 2 m wide with a sand bottom. North of these rocks is an area of sand bottom at 10 m depth with extensive patches of black mussel. The reef that extends beyond the big rock has a sand patch to the south with some medium and fairly high outcrops. The sand is loose and fairly coarse in this area. To the south of the big rocks there are some large and medium outcrops and boulders, a few of which nearly reach the surface, and an extensive area of scattered small boulders and outcrops with sand bottom between, getting rockier towards the shore.

Geology: Pre-Cambrian granite corestone reefs of the Cape Peninsula pluton.

Conditions
Fairly sheltered from south westerly swell, Avoid strong south easterly winds and long period large amplitude south westerly swells. The site may be dived during or after westerly winds, and is generally a good winter dive site. It is also good for night dives, but either arrange for a shore party with a beacon or familiarise yourself with the background light before leaving the entry point. The north entry is most suitable for night dives as the return involves fewer obstacles than the other exits.

The site is usually at its best in winter with offshore winds, but there are also occasional opportunities in summer when there has been a period without strong south easters.

Keep a lookout for times when the swell is from the west and/or is of short period (less than 10 seconds)or is very low, for high probability of good conditions.

If a strong south easterly wind comes up during the dive it can make exit tricky due to wind chop. Check the forecast.

Facilities
None. Security is no better or worse than most dive sites in the area. Lock your equipment in the luggage compartment.

Get in
There is parking on both sides of the main road. Do not park on the short private access road. Go down the steps at the north end of the access road, along the road to the turning bay and the path (muddy and slippery when wet) between the houses which leads down to the shoreline.

There are three basic entry and exit areas: A large fairly flat, rather slippery rock to the north, a region of small boulders to the south, and long rock, just south of the high rocks to the south of slippery rock.

The north entry is also the usual entry for D-Frame which is straight out about 600 m from this point.

Do not be tempted to use the small beach to the north of slippery rock except in emergency, as the exit is bumpier than it looks from the sea and the path to the road is very steep and slippery. The swim back to slippery rock is much less effort than the climb.

Make your own choice depending on conditions.

The slippery rock is usually quite good for both entry and exit. There is a boulder on top which is useful for steadying oneself while fitting fins, and a fine example of a False Bay Dolerite dyke intrusion in the Peninsula Granite of the slippery rock itself. This is a site where the typical “Kelp Jump” entry may be used, as there is adequate depth near the rock, and the edge is rather slippery. Alternatively crawl down the depression on the north side of the steadying rock and wait for a wave. The "Butt Slide" entry is sometimes performed, occasionally intentionally, but can be hard on the suit. To get out, make use of the surge. Go with the flow and get up at the top of the surge, so you are not swept back. Some crawling may be required.

The south entry area is more sheltered in some conditions, but the north entry is often more convenient as there is less kelp to swim through. In the right background is the Big Rock. In the centre foreground is one of the south entry points to the right of the boulders. You can get out of this entry area through the gaps to left and right of the middle rock group. The large grey rocks are granite corestones, and the smaller rounded boulders are mostly sandstones from the overlying strata of the Peninsula Formation. South entry is very convenient as there is a nice flattish rock to rest a camera while putting on fins. This entry might be a bit rough in heavier swell. There is quite a long swim through dense kelp to get out of shallows, which is a bit awkward with camera or SMB, but should be OK without.

The long rock entry is slightly south of the slippery rock. It is at the end of an alleyway between high rocks on both sides, then slightly to the north over a low domed rock with rather slippery weed on top. It is well sheltered from chop by heavy kelp, which can be an advantage when you are carrying a camera. The disadvantage is that you have to swim out and in through the heavy kelp.

View of A-frame from the road, showing the path (past the No Parking sign).

Marine life
The sessile fauna in the swim-throughs and overhangs is very colourful. There are a lot of anemones, sponges and crinoids. Black mussels patches on the sand bottom further out may support large groups of Spiny starfish. The outer reefs have large numbers of Common feather stars and smaller numbers of Elegant feather stars. Perlemoen (abalone) seem to be making a recovery, with numbers of small specimens scattered around the reefs. There is a wide variety of habitats with a wide range of inhabitants.

Photography
This is a good photographic site, with a good variety of seaweed, invertebrates and fish. Macro and wide angle equipment will usually give good results.

Routes

The selection below are just a suggestion for divers unfamiliar with the site. This is a site where there are a large number of distinctive landmarks, and after a while you can get to know your way around quite well.

 * 1) Entry at slippery rock, out to North boulders, descend and dive among the boulders and swim-throughs, back by compass, extended dive among big rocks near exit.
 * 2) Entry at slippery rock, out to big boulders, Descend at gap between big rock and north boulders. Dive around big rock clockwise, back by compass.
 * 3) Entry at South entry, out on snorkel through barrier rocks to south side of big rock. Dive down and along the big rock, then further following the gully to a big pinnacle on sand bottom at 10 m, past on the south side, across to the next group of rocks across a sandy gap, round the south side, north along the outer face, north over sand to the black mussel beds, then back toward the shore, passing between the big rock and north groups, back to the south entry area and exit at the north side between big boulders on a sloping rock.
 * 4) Route shown on the map: Start at slippery rock entry point and swim out on the surface to the northern exposed rock. Descend and dive through the big swim-through, exiting on the west side. then skirt the reef with the rocks on your left for a short distance, swim through the gap to the east and skirt the reef with the rocks to your right until you reach the north side of the big rock. Follow the north side of the reef beyond the end of the big rock, and along the outer reefs. Stay between the big outcrops as you continue south-east until you reach the high pinnacle, then return on the west side of the ridge until you get to the outer end of the big rock. Stay to the south of the big rock to the west end, then follow the north edge of the reef and kelp back to the exit point at slippery rock. This will take from 30 minutes to an hour depending on your speed.
 * 5) For those who don’t mind a long swim and for some reason want a 30 m shore dive, this is the shortest distance to the 30 m contour on the west side of False Bay. Swim straight out about 500 m, then dive. The bottom is gently shelving sand. Follow the slope down to 30 m. Swim back on a compass course along the bottom, or shallower to avoid decompression. The sand bottom ecology is not as diverse as the reefs, but is interesting to see occasionally. Look for Pipefish, Sea Pens, Black mussel beds, Shy sharks and Sand stars. See also dive site D-Frame and Wave Rock

Hazards
Slippery rocks and barnacles at entry/exit. Parts of the path from the road are slippery when wet.

Skills
No special skills required. This is a popular site for training and a buoy was moored just off Slippery rock at the edge of the sand for this purpose. Much of the site is suitable for snorkelling, depending on conditions, and it is also popular as a night dive site.

A reasonable level of fitness helps when carrying equipment around on shore, and the dive requires several hundred metres of swimming, but if you plan well, most of this can be under water.

Equipment
A light is useful as there are many deep crevices and overhangs to inspect. A compass can be convenient for keeping track of where you are, particularly at night, and for finding your way back at the end of the dive. Knee pads will protect your suit if you have to crawl out.

Nearby

Back to the Alphabetical list of sites, or list of dive sites in the Oatlands Point area

Other regional dive sites:
 * Dive sites of Table Bay and approaches,
 * Dive sites of the Cape Peninsula west coast

 * Dive sites of False Bay offshore and approaches
 * Dive sites of False Bay east coast
 * Fresh water dive sites of the Cape Town Metropolitan Area


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Diving the Cape Peninsula and False Bay/Albatross Rock

The dive site Albatross Rock is an offshore rocky reef in the South Peninsula area on the Atlantic seaboard of the Cape Peninsula, near Cape Town in the Western Cape province of South Africa.

Understand
This is a site that was mostly dived in the past on searches for wrecks of ships known to have sunk in the area after striking the reef. It might be dived to monitor the marine biodiversity of the area, but there are not many other reasons that come to mind. There are many reefs with more biodiversity and more spectacular topography within much easier reach of the popular launch sites.

Position

 * S34°16.527' E018°22.210' — (Outer pinnacle)

This site is in the Table Mountain National Park Marine Protected Area since 2004. A permit is required.

Name
The name "Albatross Rock" is the name for this area used on the SAN charts. The rock was named after a tug of the same name which was wrecked there.

Depth
Maximum depth is probably about 20 m. and the top of the pinnacle is specified on the charts, but is shallow enough to have been hit by several ships which then sank nearby, and it is charted as a navigational hazard. Some of wrecks have been found, and are occasionally dived. They are described in their own articles.

Visibility
Visibility is likely to be better after a south easterly wind, and may exceed 10 m, but is more likely to be around 5 to 6 m.

Topography
Fairly rugged profile sandstone reef, mostly relatively flat on top, but with deeper gulleys and undercuts in deeper water. Sand bottom to gullies below about 12 m. Gullies appear to mostly run approximately north/south.

Geology: Ordovician sandstone of the Peninsula formation. Dip small, probably less than 10°. strike unclear, probably about east-west. jointing also unclear,but probably mostly north-south.

Conditions
The site is exposed to wind and sea from the north west to south west, and should be dived only in fairly flat seas. The site is protected from south easterly seas, though it will catch the wind.

The site is most likely to be diveable in late spring and summer but there will be occasional opportunities at other times.

Get in
The site is only accessible by boat. It is 11.2 km from the slipway at the old crayfish factory north of Scarborough (Soetwater), about 17.1 km from the launch site at Kommetjie and 27.5 km from Hout Bay harbour slipway.

Marine life
Fairly dense laminaria down to over 12 m, fair amount of red bait in small sizes, and heavy undergrowth of plocamium and other small red and brown algae. Hottentot seabream, shy sharks, and klipfish have been seen, and large numbers of West coast rock lobster.

Features
There are several wrecks near Albatross Rock. These include the SS Thomas T Tucker, the SS Umhlali, the SS Bia, the Star of Africa, the SS Albatross and the SS Nolloth.

Photography
Macro photography is most likely to deliver acceptable results unless the visibility is unusually good, in which case wide angle natural light may produce good kelp forest studies.

Suggested Routes
No particular routes recommended

Hazards
No site specific hazards known.

Skills
No special skills required.

Equipment
No special equipment recommended.

Nearby

Back to the Alphabetical list of sites, or list of dive sites in the Atlantic South Peninsula area

Other regional dive sites:
 * Dive sites of Table Bay and approaches

 * Dive sites of the Cape Peninsula east coast
 * Dive sites of False Bay offshore and approaches
 * Dive sites of False Bay east coast
 * Fresh water dive sites of the Cape Town Metropolitan Area


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Diving the Cape Peninsula and False Bay/Alpha Reef

The dive site Alpha Reef or Outer Spaniard Reef is an offshore rocky reef in the Rocklands Point area on the False Bay coast of the Cape Peninsula, near Cape Town in the Western Cape province of South Africa.

Understand

This is a compact reef of medium depth, and a pleasant dive. It is close to the slipway at Miller’s Point, but is not dived very often.

Position
This site is in a Marine Protected Area (2004). A permit is required.
 * S34°12.987’ E018°28.184’ — (Highest point of reef) Bearing to Spaniard Rock 276°magnetic 250 m

Name
The site was previously known as "Outer Spaniard", due to its proximity to Spaniard Rock, but "Alpha Reef" seems to now be more common usage. This may be a reference to Alpha Dive Centre, who visited the site quite frequently at one time.

Depth
Maximum depth is about 15 m on the sand beyond the rocks. Average about 11 m. Top of the reef at about 2.5 m.

Visibility
Visibility will normally be similar to the visibility at Caravan Reef and the wreck of the Pietermaritzburg, but it can differ from deeper sites in the area, and could be significantly better or worse. Visibility has been known to be around 10 m at Alpha, and nearer 6&npsp;m at Omega at exactly the same time

Topography
The reef is an outcrop of granite corestones in two main sections divided by a sandy bottomed east to west gully. The bigger southern lobe extends to within 3m of the surface, and is also subdivided by a fairly deep gully running from east to west. The southern outcrop slopes up from the south steeply at first, then flattens out and slopes down into the gully, with a steep wall on both sides of the central ridge. The north section starts from the gully and slopes gradually up to the north to about 4m above the sand, then drops quite steeply to the sand. Both sections slope down to the east, where the north section tapers down to nothing. The west end has a few outlying outcrops of various sizes. The south section is about twice the area of the north section and has a deep transverse crack just east of the high point. The reef extends approximately 160m from east to west and about 95 m from north to south and is in a compact group, with few outliers. It has been reported (Zsilavecz 1998) that the reef continues inshore to Spaniard Rock, but there are some fairly large sandy gaps between rocks and it is not always possible to see from one to the next.

Geology: Granite of the late Pre-Cambrian Peninsula pluton

Conditions
The site is exposed to wind from all directions and waves from the south east and south west. The site will usually be at it's best in winter on days when the swell is low, but there are also occasional opportunities during the rest of the year. Conditions will probably be suitable if shore entry conditions are OK and there is no strong offshore wind. The return swim to shore could be a problem in a strong offshore wind (north west). If the south-easter is blowing there may be a slight current setting northwards, and the chop may make shore exit tricky.

Get in
Usually considered a boat dive. The site is 1.58 km from Miller's Point slipway at 011° magnetic or ?? km from Simon's Town jetty, but can be done as a shore dive from Rocklands Point. There is adequate parking on the gravel lay-bye on the seaward side of the main road M4, near the signpost warning against baboons. Access from the road to the shore is poor. There are several steep eroded paths, some worse than others. Choose the one that looks best on the day. All are slippery and steep, with loose gravel. If you have a large group it may be worth arranging a rope for safety, otherwise a walking stick or staff could be useful. It is quite a long swim out to the reef. (about 420 m).

See the site description for Spaniard Rock for more information on shore access.

Marine life
The reef has a zone of heavy red-bait at the top, with sparse Split fan kelp, and lower down is mostly covered by common feather stars with patches of Red chested and Mauve cucumbers, Striped anemones, and Strawberry anemones. The flatter deep sections have some fairly bare areas and quite a lot of urchins and black brittle stars. Also quite a few gorgonian sea fans in the deeper areas, many of which are partially or completely overgrown by other organisms.

Photography
(photographic equipment suggestions)

Routes
Either swim out on the surface to the reef of go by boat. Position is most easily fixed by GPS. Dive round the reef. After you have seen the reef, either return to the boat or swim back to shore on a compass course. You may wish to visit Spaniard Rock on the way back.

Hazards
No site specific hazards have been reported. Offshore wind may increase in strength significantly during the dive, making a surface return swim difficult. The path is steep and slippery, specially after rain, and usually in poor repair.

Skills
No special skills are required for boat dives. The site is suitable for relatively inexperienced divers. Ability to navigate by compass, and reasonable fitness and agility are required for a shore dive.

Equipment
No special equipment recommended for boat dives.

A compass is essential for shore dives to this site as there are sections where there are no reliable landmarks. A surface marker is recommended for warning boats of your presence during the long swim, and Nitrox may allow longer dive times without requiring decompression stops. It is theoretically possible to do the whole shore dive on Nitrox along the bottom, but carrying the required amount of gas down the hillside would be a major effort, never mind carrying the empty cylinders back up after the dive.

Nearby

Back to the Alphabetical list of sites, or list of dive sites in the Rocklands Point area

Other regional dive sites:
 * Dive sites of Table Bay and approaches,
 * Dive sites of the Cape Peninsula west coast

 * Dive sites of False Bay offshore and approaches
 * Dive sites of False Bay east coast
 * Fresh water dive sites of the Cape Town Metropolitan Area


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Diving the Cape Peninsula and False Bay/Ammunition Barges

The dive site Ammunition Barges is two inshore recent wrecks in the Seaforth area on the False Bay coast of the Cape Peninsula, near Cape Town in the Western Cape province of South Africa.

Understand

This is a shallow site and the wrecks have partly collapsed but there is still recognisable structure.

Position

 * S34°11.408’ E018°26.985’

Bearings: About 100m east of Phoenix shoal About 500m from the beach at IMT
 * 317° magnetic to the first corner of the harbour wall (from the shore)
 * 268° magnetic to the Martello Tower
 * 250° magnetic to the near corner of the IMT building
 * 222° magnetic from Nimrod Rock (submerged, unlikely to break in diveable conditions)
 * 146° magnetic to Noah's Ark

This site is in a Marine Protected Area (2004). A permit is required. The site is entirely inside the Boulders Restricted Zone.

Name
The name "Ammunition Barges" is a description of the two small wrecks that make up the dive site.

Depth
Maximum depth is about 10 m. and the top of the wreckage is about 8 m. Average depth is likely to be about 9m.

Visibility
Visibility is usually not very good in this area. Expect 3 to 6 m on a good day, though it can be better or worse.

Topography
The bottom in this area is flat sand with a few low flat outcrops of granite reef. There are two small (about 20 m long) barge wrecks right next to each other at one end, and diverging at a small angle. The wrecks are steel, and have largely broken up. There are some sections of hull side plating and frames still standing, but the ends have collapsed.

Geology: Sand and occasional low outcrops of Pre-Cambrian granite of the Peninsula pluton.

Conditions
A shallow dive, in a reasonably protected area from south west swell, but quite exposed to the north-wester, which may raise a bit of a chop and make it difficult to find the wreck, though unlikely to cause much surge. The north-wester can cause a current that sets east.

The site is moderately exposed to wind and waves from the south east, Which will usually reduce visibility.

The site is usually at it's best in winter but there are also occasional opportunities in other seasons

Facilities
Parking is adequate and tarred (since the aerial photo). The parking area is used by tour buses, use the smaller marked bays.

Get in
Usual access is by boat from Miller's Point slipway or Simon's Town jetty, but can be dived from the shore entry at Seaforth (Boulders Beach).

Shore Dive: Turn off the main road at the IMT sign. Park behind the IMT building. Walk through the gate to the right of the IMT main gates and over the dunes to the beach. The water is shallow to the left near the building and there is some dense kelp around the boulders.

It is about a 500 m swim on a bearing of roughly 071° magnetic from the corner of the beach nearest IMT. There are patches of heavy kelp on the inshore reef, and several rocks which either reach the surface or near enough to obstruct a diver, so this will not be a good underwater swim on a fixed bearing. If you can see white water at Nimrod rock you can try swimming out to it, then diving and swimming about 130 m on bearing 138° magnetic, but there are other rocks at Phoenix shoal which may also break.

The most likely way to find the wrecks from a shore dive is to swim out on the surface and get a fix from the bearings given in the position section. Use at least three, preferably all. to compensate for errors.

The bottom is mostly sand, so once you are roughly in position, the wrecks may be visible from the surface as a dark patch.

Marine life
Lots of Red chested cucumbers and Stephens' codium.

Features
Two small wrecks of ammunition barges, and a depth charge mortar is also reported.

Photography
Wide angle lens using ambient light may capture the mood of the site. Otherwise macro photography of the somewhat limited range of marine life.

Routes
The site is shallow and compact. you can explore it all on one dive.

Hazards
No site specific hazards have been reported.

Skills
No special skills are required. The site is suitable for novice divers and for snorkelling.

Equipment
No special equipment recommended.

Nearby

Back to the Alphabetical list of sites, or list of dive sites in the Seaforth to Froggy Pond area

Other regional dive sites:
 * Dive sites of Table Bay and approaches,
 * Dive sites of the Cape Peninsula west coast

 * Dive sites of False Bay offshore and approaches
 * Dive sites of False Bay east coast
 * Fresh water dive sites of the Cape Town Metropolitan Area


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Diving the Cape Peninsula and False Bay/Andre se Gat

The dive site Andre se Gat or Nature Reserve is a shoreline rocky reef in the Rooi-els area on the east side of the Cape Peninsula, near Cape Town in the Western Cape province of South Africa.

Position
S34°18.25’ E018°48.76’ (approximate – from chart)

This site is not in a Marine Protected Area. A permit is not required.

Name
The name "Andre se Gat" (Andre's Hole) refers to a diving instructor, Andre Botha, who used it frequently in the 1990s. The alternative name "Nature Reserve" refers to the small patch of nature reserve just inshore of the site.

Depth
Maximum depth is reported to be about 25 m

Topography
Rocky reef. Gullies, ridges and caves have peen reported.

Geology: Sandstone of the Peninsula formation.

Conditions
Surf and surge are to be expected at the entry areas

Facilities
None.

Get in
Normally a shore entry dive.

Parking is at the side of Rocklands Road, anywhere you can find a spot that does not unduly obstruct the road.

Hazards
Shore access requires a scramble over rocks and a slightly tricky entry and exit.

Skills
No special skills recommended.

Equipment
No special equipment required.

Nearby

Back to the Alphabetical list of sites, or list of dive sites in the Rooi-els area

Other regional dive sites:
 * Dive sites of Table Bay and approaches,
 * Dive sites of the Cape Peninsula west coast
 * Dive sites of the Cape Peninsula east coast
 * Dive sites of False Bay offshore and approaches

 * Fresh water dive sites of the Cape Town Metropolitan Area


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Diving the Cape Peninsula and False Bay/Ankers

The dive site Ankers is a shoreline rocky reef in the Rooi-els area on the east side of False Bay, near Cape Town in the Western Cape province of South Africa.

Understand

Ankers is partly sheltered from south westerly swell, and the entry area is more sheltered. The site may be diveable when access to other sites nearby is marginal.

Position
This site is not in a Marine Protected Area. A permit is not required.
 * S34°18.526’ E018°48.815’

Name
Named "Ankers" after the original house which stood on the rise above the cove, which was demolished and rebuilt in 2003.

Depth
Maximum depth of about 20 m is out beyond the point.

Topography
Medium profile sandstone reef. Mostly bedrock outcrops, with some large boulders, small overhangs etc. Rocky bottom ends at 20m at sand bottom beyond the point.

The photograph shows the big island rock. Around the corner to the right is Balcony dive site. The gap to the east of the big rock is quite shallow (about 4 m). There are several big ridges to seaward of this rock.

Geology: Ordovician sandstone of the Table Mountain group, probably Peninsula formation. Strike north-west, dip fairly steep north east.

Conditions
Fairly sheltered, Does not get south east swell, so often at its best during or after south easterly winds (offshore). Long period south west swell will refract into the cove and it is directly exposed to north westerly wind and waves.

Facilities
None. Park at the side of the road. Security is probably better than most roadside parking, but lock your vehicle as there are troops of baboons which may vandalise in their search for food.

Get in
Normally a shore entry dive. Drive to Gordon’s Bay and continue on the R44 to Rooi-Els. Turn right into Porter street. (2nd right after the bridge over the river). The road runs along the foot of the mountain, and soon turns sharply to the right and goes downhill for a while. Drive along this road until the last turnoff to the right (Oceanview street). The road that goes further slightly to the left is a cul-de-sac. Turn into Oceanview street. Keep left into Perspicua street and drive with the sea on your left until the road curves to the right and goes uphill slightly. Park where you can without obstructing the road.

There is a good path which starts at the side of the road at S34°18.541’ E018°48.872’ and follows the wood fence around to the bay. There are two entry areas, both moderately protected and fairly obvious.

Entry is possible at a number of points in the left foreground, where it is quite shallow.

The small gully in the left foreground is on the South shore, and is easily seen from the path.

Marine life
Fairly dense Kelp forest in the shallower areas. A moderate variety of invertebrates can be found in gullies and crevices. Some years ago a Bronze Whaler shark was frequently seen at the point. This was a popular site for snorkel diving for Rock lobster

Photography
This is a fairly good site for macro photography.

Routes

 * 1) North west along the reef parallel to coastline: Swim with the reef to your left as far as the point, then follow a compass course about 300° magnetic to about 18 m depth, Return a reciprocal course.
 * 2) North round rocky islet: Through the gap to the east of the rocky islet, round the back and back south to the west of the islet.

Hazards
Entry and exit can be tricky in a swell. Surge around the rocky islet can be very strong.

Skills
No special skills required. This site is suitable for night dives, novices and snorkellers.

Equipment
No special equipment required, but there are crevices and overhangs which are best investigated with a light.

Nearby

Back to the Alphabetical list of sites, or list of dive sites in the Rooi-els area

Other regional dive sites:
 * Dive sites of Table Bay and approaches,
 * Dive sites of the Cape Peninsula west coast
 * Dive sites of the Cape Peninsula east coast
 * Dive sites of False Bay offshore and approaches

 * Fresh water dive sites of the Cape Town Metropolitan Area


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Diving the Cape Peninsula and False Bay/Atlantis Reef

The dive site Atlantis Reef or Pillars of Hercules is an offshore rocky reef in the Finlay's Point area of the Castle Rocks Restricted area on the False Bay coast of the Cape Peninsula, near Cape Town in the Western Cape province of South Africa.

Understand

Atlantis reef is a section of the granite reef of the Castle Rocks restricted zone near Partridge Point, so the marine life has been protected for many years and is flourishing. There is no record that the site has been dived before 2011, so it is in pristine condition. The two massive pinnacles marking the site and known as the Pillars of Hercules, were known to exist for some time, as they occasionally show up on the echo sounder of passing boats, but they are a really small target and difficult to find again. However in early September 2011, the dive boat Animal Ocean started investigating the site and reported an exceptionally beautiful area of reef with two impressive pinnacles reaching nearly to the surface but with very small peaks, so they do not break very often, and are in any case to some extent in the lee of the Seal Rock at Partridge Point. Further exploration revealed that the surrounding reef includes some areas of high profile reef near the pinnacles, and further offshore, and extensive medium and low profile reef further inshore, with scattered large boulders.

Position
This site is in the Table Mountain National Park Marine Protected Area since 2004. A permit is required. It is entirely inside the Castle Rocks Restricted Zone, so no fishing of any kind is permitted.
 * S34°15.075' E018°29.027', the nominal position for the site, and the main point of interest.

Name
The site name was chosen by the first divers to report diving at the site. It is named after the legendary lost continent of Atlantis from Greek mythology. The Santorini pinnacles refer to the volcanic Mediterranean island which has been suggested as a possible site for a historical Atlantis.

Depth
Maximum depth is about 29 m at the eastern limit of the reef, and the top of the highest pinnacle is about 4 m deep. Depth on the immediately adjacent reef is 18 to 24 m.

Visibility
Visibility can vary like any other dive site in the area, but in diveable conditions is likely to be between 5 and 10 m, and on a very good day, up to 20 m. It is generally similar to, but often not quite as good as visibility on the Smitswinkel Bay wrecks

Topography
The site is dominated by a pair of massive pinnacles, which rise from a jumbled mass of boulders below 18 m to within 5 m of the surface. The tops of the pinnacles are relatively small and rounded, and are probably in the order of 3 m diameter, but they spread out to 15 to 20 m wide with roughly rectangular plan at 12 to 15 m depth. These have been named the "Pillars of Hercules, in keeping with the Greek mythology theme. On the western and southern sides of the eastern pinnacle there is a large overhang. The granite base between the two pinnacles has a deep crack in it, and to the offshore side of the pinnacles, there is a complex swimthrough formed by jumbled boulders. There is a ledge to the north at about 18 m, and a number of very large boulders in the immediate vicinity to the north. A fairly large rock with a pointed top at about 17 m known as the "Fang" stands a few metres to the east of the pinnacles. It is shaped a bit like a large canine tooth. There is sand a few metres to the south of the pinnacles at about 24 m depth.

To the east of the pinnacles the reef edge comprises medium to large outcrops of granite corestone, with sand between them in the gaps. The reef tends to get lower to the north and more broken to the north west, where large areas are quite low and made up of small boulders and low outcrops.

South east of the pinnacles there is a large outcrop a few metres high which has a dense growth of Sinuous, Flagellar and Palmate gorgonian sea fans.

150 m on a bearing of 145°magnetic from the western pillar, there is another somewhat lower pinnacle, rising to 10 m depth. This and the smaller pinnacle another 30 m to the west have been named the "Santorini pinnacles". They are not as spectacular as the Pillars of Hercules, but are a good dive site in themselves, with plenty of steep walls and overhangs to shelter the reef life.

Geology: Pre-cambrian granite of the Peninsula pluton, with fine quartz sand in the deeper areas and around the reef.

Conditions
The site is often at its best during or after a westerly wind, but may be good even during an easterly if it is not too strong and the swell has not built up yet. Surge may be considerable in long period swell even if low.

The site is exposed to south east wind and waves, and is moderately exposed to south westerly swell, particularly long period swell, which bends round Cape Point, though Atlantis is not far to the north of the reefs at Partridge Point, and they provide some protection from south-westerly swell. The site is usually at its best in winter but there are also occasional opportunities in autumn and spring, and sometimes even in summer a good day may occur.

Look for days when the forecast is for swell from the west, or low swell from the south-west. This can often occur just before a cold front gets to the peninsula, and in these cases the weather is often mild, even sunny, and with little wind in the day or two before the front arrives. During the passage of the front, the weather is generally windy, overcast and frequently rainy, but may still provide very good diving if the wind is not too strong for the boats to operate, as it will be offshore until the front has passed.

After the front has passed, in winter one can expect a day or two of good diving before the next front. In summer, a front is commonly followed by strong south easterly winds, which kick up an unpleasant short onshore chop which makes the boat ride uncomfortable and messes up the visibility.

Get in
This is a boat access dive site. It is technically possible to dive it from the shore, but there would be a long steep climb down from the road to the shore on a slippery path, followed by a long surface swim. Then you would have to find the site, which in itself is not easy.

The site is about 3.2 km from Miller's Point slipway and 10.4km from Simon's Town jetty.

Do
Dive at one of the listed drop points and explore the local reef.

 * S34°15.075' E018°29.027', The main point of interest is a pair of massive pinnacles of similar size and height, standing a few metres apart on a large outcrop at about 21 m depth, extending upwards to about 5 m depth. On the western and southern sides of the eastern pinnacle there is a large overhang. The granite base between the two pinnacles has a deep crack in it, and to the offshore side of the pinnacles, there is a complex swimthrough formed by jumbled boulders. There is a ledge to the north at about 18 m, and a number of very large boulders in the immediate vicinity to the north. A fairly large rock with a pointed top at about 17 m known as the "Fang" stands a few metres to the east of the pinnacles. It is shaped a bit like a large canine tooth. There is sand a few metres to the south of the pinnacles at about 24 m depth.

 * S34°15.037' E018°28.928', About 150 m on a bearing of 145°magnetic from the western pillar, there is another somewhat lower pinnacle, rising to 10 m depth. This and the smaller pinnacle another 30 m to the west have been named the "Santorini pinnacles". They are not as spectacular as the Pillars of Hercules, but are a good dive site in themselves, with plenty of steep walls and overhangs to shelter the reef life.

Marine life
The marine life is extensive and varied. At the tops of the pinnacles and extending to about 12 m is a heavy covering of red bait with both knobbly and false plum anemones living in between them. Descending the pinnacles, the more delicate invertebrates take over and the pinnacles' lower sections are densely covered with bryozoans of at least five different species, and a heavy covering of multicoloured seafans. Between the pinnacles is usually found a school of several species of fishes: blacktails, hottentots, fransmadam and zebras. Moderate numbers of bank steenbras have been seen on the western part of the reef. Nudibranchs such as the black, the crowned and gasflames are common on the pinnacles, with the occasional sighting of smaller nudibranchs such as the orange-eyed nudi and the white-edged nudi. Janbruins can often be seen in the cracks between the pinnacles, and there are some very large Roman.

Where the reef at the base of the pinnacles meets the sand to the south, the lower parts of the reef are covered with red-chested sea cucumbers, strawberry anemones and nippled sea fans. North from the pinnacles in the jumbled boulders is a luxuriant seafan forest, consisting of palmate, sinuous and whip seafans. The usual assortment of invertebrates associated with seafans can also be found: topshell snails, hermit crabs and basket stars in abundance. Further north on a lower profile reef section there is more seafan forest which is sometimes overwhelmed by hairy brittlestars to the extent that it resmbles an afghan rug. The sand at about 29m seems to be a shyshark nursery because many small puffadder shysharks can be seen there. Interestingly, the site also features an unusual number of dark shysharks, more usually seen on the Atlantic side of the peninsula.

Features
Notable features of the site, apart from the Pillars of Hercules include the systems of swimthroughs formed by the jumbled boulders at the base of the site and the site's overall topography. Fang-shaped boulders, vertical cracks, embayments of sand, small drop-offs and overhangs are all worth viewing.

Photography
Good wide angle scenic shots can be taken in conditions of good visibility. The reef life is diverse and prolific, and there are opportunities for both macro photography of benthic organisms, and wide angle photos of the shoals of small fish. The site has been praised as a photographic destination by several notable local underwater photographers, and frequently features on the Facebook site "Underwater Cape Town".

Suggested Routes
No special routes are known at this stage, but the pinnacles are the highlight of the site, and the dense gorgonian forests on the edge of the reef slightly to the south east of the pinnacles are well worth a visit. The area near the pinnacles appears to be the most topographically interesting, so explore the area, and let us know what you find.

 * 1) One route worth trying is to drop in at the south side of the Pillars, descend vertically to 23 m, then to swim east along the reef edge, through a small swimthrough and past the fang-shaped rock to the seafan forest. Since this is relatively deep (around 26 m), depending on your mix, it might be worth while heading back towards the pinnacles either on the northern side, which has many jumbled boulders to explore, or else on the southern side as far as the gap between the pinnacles. Swim through this, past the overhang. Look out for the vertical crack and the janbruin often seen in it, and the resident roman. There are overhangs and swimthroughs to explore and a narrow overhang at about 18 m on the side of the pinnacle which seems to attract many fish. Ascend on the wall of one of the pinnacles — They are shallow enough to do a safety stop on top if there is not too much surge.
 * 2) If you like a bit more of a navigational challenge, you can try swimming to the Santorini pinnacles to the north west. Either start at the western Pillar, and swim on a bearing of 325° magnetic for 150 m, or follow the southern reef edge from the Pillars to the west up a sandy gap which goes about 50 m into the reef, then carry straight on (north) another 25 m.

Hazards
No special hazards are known.

Skills
Certification to dive to the depths found at the site would be expected. Parts of the site are within the depth range appropriate for entry level divers, but not very much, and because the site is so pristine, it is recommended that entry level divers and others with imperfect buoyancy control avoid diving there.

Equipment
No special equipment required. Divers who intend to explore beyond the vicinity of the pinnacles are advised to deploy a DSMB at the end of the dive so the boat can see where they will be ascending.

Nearby

Back to the Alphabetical list of sites, or list of dive sites in the Finlay's Point to Partridge Point area

Other regional dive sites:
 * Dive sites of Table Bay and approaches,
 * Dive sites of the Cape Peninsula west coast

 * Dive sites of False Bay offshore and approaches
 * Dive sites of False Bay east coast
 * Fresh water dive sites of the Cape Town Metropolitan Area


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Diving the Cape Peninsula and False Bay/Bakoven Rock

The dive site Bakoven Rock is an inshore rocky reef in the Camp's Bay area on the Atlantic seaboard of the Cape Peninsula, near Cape Town in the Western Cape province of South Africa.

Understand

Position

 * S33°57.555’ E018°22.204’

This site is in the Table Mountain National Park Marine Protected Area since 2004. A permit is required.

Name
The site gets the name "Bakoven Rock" from the large rock which has a small dark recess on the inshore side which looks a bit like the door of an old wood-burning baking oven, like a wood-burning pizza oven.

Depth
Maximum depth on the sand is about 17 m

Topography
Big granite corestone outcrops and boulders with several overhangs and a few small caves. Bakoven Rock is large and extends a considerable height above the water and is a notable landmark. There is fine sand close in and in the cove, which may be lightly covered with brown deposits on the crests. Further out the sand is coarser, with long parallel wave ridges at about 17 m depth to the north. To the west and south is low reef. The jointing in the area is quite widely spaced, and there are also some deep gullies between high ridges running about north-south magnetic. A small cave formed by a boulder fallen into a large gully is to the south west of the big rock. Often some sand bottom is visible between the rocks. Surge can be strong. Spectacular in good visibility. The cove where the rescue boat is launched has a sand beach and shelves quite gradually. There is a fair amount of live kelp in the cove, which suggests a rocky bottom not far under the sand.

Geology: Granite boulders and bedrock of the late Pre-Cambrian Peninsula pluton, surrounded by white quartz sand.

Conditions
Exposed to westerly swells. Best during or after south easterly winds, or at other times when the south westerly swell is low and short. The site is usually at it's best in summer but there are also occasional opportunities during autumn and early winter.

This is an area which sometimes has Sea Rescue boat launching and recovery, and the use of a surface marker buoy is compulsory to prevent divers from being accidentally cut up by the rescue boat.

Facilities
Parking space is very limited. There is a fresh water shower at the stairs to the beach.

Get in
Usually done as a shore dive. Turn off Victoria road Camps Bay just North of the junction with Houghton road. Drive down Beta road, keeping left at the Y junction, Park at right side of road in the demarcated parking area. The paved path to the beach has steps and handrails. It starts at S33°57.643’ E018°22.421’ and ends at the beach. To the right of the bottom of the stairs is a fresh water shower and tap. You can enter and exit at the beach just in front of the concrete ramp for the rescue boat, or at any suitable point of your own choosing along the rocks to either side of the cove. The beach is very sheltered in any conditions that will be diveable.

Marine life
There are kelp forests in the shallower areas, and a good variety of invertebrate reef life, particularly on the more sheltered vertical and overhanging faces.

Photography
The site is good for macro invertebrate photography.

Routes
Entry at beach, Swim out on the surface to the Bakoven Rock and dive where you like. If the surge is strong it may be more pleasant on the north side.

Hazards
Cold water, Strong surge and breaking waves over exposed rocks. Sea urchins. Strong offshore winds may develop over a short time. Boat traffic risk, particularly from the rescue boat, which may be called out at any time.

Skills
No special skills required. Not recommended for training as there may be boat traffic. Ability to navigate by compass would be useful if an offshore wind picks up during the dive. This should be a good site for night dives, and is also good for snorkelling.

Equipment
A surface marker buoy is compulsory at this site as it is a launching area for the NSRI station 2 rescue boat, which may need to be deployed at short notice, and they need to know where any divers are in the area. A light is useful for looking into crevices and overhangs. A compass will help you to find your way back at the end of the dive.

Nearby

Back to the Alphabetical list of sites, or list of dive sites in the Camps Bay area

Other regional dive sites:
 * Dive sites of Table Bay and approaches
 * Dive sites of the Cape Peninsula east coast
 * Dive sites of False Bay offshore and approaches
 * Dive sites of False Bay east coast
 * Fresh water dive sites of the Cape Town Metropolitan Area


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Diving the Cape Peninsula and False Bay/Balcony

The dive site Balcony is a rocky shoreline reef in the Rooi-els area on the east side of False Bay, near Cape Town in the Western Cape province of South Africa.

Understand

This site is mostly used as a training site or when conditions are marginal. It is not very deep and the reef is not very spectacular, but it is better protected from the swells than most sites in the area.

Position
This site is NOT in a Marine Protected Area. A permit is not required.
 * S34°18.454’ E018°48.911’

Name
Derivation of the name "Balcony" is not known.

Depth
Fairly shallow, mostly less than 10 m.

Topography
Low to moderate sandstone reef quite steeply sloping down to sand bottom.

Geology: Ordovician sandstone of the Table Mountain group, probably ‘’Peninsula’’ formation.

Conditions
Usually best during or after south easterly winds. The site is fairly sheltered from south west swell, but exposed to north west wind and waves. Usually considered a summer dive, but there may be opportunities at other times of the year. This is a very sheltered cove which may be diveable when not much else in the area is accessible.

Facilities
None. Security is probably better than most roadside parking, but be sure to lock up. There are baboons which may try to steal any food, and may vandalise in their efforts to find some.

Get in
This site is almost exclusively dived from the shore. Turn off the R44 into Porter street, then turn right into Oceanview street. Right again into Reggia street and then left where it becomes Rockland road. Park near the wooden railings on the right hand side in Rockland road. View of Balcony dive site from the road. The path is unmistakable as it starts between the wood railings in the right foreground. The path goes over sand to a pebble and boulder beach. This view shows the entry points from the North side of the cove. One is a scramble over the boulder beach to the left, and the other is on the ridge to right of centre, where a ledge is convenient if the tide is right. Exit at the same places. Alternative emergency exit at Ankers which may be more sheltered in case of sudden deterioration of conditions.

Marine life
Kelp forest over most of the reef. It is shallow, so there is other seaweed, and various invertebrates, but the site is not very colourful, as it is a bit too shallow.

Photography
Not recommended for photography. There are better sites all around, and if you dive here it is for another reason, or conditions are bad.

Routes
Swim along the edge of sand and reef in a westerly direction (to seaward).

Hazards
Shore access is over a small boulder beach or requires a short scramble over rocks.

Skills
No special skills required. Suitable for novices and training exercises, snorkelling and night dives.

Equipment
No special equipment recommended.

Nearby

Back to the Alphabetical list of sites, or list of dive sites in the Rooi-els area

Other regional dive sites:
 * Dive sites of Table Bay and approaches,
 * Dive sites of the Cape Peninsula west coast
 * Dive sites of the Cape Peninsula east coast
 * Dive sites of False Bay offshore and approaches

 * Fresh water dive sites of the Cape Town Metropolitan Area


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Diving the Cape Peninsula and False Bay/Bantry Bay

The dive site Bantry Bay is a shoreline rocky reef with inshore pinnacles in the Sea Point area on the Atlantic seaboard of the Cape Peninsula, in Cape Town in the Western Cape province of South Africa.

Position
These sites are in the Table Mountain National Park Marine Protected Area since 2004. A permit is required.
 * S33°55.56’ E018°22.65’
 * This little cove is at the southern end of Sea Point, towards Clifton.
 * S33°55.535’ E018°22.156’
 * A cluster of shallow pinnacles on a flattish rocky base at about 15 m

Name
The name "Bantry Bay" has been associated with this cove for more than a century, and this is the name used on maps of the area.

Depth

 * The shoreline reef is fairly shallow, probably not more than 10 m
 * The pinnacles are further offshore, and reach up to about 3.5 m on top of the shallowest. The depth immediately adjacent to the pinnacles is about 15 m on the bedrock, and 20 m can be found nearby.

Visibility
like all the inshore dive sites of the Sea Point and Clifton area, visibility is likely to be best after an upwelling event but before the algal bloom that follows it. Upwellings on this coast occur during strong southeasterly winds, although the close inshore waters are in the Lee of Lion's Head, and are protected from the direct affects of the wind.

Topography
The layout of the shoreline reef is simple: a small bay fringed with thick kelp with sandy areas in-between. The reef is large granite boulders and outcrops.

The pinnacles are two compact groups of huge granite corestone boulders standing on a very large, relatively level base of granite outcrop.

Geology: Granite of the Pre-Cambrian Peninsula pluton. This site is very close to the famous boundary between the intrusive granite of the huge Cape Peninsula batholith and the older sedimentary rock of the Tygerberg formation. A short distance to the north on the shore is an area of metamorphic rock where the molten granite made contact with the surrounding strata. There is considerable variation in the rocks over about 100 m of shore. Worth a visit if you have any interest in geology.

Conditions
For a shore entry, it is generally better to go at high tide, and important that the swell is very low. The pinnacles are less affected by swell, but as they are quite shallow, a long period swell will produce a strong surge, particularly over the tops of the pinnacles and in gaps that align with the swell direction. The shoreline site is slightly protected from the swell by a ridge outside the cove. This protection is only slight and this spot is quite exposed to the south west swell and it is not often diveable.

The site is usually at its best in early summer but there may also be opportunities in other seasons.

Facilities
Adequate off-road parking.

Get in
The shoreline reef is normally a shore entry, but may be done from a boat. The pinnacles will usually be accessed by boat, but could be done from a shore entry. It will be a long swim, about 800 m from the entry area in the cove.

Shore entry: Go along the Sea Point Beach Road and instead of turning left and up to go to Clifton at the traffic circle, go straight. The bay is right at the end of this little road, which also turns up at the end, though the last section is one-way down. Park anywhere near the bay and go down the steps in the corner where the road turns up. Getting in is generally easy, just jump. Getting out is more of a problem and the place will depend on the tide. Most rocks are a touch too steep to get onto, others are too much affected by waves. Judge things carefully as it can be a bit tricky getting out again after the dive.

The sites are about 6.4 km from the Oceana Power Boat Club slipway at Granger Bay.

Marine life
Fairly dense kelp forest of sea bamboo on the inshore reef. The sand is quite heavy and has many bits of shell it. It is one of the few places where one can quite easily find the Leprous Platanna klipfish Xenopoclinus leprosus. These are well hidden, but a patient search may reveal them. This is also a place where you may see Bobtails.

The pinnacles have typical reef cover for this region, and are quite colourful on the steeper surfaces, which are encrusted by a variety of soft corals, sponges, bryozoans and anemones. The shallower upper surfaces are dominated by the usual red bait and laminaria kelp, and deeper relatively horizontal areas have Cape sea urchins and encrusting coralline algae.

Photography
Macro equipment will usually produce good results, and in good visibility the site will be well illuminated by natural light, so wide angle shots may capture the scenic topography.

Routes
No special routes suggested.

Hazards
Difficult shore exit if the swell comes up.

Skills
No special skills required, Suitable for night dives in good conditions

Equipment
No special equipment recommended.

Nearby

Back to the Alphabetical list of sites, or list of dive sites in the Sea Point area

Other regional dive sites:
 * Dive sites of the Cape Peninsula west coast
 * Dive sites of the Cape Peninsula east coast
 * Dive sites of False Bay offshore and approaches
 * Dive sites of False Bay east coast
 * Fresh water dive sites of the Cape Town Metropolitan Area


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Diving the Cape Peninsula and False Bay/Batsata Rock

The dive site Batsata Rock is an inshore rocky reef in the Batsata area on the False Bay coast of the Cape Peninsula, near Cape Town in the Western Cape province of South Africa.

Understand
The dive sites of the Batsata Rock reefs are some of the southernmost reefs of the west side of False Bay, and are in the restricted zone of the marine protected area. They are mostly medium profile granite and in the shallow to medium depth range.

Position

 * S34°16.602’ E018°28.830’. The rock is visible above the water at all states of the tide.

This site is in the Table Mountain National Park Marine Protected Area (2004). A permit is required. The site is mostly inside the Paulsberg Restricted Zone. The northern boundary of the restricted zone passes through the northern blinder.

Name
The area is named for the exposed rock of the same name. Why it is called Batsata rock is not known. Banging Rocks Reef was named by the divers who explored and surveyed the area in June 2019, because there are one or more boulders that shift with the surge and knock against adjacent rocks. It is not the only reef in the region with banging rocks – there are also banging rocks at North Paw and at Geldkis on the Atlantic Seaboard.

Depth
Fairly shallow around the exposed rocks with an extensive area shallower than 9 m

Maximum depth is about 25 m to the north and east.

Visibility
Visibility is likely to be similar to the other nearby reef, such as Smits Reef and Partridge Point, but Batsata is a bit shallower and more exposed.

Topography
Relatively shallow between the shore and the exposed rocks, but deeper to seaward. A mixture of high and medium profile reef, with a number of deep sandy-bottomed gullies around the central area.

Geology: Pre-Cambrian granite of the Peninsula pluton.

Conditions
This site is moderately protected from south westerly swell, but quite exposed to south easterly weather. It would usually be a winter dive.

Get in
This site is only accessible by boat. It is about 6.3 km from Millers Point slipway, and 13.6 km from Simon's Town jetty.

Do
Dive at one of the marks and explore the surrounding reef.

 * S34°16.602’ E018°28.830’. The rock is visible above the water at all states of the tide.

 * S34°16.553' E018°28.840'. — the half-tide rock north of the exposed rock.

 * S34°16.775’ E018°28.830’. — granite corestone reef, depth 6 m on top of the pinnacle, 19 m on sand patch a few metres to the east. Maximum depth about 24 m.

 * S34°16.590' E018°28.725'. — a shallow (6 m) area to the west of the exposed rocks.

Marine life
Kelp beds in the shallower areas, and a fair variety of local invertebrates.

Routes
No particular route recommended.

Hazards
No site specific hazards known

Skills
No special skills required.

Equipment
No special equipment recommended

Nearby

Back to the Alphabetical list of sites, or list of dive sites in the Batsata area

Other regional dive sites:
 * Dive sites of Table Bay and approaches,
 * Dive sites of the Cape Peninsula west coast

 * Dive sites of False Bay offshore and approaches
 * Dive sites of False Bay east coast
 * Fresh water dive sites of the Cape Town Metropolitan Area


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Diving the Cape Peninsula and False Bay/Bikini Beach

The dive site Bikini Beach is a sandy shoreline with a few boulders in the Gordon's Bay area on the east side of False Bay, near Cape Town in the Western Cape province of South Africa.

Understand
A popular swimming beach at Gordon’s Bay, not generally considered a dive site, but suitable for training exercises if the waves are not too big.

Position
This site is not in a Marine Protected Area. A permit is not required.
 * S34°09.923 E18°51.492 Just to the south of Gordon’s Bay harbour.

Name
The name "Bikini Beach" is derived from the name of the popular bathing beach just south of the Old Harbour at Gordon's Bay

Depth
Maximum depth is about 3 m.

Visibility
Visibility is affected by surf which lifts fine sand into suspension.

Topography
The sandy beach slopes fairly steeply in the surf zone, then flat sand bottom with reef of small scattered rounded boulders about 300 mm high, and a rocky shore to the south of the beach. The northern boundary of the site is the concrete blocks of the harbour breakwater.

Geology: Pre-Cambrian sedimentary rock of the Tygerberg formation, with rounded sandstone boulders from the overlying Table Mountain series. Most of the site is on fine quartz sand bottom.

Conditions
Best during or after south easterly winds. Reasonably sheltered from south westerly swells.

Facilities
Parking in the harbour or at the side of the road behind the beach. There are public toilets in the harbour and at the end of the beach.

Get in
Normally a shore dive. Park at Gordon’s Bay harbour or at the side of the road behind the beach. There is access over the wall at the harbour next to the yacht club. Entry is from any convenient place on the beach.

Marine life
Not very much to see, and mostly around the scattered small boulders somewhat to the south of the beach. Otters have been seen at night playing in the waves and on the rocks to the south of the beach. A few whelks on the sand. At the reef, black mussels, chitons, octopus, small sole, klipfish, small crabs.

Photography
There is not much to photograph, but if you want to try, macro is more likely to produce usable results.

Suggested Routes
No routes recommended. If conditions are very quiet it may be worth investigating the harbour breakwater.

Hazards
Strong offshore winds may develop over a short time. Surge and breaking waves along the harbour wall. Boat traffic

Skills
No special skills required. The site is suitable for training exercises including night dives.

Equipment
No special equipment recommended. If your buoyancy is normally fine tuned, a bit of extra weight may be useful here.

Nearby

Back to the Alphabetical list of sites, or list of dive sites in the Gordon's Bay area

Other regional dive sites:
 * Dive sites of Table Bay and approaches,
 * Dive sites of the Cape Peninsula west coast
 * Dive sites of the Cape Peninsula east coast
 * Dive sites of False Bay offshore and approaches

 * Fresh water dive sites of the Cape Town Metropolitan Area


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Diving the Cape Peninsula and False Bay/Blouklip

The dive site Blouklip, Bloukrans or Blousteen is a shoreline rocky reef in the Rooi-els area on the east side of False Bay, near Cape Town in the Western Cape province of South Africa.

Understand

This site is more protected than most in this area from the south westerly swell, and is accessible from the shore.

Position
This site is not in a Marine Protected Area. A permit is not required.
 * S34°16.439’ E018°50.163’ (Entry and exit area)

Name
Variously named "Blouklip", "Blousteen" and "Bloukrans" for the dark rock ridge of the "Tygerberg" formation at the entry point. The mountain range behind the site is known as the Blousteenberge, and the peak directly above it is Rooielsberg.

Depth
Maximum depth about 17 m

Visibility
Unlikely to be more than 10 m on a good day, but has more good days than most of the sites in the vicinity.

Topography
Inshore is moderate size boulders and outcrops. Further out they get lower until at 10 m there are fairly flat gravel beds. Further out are more outcrops, some flat shale reef, more gravel beds and yet more outcrops.There are also some little patches of sand amongst the rocks and gravel.

Geology: The area is noted for the conspicuous surface deposits of manganese ore. The dark rocks near sea level are outcrops of the Tygerberg formation of the Pre–Cambrian Malmesbury series, similar to those at Gordon’s Bay. The unconformity between this formation and the sandstones of the Graafwater formation is fairly close to the water here, and visible in places, though usually covered by scree.

Conditions
Best during or after south-easterly winds (summer). This area can be exposed to the south-easter at times when it blows parallel to the local shoreline from the Kogelbaai, and if strong this can push up a nasty chop. In these conditions the boulder beach to the south west of the outcrop will be sheltered from the wind and chop and will make a suitable alternative exit.

This site may have better visibility and flatter water than any of the other inshore sites on the east coast of False Bay, as it is sheltered from the south-westerly swell and has a short fetch in a south-easterly wind. It may be diveable when all the Gordon's Bay sites are too dirty, and the Rooi-els sites are too surgey. It is exposed to north westerlies.

Facilities
There is a paved off-road parking area about 90 m towards Kogelbaai (north east) from the top of the path.

Get in
Usual access is from the shore, as there is a long boat ride from the nearest publicly accessible launch site. Park at the side of Faure Marine drive (R44) at the paved parking bay. The path starts at the first of the wire-bound gabion retaining walls about 90 m to the south of the parking area and is rugged and fairly steep. Entry and exit at the large dark grey rock outcrop. Choose your own spot to suit the tide and sea state. There is a fairly sheltered spot on the north east side of the outcrop just inshore of the long ridge which extends to the right as a breakwater. The ledge in this angle is often a good entry and exit point if the tide is suitable. Alternative access by boat from Rooi-els slipway if you are a local resident, or from Gordon's Bay (about 15 km)

Photography
Macro photography is most likely to produce good results

Routes
No particular routes recommended.

Hazards
Shore access requires a long walk down a steep path and a slightly tricky entry and exit.

Skills
No special skills required. The area is suitable for snorkelling.

Equipment
No special equipment recommended.

Nearby

Back to the Alphabetical list of sites, or list of dive sites in the Rooi-els area

Other regional dive sites:
 * Dive sites of Table Bay and approaches,
 * Dive sites of the Cape Peninsula west coast
 * Dive sites of the Cape Peninsula east coast
 * Dive sites of False Bay offshore and approaches

 * Fresh water dive sites of the Cape Town Metropolitan Area


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Diving the Cape Peninsula and False Bay/Blousteen Ridge

The dive site Blousteen Ridge is a shoreline rocky reef in the Rooi-els area on the east side of False Bay, near Cape Town in the Western Cape province of South Africa.

Position
A ridge of rock close to and parallel to the shoreline a couple of hundred metres to the south west of Blouklip.
 * S34°16.497' E018°49.924' (just outside the gap in the ridge)

This site is not in a Marine Protected Area. A permit is not required.

Name
The name "Blousteen Ridge" describes the shoreline landmark for the site.

Depth
Maximum depth is about 17 m. Average depth about 9 m.

Visibility
Visibility is likely to be similar to the other Rooi-els sites, but may be better as this site and Blouklip are more sheltered. 6 m would be considered good, but more is possible after an upwelling.

Topography
The site is the vicinity of a rocky ridge which runs parallel to the shoreline, with a gully between it and the shore. There is a gap in the ridge which is deep enough to swim through, and the north east end of the gully is also open to the sea. Most of the site is to seaward of the ridge. The bottom is rocky reef of the same bedrock as the ridge, with boulders of the sandstone from higher up the mountainside.

Bottom is sandstone reef where visible, with scattered boulders: small further out, larger towards shore. The shore wall is very steep from about 10 m deep on the outside of the ridge, with slight overhangs.

The longshore gully is quite deep at about 5 to 6 m in the centre except at the eastern end where boulders partially block it to within 2 m of surface.

Geology: Nearshore ridges appear to be Graafwater sandstones. Deep reef (flat) appears to be dark grey sedimentary rock of the Tygerberg formation. There are also boulders of lighter sandstone from the overlying Table Mountain series. Strike is more or less parallel to the coast (east-west), Dip is about 45° to the south.

Conditions
The site is exposed to waves from the north west and to a lesser degree from the south west, so should be dived when the swell is low and the wind is not from the west. It is more likely to be good in summer or at any other time when there is low south west swell and the wind has been blowing from the south east. The site is reasonably protected from south easterly winds, and they will not push up much of a sea as the fetch is short.

This is an area which sometimes has upwellings, caused by strong south easterly winds blowing for a long period, which sometimes causes cold clear water to rise to the surface. These conditions do not usually last more than a few days.

Get in
Only known to be accessed by boat. There may be a path down from the road, but it will be a long climb. The site is about 15 km from Gordon's Bay harbour or about 3.3 km from Rooi-els slipway if you are a local resident.

It could also be dived from a shore entry at Blouklip. This requires a fairly long walk down to the shore and a swim of about 400 m to the site.

Marine life
A large variety of reef animals have been seen at this site. These include a number of species of nudibranch and other gastropods, cuttlefish, Several species of anemones, and sea fans, Feather stars and other starfish, Colonial and solitary ascidians, various sponges, in both encrusting and upstanding forms, false corals, flatworms, Rock lobster, rock crabs and amphipods.

Fish seen here include large rays, shoals of Hottentot seabream and Panga, blennies, Galjoen, Rocksucker and Two-tone fingerfin.

Photography
This is a good site for macro and close-up photography as there are a large variety of colorful animals to be found. Macro will require flash, and wide angle work will usually need external flash.

Routes
No particular route recommended.

Hazards
No site specific hazards recorded.

Skills
No special skills required.

Equipment
No special equipment recommended.

Nearby

Back to the Alphabetical list of sites, or list of dive sites in the Rooi-els area

Other regional dive sites:
 * Dive sites of Table Bay and approaches,
 * Dive sites of the Cape Peninsula west coast
 * Dive sites of the Cape Peninsula east coast
 * Dive sites of False Bay offshore and approaches

 * Fresh water dive sites of the Cape Town Metropolitan Area


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Diving the Cape Peninsula and False Bay/Blue Rock Quarry

The dive site Blue Rock Quarry is a flooded quarry. It is the only significant fresh water dive site with public access in the greater metropolitan area of Cape Town in the Western Cape province of South Africa.

Understand

The site is diveable in all weather conditions, and provides a large range of depths, and is useful for training and familiarization with equipment and procedures. The water supply is mainly groundwater, and is neither particularly clean nor known to be contaminated with anything nasty. Water level may vary a bit, and can be a metre or so higher after a rainy winter, but is limited by overflowing at the west end. Runoff from winter rains carries in silt and reduces visibility.

Position

 * S34°07.566’ E18°54.045’
 * S34°07.646’ E18°54.220’
 * S34°07.630’ E18°54.128’
 * S34°07.540’ E18°54.137’

Near the foot of Sir Lowry's Pass, just off the N2 highway.

Altitude is somewhere between the 60 m and 80 m contours. Sea level equivalent altitude for most dive tables.

This site is not in a Marine Protected Area

Name
The "Blue Rock Quarry" was named for the building aggregate which was quarried there in the past, which was a dark blue-grey colour. The quarry was closed and is now flooded and used for water sports including diving.

Depth
The bottom is stepped, except at the old access roads. The level at the west end and the west part of the south and north sides is at about 10 m, then drops almost vertically to about 20 m, then further east it drops off again more gradually over a boulder slope to the main level at about 25 to 30 m.

The east end is deeper, from 30 to 40 m in most places, and the deep area in the south east corner extends to at least 47 m, though there are unconfirmed reports of greater depth. (65 m in the south eastern corner)

Visibility
Visibility varies with the seasons. It is best at the end of summer, before the winter rains, which reduce visibility due to runoff. Visibility can be as high as 6 to 8 m but is usually more like 3 to 4 m, and the bottom is covered with fine silt which can reduce visibility to less than a metre locally in seconds. The silt usually clears overnight to the usual 3 to 4 m.

At the end of winter the water level may be as much as a metre higher, and visibility may be significantly worse, possibly 2 m in the shallows and less in deeper water, and the light level will also be lower. It may be very dark below 15 m, with visibility of undisturbed water about 1 m.

Topography
The sides of the quarry are almost sheer rocky walls, with loose boulders and occasional slight overhangs. Care must be taken not to dislodge rocks when divers may be below. The bottom is very silty and visibility is badly affected if it is disturbed. An old access road at far side (north west corner) winds down the side of the quarry below the water. The east end is deepest and exceeds 40 m in places. Maximum depth is claimed to be over 60 m in a very small area.

The west end is shallower and stepped down to a flattish silty bottom at about 25 m. There are large and small boulders scattered on the bottom and everything is covered by fine silt. There are submerged trees in places, mostly along the sides where the slope is not too steep, like on the old access roads. These could cause entanglement of divers equipment and due care should be taken to avoid this. There is some debris left from the quarry operators, and from the builders of the ski-tow system, and some dive schools have permanent training aids on the bottom. These should not be moved or vandalised.

Two permanent shotlines are sited in the south east corner and are property of a commercial diving school.

There are a number of steel wire cables mooring the floating ski course accessories, rope mooring line for the ski lane demarcation buoys and there may be guide line laid by technical divers across the bottom, mostly in the deeper areas. Take care not to get snagged on any of these. Carry a suitable cutting tool in case of accidental snagging on the guide line, which is usually 1 to 2 mm white nylon braid.

Geology: The quarry was a commercial source of Cape Blue Rock, a dense Hornfels, (fine textured contact altered argillaceous [from clay] rocks) from the Pre-Cambrian Malmesbury series. The Hornfels was formed when the nearby Stellenbosch granite pluton intruded more than 530 million years ago.

Conditions
The site is protected from most weather conditions. It can be safely dived in the strongest winds likely to occur in the area, and there is never any current or surge. The site is usually at its best at the end of summer, when the shallower water has warmed a little and the silt from winter rain runoff has settled as much as possible, but this is an all year dive site, and conditions change very little. Visibility is usually about 3 to 5m until you disturb the sediment, when it can drop to zero in seconds.

This is an area which sometimes has a noticeable thermocline, and the depth can vary with the seasons, being deepest at the end of summer, when it may be between 8 and 15 m.

Water temperature at the end of winter is likely to be around 16°C. This will be the approximate temperature below the thermocline for the summer.

Facilities
Parking is adequate, and security probably not bad. Toilets and changing rooms are available, and a fast-food restaurant may be open.

Overhead ski-tow facilities are the main feature at this site, and may present a hazard to divers. However, as this is the main attraction, complaints will probably be a waste of breath. Keep clear of the ski zone and you will be OK, or dive on a Monday, when the ski-tow is closed.

Get in
Take the turnoff to the north to Sir Lowry’s Pass village from the N2 at the Gordon's Bay turnoff at the foot of Sir Lowry’s Pass. A few hundred metres along there is a turnoff to the left to a short access road which runs more or less parallel to the main road. Turn into the gate to the left and pass through the security gate. The gatekeeper will require payment of the entry fee. Drive along the tar road and further along the dirt road until you reach the parking area near the buildings. An entrance fee and a charge for diving of R130 is levied per person for the day (August 2016). Parking is usually adequate but equipment will have to be carried to the water. Adequate paths and stairs are provided near the buildings, and old access roads provide safe access to the water at two other places. Inquire at the shop about vehicle access to these roads. Four wheel drive, differential lock and reasonably high ground clearance recommended.

Opening hours vary, and the site may be officially closed between mid May and mid September. It is often possible to get access by arrangement on closed days, as some of the staff appear to live on site.

There are three areas usually used for diving access.
 * 1) The platform where the water-skiers launch, at the bottom of a set of stairs in front of the buildings. There is an adequate set of steps at the east end of the jetty for getting out.

 * 1) The shore at the west end, where there is easy access at the base of the north western pylon. This area may be used by commercial diver training schools, usually for scuba, but occasionally for surface supplied diving. Stay clear of their operations while they have divers in the water, or at least request permission from the supervisor, who may require you to stay clear of a specified area.

 * 1) The shore at the middle of the south side, at the bottom of a grassed over access ramp, where there is a wood decked floating jetty used as a dock for the boat which picks up skiers who let go of the towline far from the launch area.

 * 1) The old access road at the south east corner. There is a small concrete platform and a small roofed area which provides a bit of shade. Commercial diving schools occasionally rent this area for surface supplied training operations. If a commercial diving school has a diving operation under way the supervisor will not generally allow recreational diving on the site under his control. Do not push your luck, the supervisor is legally empowered, by the Occupational Health and Safety Act and the Diving Regulations, to have any person who in his opinion may interfere with or compromise the safety of the diving operation removed from the site. His opinion, not yours.

The commercial schools do not usually work on weekends. If there is commercial training going on, just use one of the other access areas.

Aquatic life
There are small fish, freshwater crabs, Platannas (African clawed toad) and some larger fish which have not been identified, but may be carp. Small fresh-water jellyfish have been seen at some times of the year.

Features
There are several water-ski ramps with cable moorings, but stay away from these when the ski-cable system is in use. The east end has a few permanent shotlines used by the commercial diving schools and by free-divers for training. If they are not in use there is no problem with using them. The submerged roads at the west end have an assortment of earthmoving vehicle tyres lying around where they were last left by trainee divers who use them for lift bag exercises, and there is some steel structural framework at the ski launch platform at the bottom of the stairs in the south-west corner.

Photography
Not recommended for photograph enthusiasts as there is little to photograph, and the visibility is usually poor and the water dark.

Routes

 * 1) Multi level dives are easily made near where the road enters the water. The road can be followed, or by swimming at right angles to the road, the depth increases in steps to about 25m at the west end. Take care to keep clear of the water ski route under the cable system when near the surface.
 * 2) Deep dives can be done using the moorings of the rafts as shotlines, or for greater depth shotlines can be set up to suit the dive plan. If it is expected to obstruct the ski zone, be sure to make arrangements with the management ahead of time. There are two permanent shotlines belonging to the commercial diving school, which may be used if they are not operating on site.
 * 3) If there are no commercial diver training operations in progress, the permanent shotlines may be used. The further from the entry area at the base of the south-eastern access road is anchored at about 42m on a rubble bottom. The slope up appears to be nearby, about 2 m away, but it is not known in which direction, or of this will provide a direct ascent, or an ascent to a higher level ledge, which is most likely.
 * 4) The nearer shotline is anchored on a submerged access road at 27 m. There is usually a diver training aid for underwater assembly exercises there. Swim north east across the road to the dropoff which slopes down at about 45 degrees. This probably goes down to about 42 m. You can return up the rockface, or if you have used a reel, back to and up the shotline. The rockface above the road is nearly vertical, and has some loose fragments, so keep your group at the same depth, spread out a bit and stay a metre or so off the wall for safety. Do not have more than one group on the wall at diffiernt depths, as the risk for deeper divers of being hit by a falling rock is unacceptable.

Hazards
Poor visibility in the rainy season, or when the silt is disturbed by divers. Nitrogen narcosis in deep areas, Loose rocks on walls, Submerged trees and possibly other debris. Water skiers and their safety boat under the towline.

Skills
Very suitable for training. No special skills required. The West end is relatively shallow and there are few submerged trees. For shallow water training exercises the submerged access road in the north west corner is suitable.

Not suitable for night dives as the gates close at about 17h00. A good site for deep and decompression diving training.

Equipment
No special recommendations for shallower dives, except to adjust your weights for fresh water.

If doing deep dives, the gas may be chosen to suit the planned profile, and a light, reel and dsmb are recommended.

Back to Diving the Cape Peninsula and False Bay


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Diving the Cape Peninsula and False Bay/Boat Rock

The dive site Boat Rock or Bakoven Rock is an inshore rocky reef in the Miller's Point area on the False Bay coast of the Cape Peninsula, near Cape Town in the Western Cape province of South Africa.

Position
The rock is large and conspicuous and easily recognised. It is just offshore and south of Miller's Point.
 * S34°14.070' E18°29.000'
 * S34°14.140' E18°29.015'

This site is in a Marine Protected Area (2004). A permit is required. Boat Rock itself, and much of the contiguous reef is outside the Castle Rocks Restricted Zone, but the southern parts of the reef and Festival Pinnacle are within the restricted zone. The broken yellow line on the map indicates the position of the border.

Name
On the charts this site is marked as "Bakoven Rock", which can cause confusion with Bakoven Rock on the other side of the Cape Peninsula on the Atlantic coast near Camp’s Bay. Divers commonly refer to it as "Boat Rock", but there is also a small point called Boat Rock nearby on the charts, which is just north of Partridge Point.

Festival Pinnacle was mapped on request for use as one of the sites for the 2012(?) Cape Town Dive Festival.

Depth
Maximum depth is about 22 m on the sand to the east. The main rock breaks the surface at all tides.

Topography
South west side: Coarse shelly sand bottom at about 14 m with big granite boulders and reef. High relief, with a lot of small holes under rocks, mostly too small to swim through.

South east and east side: Large boulders on rocky outcrops with sand bottom. Overhangs and gullies. Further to the south there is a narrow sand tongue separating Boat Rock reef from the small "Festival Pinnacle". The reef to the west may be continuous to Millers' Point.

Festival Pinnacle: A compact pinnacle and patch of reef south of Boat Rock, across a small sand gap. The pinnacle is a fairly large granite outcrop, about 20 m long, rising from a sand bottom at 18 m to just above 12 m. The north east face is a slightly overhanging wall 6 m high. The adjacent reef section has two smaller boulders about 3 m high to the north west, and a patch of low reef to the south west. Beyond a narrow sand-bottomed gully to the west is more low reef. The pinnacle was initially picked up on sonar by Blue Flash charters during the 2012 Cape Town Dive Festival, and dived later the same day.

Geology: Granite of the late Pre-Cambrian Peninsula pluton, and shelly quartz sand.

Conditions
The site is moderately protected from south westerly swell. South east chop may make it unpleasant on the surface, but it may be quiet below the wave base, however a strong south-easter or one that blows for a long time will push up a swell that will make it unpleasant all the way down. Generally considered a winter dive site but there are also occasional opportunities during the rest of the year.

Facilities
Adequate parking at the Miller’s Point slipway parking lot. There were rather insalubrious toilet facilities at the side of the path to the point, but they may have been closed as there are better facilities at the slipway.

Get in
Usually considered a boat dive, but may be dived from a shore entry at the end of Miller’s point. It is approximately 30 minutes surface swim to rock, 30 minutes back. Use a SMB as there is a lot of boat traffic in the area, or better still, swim back on the bottom if your nitrogen loading allows.

The site is approximately 1 km from Miller's Point slipway and 8.3 km from Simon's Town jetty.

Marine life
Kelp in the shallower areas, and a good variety of invertebrates and fish can be seen. Keep watch for scallops on the sand.

Photography
Good site for photography. (photographic equipment suggestions)

Routes
No particular route recommended.
 * 1) Boat dive: Anchor to suit conditions or dive from live boat. Dive round the rock and the reefs to the south and east. Use DSMB if surfacing far from the rock.
 * 2) Shore dive: Entry at Millers Point as close to the rock as you can find a suitable entry point. Swim out to the rock on the surface, dive, and return on compass course if air supply allows. Tow an SMB while making the crossing.

Hazards
Boat traffic may be heavy if the snoek or yellowtail are running. Great white sharks have been seen in this area. A north-westerly wind may cause an offshore surface current.

Skills
No special skills required. The site is occasionally used for night dives.

Equipment
A light will be useful for looking into crevices and to restore colour at depth. A compass will help keep track of where you are on a boat dive and is essential on a shore dive if you wish to return under water. A DSMB is useful on a boat dive, and an SMB of some kind is strongly recommended on a shore dive to warn boats of your position when crossing the boating lane.

Nearby

Back to the Alphabetical list of sites, or list of dive sites in the Miller's Point area

Other regional dive sites:
 * Dive sites of Table Bay and approaches,
 * Dive sites of the Cape Peninsula west coast

 * Dive sites of False Bay offshore and approaches
 * Dive sites of False Bay east coast
 * Fresh water dive sites of the Cape Town Metropolitan Area


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Diving the Cape Peninsula and False Bay/Bordjiesrif

The dive site Bordjiesrif is a shoreline rocky reef in the Buffels Bay area on the False Bay coast of the Cape Peninsula, near Cape Town in the Western Cape province of South Africa.

Position
S34°18.99’ E018°27.83’

This site is in a Marine Protected Area (2004). A permit is required.

Depth
Fairly shallow.

Topography
Sandstone reef.

Conditions
Winter dive area, though also dived in summer when conditions allow as it is popular as a snorkelling site for Rock Lobster. Exposed to south easterly winds and waves, and access could be tricky through surf.

Facilities
Adequate paved parking. Parks Board facilities are usually clean and well maintained.

Get in
Normally a shore dive, but there is a slipway at the site.

There is an entrance fee to enter the Cape Point area of the National Park.

Marine life
Extensive kelp forests and a popular Kreefing spot (rock lobster collecting site).

Routes
No particular route recommended.

Hazards
No site specific hazards known.

Skills
Suitable for training and entry level divers, and popular as a snorkelling site

Equipment
No special equipment recommended.

Nearby

Back to the Alphabetical list of sites, or list of dive sites in the Buffels Bay area

Other regional dive sites:
 * Dive sites of Table Bay and approaches,
 * Dive sites of the Cape Peninsula west coast

 * Dive sites of False Bay offshore and approaches
 * Dive sites of False Bay east coast
 * Fresh water dive sites of the Cape Town Metropolitan Area