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Diving the Cape Peninsula and False Bay/SS Bia

The dive site SS Bia is a historical wreck on an inshore 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
The Swedish freighter SS Bia is one of at least three wrecks at Olifantsbospunt. It hit Albatross rock on a stormy night in 1917 and was wrecked. If you are diving the area, you may as well visit them all if there is time and the sea is not too rough. The others are the SS Thomas T. Tucker, and the SS Umhlali. All are shallow, and decompression will not be an issue.

Position

 * S34°16.140' E018°22.812'
 * S34°16.217' E018°22.638'

Just northwest of Olifantsbospunt, close inshore.

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

Name
The name "SS Bia" is the name of the ship wrecked at this site.

Depth
Maximum depth is probably less than 8 m. The top of the engine block and boiler are at about 3 m. (Average depth is likely to be about 4 m.)

Visibility
The site is in very shallow water, where the surge is strong, and visibility will not often be good. However on a very flat day after an upwelling better visibility than usual may be expected.

Topography
The bow of the wreck lies close inshore behind a shallow reef, The wreckage is mostly mangled hull plating and frames, but a few portholes and other items of interest have been seen There is a large cast iron mooring bollard on one of the fragments. The wreckage is on a shallow section of sandstone reef, and is mostly encrusted with rust and crustose coralline algae, and overgrown by kelp and smaller seaweeds, as are the rocks, and in some cases it is difficult to distinguish where reef stops and wreck starts.

The major part of the wreckage is further out to the west, but is also on a shallow reef. This reef has higher profile, and there are areas where there little wreckage, and other areas with lots. The triple expansion steam engine lies on its side on top of a fairly high section of reef, and the cylinders of the upper engine block are clearly recognisable and fairly intact, though well camouflaged by coralline algae. The engine remains include piston rods, crosshead links, connecting rods and the crankshaft, with what appear to be valve control rods. About ten metres away, at similar depth, is the remains of a scotch boiler. The firebox is open and has a large hole in the lower surface, and the boiler casing cylinder walls are mostly rusted away, leaving the tubes open to view. Between these two items is a long shaft with a gear near one end and a winch drum at the other end. There is also another winch shaft with drums at both ends, a number of heavy solid iron bars, and a fairly large amount of hull framing and plating.

Geology: Quartzitic Ordovician sandstone of the Peninsula formation.

Conditions
The site is exposed to westerly swells and winds, so should be dived in low swell and offshore (south easterly) winds. These conditions are most common in summer, but can occur less frequently during other seasons.

Get in
Boat dive. The site is 16.5 km from the launch site at Kommetjie, and 27 km from Hout Bay harbour. There is no shore access as there is no road providing reasonable access to the area. Shore exit should be possible in an emergency, but it will be a long walk to the nearest habitation.

Marine life
The wreckage and reef are largely covered by crustose corallines, and is the base for a kelp forest of Ecklonia maxima, the sea bamboo. There are also areas densely covered by small brown and red seaweeds, and the reef and wreckage provide shelter for West coast rock lobster and a few abalone, amongst other invertebrates, and Hottentot seabream may be seen above the wreck and reef.

Features
Wreckage of an early steamship of some historical interest. The wreckage is in two sections, separated by a few hundred metres of reef with dense kelp forest. The inshore section is the bow. It is smaller and more compact than the offshore section, and includes a reasonable amount of recognisable structure, including large cast iron mooring bollards, and some stanchions.

The offshore section is the larger part of the vessel, and includes the triple expansion steam engine, which is in reasonable condition and many parts can be identified. There is also the remains of a large windlass, and what may be a steam capstan with a long drive shaft. Most of the structural plating has been severely broken up and is mostly only just recognisable as wreckage. There are several long and apparently solid steel bars or pillars, but it is not clear whether these were structure or cargo.

Photography
Natural light photography with a wide angle lens is most likely to produce usable photos unless the conditions are bad, in which case it will be extremely uncomfortable if not dangerous to dive.

Suggested Routes
No specific route recommended. The main section of the wreck may have better visibility and less surge than the bow section.

Hazards
The wreckage includes rusted metal plates and bars, a small number of which have thin and sharp points and edges. These present a cutting and piercing hazard to both diver and equipment, which may be increased if there is a strong surge and poor visibility, both of which are common at this site. The risk would not generally be considered high, but you should be aware of the hazard, as you dive at your own risk.

Skills
No special skills required. It is not possible to penetrate the wreck.

Equipment
No special equipment recommended. A surface marker buoy should not be towed as it will be caught in the heavy kelp. There is no risk of decompression sickness due to the shallow depth, so ascent rate is not critical.

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/SS Cape Matapan

The dive site SS Cape Matapan is an offshore historical wreck in the Mouille Point area of Table Bay, near Cape Town in the Western Cape province of South Africa.

Understand

The Cape Matapan was a steam powered fishing boat of the Irvin and Johnson fleet, built in 1925, which was slowly returning to Cape Town harbour in heavy fog in 1960 when it was accidentally rammed by another vessel leaving the harbour. The Matapan sank rapidly, but all the crew were rescued by the other vessel, which made it back to the harbour. The position of the wreck was not accurately known due to the conditions at the time of the sinking, but was reported to be about 30 minutes at low speed from the breakwater. A group of divers from False Bay Underwater Club and Blue Flash diving charters made a search in the estimated area in late October 2010. The initial search on parallel compass courses was unsuccessful, bur a trial run using a towed sled on an arc around the estimated position hit paydirt, and the diver cut loose and investigated some wreckage seen on the bottom. This included a section of bow structure, a hawse pipe, and several plates. A second dive was done a couple of weeks later to begin a survey of the site, and the boiler was found. So far the wreckage has not been positively identified, though many artifacts correspond with the only known photograph of the vessel. The site has been named the Cape Matapan until evidence indicates that it is a different wreck. It is apparent that salvage work was done on this wreck in the past, as the hub of the propeller has had the blades removed, possibly by blasting.

The surrounding reef has a reasonably representative variety of the local reef life.

Position
About a kilometer north of the wreck of the RMS Athens
 * S33°53.233' E018°24.533'

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

Name
The name "SS Cape Matapan" is the name of a vessel sunk in this area, and thought to be the wreckage at the site.

Depth
Maximum depth is about 25 m. The bottom is almost flat and most of the wreckage does not stand very high, so the average depth is probably about 23 m, with the top of the boiler at about 21 m. There are a few rocky ridges in the vicinity, but none higher than about 2 m.

Visibility
Visibility in Table Bay is often at its best after a south easterly wind. It can be as good as 15 to 20 m, but is more likely to be between 5 and 10 m on a diveable day. After north-westers, usually in winter, the visibility may be very poor.

Topography

Low profile blocky rocky reef, largely bedrock, with small blocky boulders and shingle. Virtually no sand, even in the low-lying areas. This may be seasonal, and the low flat rock is relatively bare.

Wreckage includes: Hawse pipe, anchor, anchor winch, part of the forefoot, various pieces of side and bottom plating with frames, and other odds and ends of plate and sections, all low and fairly widely scattered.

There is also a three firebox scotch boiler about 4 m diameter, structurally intact, a large steam powered winch with wire cable on drums, and part of the winch engine, a long large bore pipe, possibly a mast, bits of brass tube and pipe, a couple of porthole frames and components, a large deck mounted sheave or turning block, some valves and flanged pipe fittings, and a scattered mass fragments of plate and frames. There is also a mechanism which might be a feed water pump, and what may be part of the rudder. Most of the smaller objects are heavily encrusted and not easily identifiable. Many of these items have been identified on the map, but not with any great accuracy.

The debris field found so far is about 35 m radius centred on the boiler. To the north west of a line between the boiler and the forefoot are a large number of small scraps of structural plating and frames.

Geology: Pre-Cambrian sedimentary rock of the Tygerberg formation. Strike approximately north/south, Dip almost vertical.

Conditions
The site is exposed to wind and waves from the north west, and to a lesser degree from the southwest, so should be dived the south west swell is low or short period. It is likely to be good in south easterly winds, as long as they are not too strong.

The site will usually be at it's best in summer, but there will also be occasional opportunities at other times.

This is an area which sometimes has very strong offshore winds, which can come up quickly, but are usually predictable a few days ahead. Watch the weather forecast. A strong south-easter will usually not affect underwater conditions, but will make the boat trip wet and uncomfortable, and may make it difficult for the crew to see divers in the water. The wind will also blow a diver on the surface towards the shipping lane.

Expect cold water. 14°C would be considered warm, and temperature could be as low as 9 or 10°C

Get in
Boat dive, usually from Oceana Power Boat Club, or from the V&A waterfront. The site is about 1.7 km from Oceana Power Boat Club, and is just on the outside edge of the main shipping lane serving Cape Town harbour, in the inshore traffic zone.

Marine life
The wreckage is thinly encrusted with corallines and invertebrates. Occasional clusters of sponges, colonial ascidians feather stars etc and some large lacy bryozoans. The boiler has more soft coral, anemones and false corals, particularly inside. The surrounding reef is much the same in the flatter areas, but the ridges have some colourful clusters of sponges, soft corals and false corals and the occasional nudibranch. Fairly large numbers of Hottentot seabream swim around in shoals, as is usually the case in a relatively high profile part of a reef in this region.

Features
Wreckage from a moderately recent wreck of some historical interest. The wreckage has not yet been positively identified, but is all consistent with the available information about the ship. It includes a Scotch boiler with two fireboxes in fairly intact condition, two large steam powered winches, an anchor of the same pattern visible in the photo of the ship, and a pile of wreckage of machinery.

Photography
If the visibility is really good, natural light photos of the wreckage may give interesting results, otherwise, Macro photography for the limited reef life, or wide angle photos of the wreckage.

Suggested Routes
The shot should be dropped near to the boiler, as it is the best landmark, and may be picked up on an echo-sounder.

Depending on your interests, you can spend the dive investigating the pile of debris to the south west of the boiler, or cruise around looking at the overall picture.

If you want to see a large part of the site in one dive, the following route may suit your needs. Starting at the boiler, swim a course of 160° magnetic. After about 15 m you should see a flat plate about 3 m by 3 m with raised rubbing strips, some on the diagonal. Continue on this course over a section of hull plating with visible stiffeners, to a section of the forefoot (the transition between the stem and the keel). Just beyond this is a hawsepipe standing up at about 45°, and balanced on the hawsepipe flange.

There is not much of interest recorded from further south or east, so at this point you may wish to turn and return to the main wreckage, taking in the anchor, anchor winch, main mast and main winch on the way. These are laid out parallel to the route you took to get to the hawsepipe, but slightly to the south west (probably about 10m on average).

Beyond the winch, to the north east the boiler should be visible, and straight ahead is the mound of assorted machinery, piping and structural steel. A shaft with four rings is probably the most conspicuous single item in this assemblage of strange bits of ship, and there are two connecting rods which may have been part of the main engine.

Hazards
The site is very close to a major shipping lane. Ensure that the dive boat is flying the appropriate signals, and be very careful when surfacing. The size of ship that uses this area is not able to stop or avoid a person in the water, and may draw 10 m or more, so you would not necessarily be safe near the bottom if one were to go overhead. The boiler has survived many years, so one can assume that you will be safe from most ships at that depth.

Skills
The ability to deploy a DSMB and navigate by compass is strongly recommended. It may be necessary to surface away from the shotline and this site is near a major shipping lane.

Equipment
A DSMB to indicate your position while surfacing, and a compass to ensure that you do not wander into the shipping lane are strongly recommended.

Nearby

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

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/SS Clan Monroe

The dive site SS Clan Monroe is an inshore rocky reef with a historical wreck 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
The Clan Monroe was a British turret steamer and sister ship to the SS Clan Stuart, which was wrecked on the other side of the Cape Peninsula at Simon's Town, only 11km away as the crow flies. This is all the more remarkable as there were only about 6 ships of this type built.

Position
This is further offshore than the position indicated on the SA Navy charts.
 * S34°08.817' E18°18.949' — 370 m 144° magnetic to Slangkop lighthouse.

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

Name
The name "SS Clan Monroe" is the name of the ship wrecked at this site

Depth
Maximum depth is about 8 m. and the top of the anchor is about 4 m. Average depth is likely to be about 6.5 m.

Visibility
Visibility is likely to be adequate when conditions are suitable to dive the wreck. The water is shallow and the site is well lit. Expect visibility of 5 to 10 m if conditions are good.

Topography
The site is shallow, and the bottom is flat sandstone reef. The dip is almost horizontal, and the bedding is quite thin, so the steps are usually about 0.3 to 0.5m high, and depressions of similar depth. There are occasional outcrops about a metre high, but the anchor and chain mound stand up higher than anything else nearby.

Geology: Ordovician sandstone, probably of the Peninsula formation. Strike not distinguishable, as the dip is almost horizontal.

Conditions
The site is exposed to westerly winds and waves, and is very shallow, so should be dived in very flat seas, and is often good in offshore south easterlies. The site is well protected from south east wind and waves, but if a strong south east wind comes up the return boat trip could be uncomfortable

The site is usually at it's best in summer but there are also occasional opportunities in spring and autumn

Get in
Boat or shore access. Very seldom dived, but not a challenging site in flat seas. Boats may be launched from the slipway at Hout Bay harbour, or at Kommetjie, which is very close by, but not a very good slipway.

The site is also accessible from the shore if the sea is calm. The entry is subject to surf on the rocky shoreline if there is a swell running, and this may make the entry and exit both difficult and dangerous. The site is not easy to find without a GPS.

The site is about 11.9 km from Hout Bay harbour, or 1.8 km from Kommetjie slipway.

Marine life
The flat reef is heavily encrusted with coralline algae, and has a light kelp forest of sea bamboo. There are moderate numbers of rock lobster, and the odd abalone, but very few sea urchins. Most of the sessile invertebrates are in the cracks and under the small overhangs, as this is a reef which is exposed to a terrible pounding from the surf in winter.

Features
There is a small amount of wreckage. This includes an anchor, a hawse pipe, an anchor windlass and a large pile of heavy stud-link chain, bonded together into a lump by rust and coralline algae. There is also a short cylindrical object which may be part of a mast or derrick, a few flywheels, some plate with stiffeners, a number of rectangular iron frames resembling boxes, a few bits of pipe. a two posted mooring bollard and a brass porthole frame, imbedded in the small boulders in a gully. This wreckage is concentrated in an area some 50 m long and 20 m wide. There may be other wreckage nearby that has not been mapped yet.

Suggested Routes
No specific routes are recommended: The site is small enough to be comprehensively visited on a single dive unless you are specially interested in identifying the wreckage. The most interesting area is near the anchor, where the windlass and several other fairly large items are clustered.

Hazards
The site is shallow and exposed to heavy seas. However it should be obvious when conditions will be unpleasant or dangerous.

Skills
No special skills required. The site is suitable for entry level divers and snorkellers if conditions are good.

Equipment
No special equipment required.

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/SS Clan Stuart

The dive site SS Clan Stuart is an inshore historical wreck in the Simon's Town area on the False Bay coast of the Cape Peninsula, near Cape Town in the Western Cape province of South Africa.

Understand

This is an easily accessible shore dive, with adequate parking and well protected from south westerly swell. It is suitable for training and night dives, and has quite a diverse population of reef animals and some interesting wreckage.

Position

 * S34°10.303’ E018°25.842’ — About 100 m from the beach at Mackerel Bay, Simon's Town

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

Name
The "SS Clan Stuart", a 3500 ton British turret steamer carrying a cargo of coal, ran aground after dragging its anchor in a South East gale on 21 November 1914. Several efforts were made to re-float the ship over a period of 4 months, but without success. The ship’s engine block still breaks the surface.

Depth
Maximum depth is about 9 m, average about 7 m

Visibility
Visibility is not usually particularly good, as the site is close inshore and the surge can be strong, but it is not usually too bad either, and can be judged moderately accurately from the shore.

Topography
The wreck lies in fairly shallow water (about 8 m) The area is mostly fine sand with occasional low sandstone outcrops. The iron structure of the wreck has become very broken up over the years. A section of the triple expansion steam engine framework structure extends above water, with the low pressure cylinder mountings to the south west. The crankshaft, connecting rods and propeller shaft with large cast iron propeller are still in place. There appear to be the remains of a condenser on the port side of the engine. Just forward of the engine are the remains of the two coal-fired scotch boilers. Both have been dislodged from their mountings, and are lying on their sides with the cylindrical furnaces lying one above the other. The walls have rusted through in places and the tie-rods are clearly visible The wreck lies at about 45° to the shoreline. The bow at the north east end is about 30 m from the engine block and is the deepest part at about 9 m. The plating has largely rusted away, but a fair amount of framing is still recognisable. The stern at the south west end is about 15 m from the engine block and is both the shallowest part and closest to the beach. Most of the wreckage is very low, but there are a few places where it is possible to get into covered areas. A long angled section of plating on the port side forms a small low tunnel many metres long, probably too small to get through in places, but you can see light from one end to other, and both ends are open.

Geology: Sand bottom with occasional outcrops of sandstone reef, probably of the Ordovician Peninsula formation, but possibly of the underlying Graafwater formation. Strike is close to east-west. and dip about 10° to the south.

Conditions
The site is exposed to south easterly wind and waves, which will make the entry and exit tricky or hazardous. Dive during or after westerly winds. Generally a winter dive, but sometimes also dived in summer if the south-easter has not been blowing too hard and the shore break is not too rough. There is usually some surge at this site, and the strength can be judged to some degree by watching the swells at the engine block. Swell period is important as well as height, as long period swells (10 seconds or more) have more power and cause a more disruptive surge. Suitable for night dives.

Facilities
Adequate off road parking on the far side of the road.

Get in

The site is usually dived from a shore entry. There is adequate parking off the main road in front of the site of the old Marine Oil Refinery (demolished 2005), north of the Dido Valley road and opposite the beach at Mackerel Bay. Entry is from the beach. The entry and exit is easy if the swell is low, though there may be a small surf break. It is necessary to cross a low brick wall and the railway line to get to the beach.

Marine life
Moderate variety of invertebrates and fish. The growth inside includes more corals and bryozoans than the outside, which is predominantly covered by Red bait and coralline algae, right down to the sand. Pyjama catshark, puffadder shysharks and occasional cuttlefish may be seen. Shoals of white steenbras have occasionally been reported, and on a few occasions, great white sharks have approached divers closely enough to be seen, and even photographed.

Features
Iron wreck of considerable archaeological interest, as very few ships of this type were built. The wreckage is protected by legislation and may not be disturbed.

Photography
No special recommendations.

Routes
Swim straight out to the engine structure on the surface, Dive and explore the engine and boilers, then follow the shaft to the remains of the propeller. Continue around wreck, then swim back to shore on compass bearing 330° magnetic.

Hazards
Some ragged edged iron plates. A very large Great white shark was seen at this site by Scuba divers in 2010 and again in early September 2011. Another sighting reported in September 2013, complete with video evidence. The sharks were not aggressive and swam away after circling a few times and investigating the divers, but on all occasions the divers terminated the dive as soon as the shark left.

Skills
Suitable for entry level divers. A popular site for night dives, and suitable for reasonably competent snorkellers

A reasonable level of fitness is desirable to carry the kit from the parking area to the water's edge, over the wall, the railway line, embankment and sandy beach.

Equipment
A light is useful for looking into dark holes and recesses.

Nearby

Back to the Alphabetical list of sites, or list of dive sites in the Simon's Town 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/SS Hypatia

The dive site SS Hypatia is an offshore historical wreck in the Robben Island area on the Atlantic seaboard of the Cape Peninsula, near Cape Town in the Western Cape province of South Africa.

Understand

Position
This site is in the Robben Island Marine Protected Area (2019). A permit is required.
 * S33°50.110’ E018°22.750’ — Engine block

Name
The "SS Hypatia" was a British Houston Line steamer of 5 728 tons, built in 1902 by Palmers & Co, Newcastle. It was wrecked on Whale Rock in Table Bay on 29 October 1929 in fog while on a voyage from Beira to New York with a cargo of blister copper and chrome ore. The ship's bell was recovered in the 1960s and the propeller was salvaged in 1974.

Depth
Maximum depth is uncertain, but unlikely to be deeper than about 12 m. Most of the wreckage is at about 7 to 9 m, and the shallowest parts may be at 6 m.

Visibility
Visibility is likely to be somewhat less than the general surrounding area due to relatively shallow depth. It will normally be fairly good after a south east wind, and may well exceed 10 m on a good day.

Topography
With the notable exception of the engine and propeller shaft, most of the wreckage is broken up into fairly small pieces, and lies wedged in cracks and on the bottom of shallow gullies in the reef.

Geology: Pre-Cambrian sedimentary rocks probably of the Tygerberg formation. These appear to be resistant sandstone or mudstone, and the gullies have very little sand in them as this is a very high energy area in rough weather. The reef is moderately low profile, not more tha 1 or 2 metres, and there is no obvious pattern to the ridges and gullies.

Conditions
This reef is exposed to the south west swell. There is often a break in the area and the surge can be very powerful. The water is usually cold. The site should be dived when the sea is fairly flat.

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

Get in
Only accessible by boat. The site is about 8 km from the Oceana Power Boat Club slipway.

Marine life
Notable for heavy growth of large red-bait pods, algal turf understorey, sparse split fan kelp forest, Black mussels and sea urchins. The wreckage is largely encrusted with coralline algae, which make it the same colour as the underlying rock. Shoals of Hottentot seabream are frequent.

Features
Wreckage of a steel ship. The structure was riveted plates, and the power was a single triple expansion steam engine, which is the largest remaining piece of wreckage. The engine lies on its port side on top of the reef, and looks very much like the reef from a distance. The large, long and straight propeller shaft protruding from the engine about a metre above the reef is a good landmark. The rest of the wreckage is mostly small and not easily identifiable, and lies in the low areas between the ridges.

Routes
No specific route recommended.

Hazards
Cold water, strong surge, sharp wreckage.

Skills
No special skills recommended.

Equipment
Good insulation recommended. 7 mm wet suit or dry suit.

Nearby

Back to the Alphabetical list of sites, or list of dive sites in the Robben Island 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/SS Lusitania

The dive site SS Lusitania or just The Lusi is a historical wreck at the reef Bellows Rock in the offshore area of the Cape Peninsula just outside False Bay, near Cape Town in the Western Cape province of South Africa.

Understand
The wreck of the Lusitania is considered by many Cape Town divers to be one of the top wreck dives of the region. It is fairly deep, the wreck is quite broken up, but still interesting, with a number of identifiable components, and the visibility is often quite good. However, it is a physically challenging dive, quite a distance from the launch sites, and conditions are not often suitable, so it is not dived very often. No doubt these factors add to the mystique.

Although the primary attraction is the wreck, the site is also good for those with no interest in wrecks at all, as there is a huge reef at the same site, with depths from just below up to the surface, though the parts shallower than about  are seldom diveable due to the proximity of the powerful break over the half tide rock.

Position

 * S34°23.375’ E018°29.450’. Just beyond the steep drop-off on the east side of Bellows Rock

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

Name
The SS Lusitania was a Portuguese twin-screw liner of 5557 tons, built in 1906 by Sir Raylton Dixon & Co, and owned by Empreza Nacional De Navegacao, of Lisbon. The ship was wrecked on Bellows Rock off Cape Point at 24h00 on 18 April 1911 in fog while on a voyage from Lourenco Marques (now Maputo) with 25 first-class, 57 second-class and 121 third-class passengers, and 475 African labourers. Out of the 800 people on board, eight died when a life boat capsized. On 20 April the ship slipped off the rock into 37 m of water to the east of the rock.

This wreck should not be confused with the wreck of the RMS Lusitania, the passenger liner torpedoed off Ireland during the First World War by a German U-boat. This is an earlier wreck.

Depth
The depth is 35 to 40 m on the wreck, with a few parts rising as high as 27 m. The nearby Bellows Rock is exposed, but you do not want to go too close, as there is almost always a strong break over it. The diveable reef starts at about 15 m, but the attraction of the site for most divers is the wreck.

Visibility
Visibility is often quite good when the general conditions are suitable for diving at this site, but as is always the case in Cape Town, there is no guarantee. Visibility of over 8 m is considered acceptable, but on rare occasions it has been reported as over 20 m. Anything over 10 m may be considered good. Light levels are not necessarily directly related to the bottom visibility, as a layer of poor visibility near the surface is quite common. This results in relatively dark conditions at the bottom, though it may be quite clear. It is seldom so dark that diving without a light would be unacceptably dangerous, but it is never so light that a light is not useful.

Topography
Bellows Rock is a huge granite outcrop, probably about 200 m north to south, and over 100 m east to west, over 40 m high, and is probably part of the Cape Peninsula pluton. The top of the reef is exposed by swells, and breaks even in very low swell. The exposed section is very small compared to the extent of the massive bulk of the rock.

The reef slopes down from Bellows Rock to the east, and drops off almost vertically from about 15 m to about 33 m, where most of the wreck lies between the base of the wall and a large ridge and some boulders further east. The wreck is very easy to find, but not always easy to get to, and is spread over a fairly large area.

The wreck lies on a rocky bottom with the stern to the south, where the bottom is at about 40 m. The bow is to the north and a bit shallower.

The stern is the deeper part of the debris field, which borders on the sand bottom, and on the base of the rock to the west. In this area there is a shallow cavern and a deep low overhang at the base of the rock, near 40 m depth, and another overhang just below 20 m. Further north on the rock face there are a couple of vertical ridges running down from near the top of the wall to the wreckage, which are a good guide that you are near the middle of the wreckage. Follow the rock face south to get to the stern, swim out about 45° to the left to find the boilers, and sharp left along the base of the wall to find the chains, and from there, back along the chains away from the wall to the anchor and hawse-pipes.

The northern section of the wall is not so steep at the base, but is near vertical towards the top, and as you swim north west along the top of the wall at about 20 m depth, the reef starts to break up, and a number of pinnacles can be seen, all in the same sort of depth range. The current here is usually fairly strong, and will carry you well away from the rock to the north west. If you continue around the rock the edge of the drop-off varies in depth but is generally at around 20 m on the north side. It is shallower on the south face, where the sheer drop of the wall starts above 12 m in places, and drops almost vertically. The bottom depth is said to exceed 40 m on this side, which could make this a higher wall than Star Wall near Hout Bay.

The wreck itself is structurally broken up – not much of the hull is recognisable, and the hull plating lies collapsed and fairly low over the bottom, with rusted holes chequering the larger expanses of plating between the frames, but towards the centre of the wreckage there is a group of four almost intact scotch boilers, with the structure of two large triple expansion steam engines and condensers nearby, leaning against a high rock, the Lusi pinnacle. This is probably the highest point of the wreckage, at about 28 m.

Occasional dinner plates, fragments of tiles and crockery, pipes, valves, a few portholes and possibly a large switchboard with cables lie scattered below the plating, seemingly at random. There is also a winch and a pair of hawsepipes at the north-eastern end of the debris field, at least one of which is still occupied by its anchor, with a long length of chain attached which partly wraps round the base of the north eastern wall of the rock.

The wreckage is encrusted with coralline algae, but not thickly, which makes the pieces easy to see, unlike most of the local wrecks which are much more thickly encrusted. The wreckage is not particularly rich with reef life, unlike the rocks, which are.

Geology: Granite of the late Pre-Cambrian Peninsula pluton

Conditions
This site should only be dived if the swell is very low, as the break on Bellows Rock can be powerful and dangerous – divers have been carried over the rock on at least one occasion. The ride is relatively long, and will be uncomfortable in a chop. The site is usually dived at short notice, sometimes on weekdays, and early in the morning before the wind picks up. When conditions are good it is an exciting and spectacular dive and is considered to be one of the prime dives of the region. Visibility is usually good when the site is diveable, and on very rare occasions may exceed 40 m. There may be a current setting west, which will carry you onto the rock if you are not careful during the ascent. A north setting current has also been experienced, which can be strong enough that most divers will be unable to get to the wreck, and will be carried around to the north side of Bellows Rock onto "Wreckless Reef" On rare occasions the current may even set east, which can take you beyond the wreck quite quickly.

Get in

Access to this site is only by boat. It is 19.2 km from Miller's Point slipway, or 26.5 km from the Simon's Town jetty.

Do
Dive at one of the marked drop points and explore the vicinity, or explore an uncharted area.

The wreck is on the east side of the rock, which is usually upstream, so be ready to descend immediately and be quick with surface checks, as the boat will usually drop the divers off quite close to the rock. The ideal drop is at the edge of the wall, as this makes the wreck very easy to find, but a major delay in descent can have you washed over the rock. This has happened, and the divers, though uninjured, were unable or unwilling to continue with the dive. Occasionally the current may set east, in which case prompt descent is still recommended or you may be carried beyond the wreck and end up over sand at more than 40 m depth. This is not particularly hazardous, but getting back to the wreck may use up all your allowed bottom time or gas.
 * S34°23.375’ E018°29.450’. Just beyond the steep drop-off on the east side of Bellows Rock.

No particular route is recommended, but starting deep at the stern and working north to the bow and then ascending along the wall is suggested. This allows you to assess the current direction and strength, which may be quite strong if setting to the west. This route allows the current to carry you clear of the rock during ascent if you stay in sight of the top of the wall. Make your final ascent when the current starts to take you away from the reef and you will be sure to be clear of the rock. An alternative suggestion is to swim away from the rock to the north-east (towards the sun on an early morning dive) to get away from the white water around the rock. Most divers will choose to surface with a DSMB so the boat can keep track of their position, as there is usually a current setting west to north west, and land is far away.

When ascending (preferably on a DSMB) keep a lookout for white water above you and do not surface if you can see it. The break over the rock can occasionally produce turbulence powerful enough to drag an SMB several metres, with a diver hanging on. If this happens it is preferable to let out a few metres of line to avoid being pulled upwards as the float goes sideways faster than you can swim. It may well go dark above while this happens due to the large volume of white water overhead. This is not a good place or time to surface, but at least you will know you are on the downstream side of the rock and can go with the flow. The boat can not come in close to the rock to pick you up. Rather stay at about 6 m or deeper, and swim away or around the break until clear.

It is usually not a good idea to swim upcurrent to get away from the rock, as you have to swim hard and continuously, which will increase the risk of decompression sickness. It is more effective to swim across the current before you are near the white water, so that the current carries you past the break, rather than towards it. It is much safer to be picked up downstream.

 * S34°23.375’ E018°29.425’ Bellows Rock is a huge granite outcrop with a relatively shallow, flattish top, with a small peak that extends above the water, and where there is almost always a strong break. The sides are mostly very steep, sometimes vertical, and occasionally with a slight overhang. The edge of the drop-off is relatively shallow to the south, at about 12 m, east, and northeast (about 15 m), and slopes down to about 24 m to the northwest.
 * S34°23.375’ E018°29.462’ Close by to the east of the boilers there is a rock pinnacle with its top at about 26 m with some engine structure leaning against the western side, and a fairly low ridge extends south of this. This ridge separates the main part of the wreckage from the more scattered parts further east. On the east side of the low ridge there is a gap with sand and small boulders, then a large ridge, which extends south, for an unknown distance estimated as at least 50 m.

 * S34°23.410’ E018°29.485’ South of the Lusi pinnacle, across a small sandy gap there is a large ridge. The high point on this ridge is a steep sided pinnacle that rises to 17 m at the top, then drops down again  to about 25m with an overhang towards the south, then slopes down more gradually further south. The west side of the ridge is steep, and lies approximately north-south magnetic. At the pinnacle it is nearly vertical from the bottom of the gulley at 40 m to about 25 m at the top of the wall, then slopes more gradually up to the east to the top. The top part is a gnarly lump of rock, and on the east side there is a small cavern/overhang at about 25 m, then the slope further down to the east is more gradual, though still steep, until it reaches sand bottom at 41 m. Beyond this, to the east, the bottom is sand with smaller boulders and low outcrops scattered around for as far as one can see. Between the Lusitania Ridge and Bellows Rock there is another small ridge in the south of the gap.

 * S34°23.33’ E018°29.39’. To the north of the Bellows Rock outcrop there is a large area of deep reef sometimes sheltered from the current by the lee of Bellows Rock, that has been named Wreckless Reef by local divers who end up there instead of on the Lusi when the current is strong, in recognition of the absence of wreckage in the area. There are large outcrops rising up to about 24 m in this area, with some fairly narrow gullies between them. There is some sand at about 37 m at the west of this area, but much of the bottom is boulders and bedrock.

 * S34°23.301’ E018°29.506’. There is a pinnacle to the northeast that rises to about 15 m that was picked up on echo sounder but has probably never been dived.

Marine life
Bellows Rock is right on the boundary between the warm temperate Agulhas inshore ecoregion and the cool temperate Benguela ecoregion, but as the current tends to flow more to the west, the ecology tends to be more representative of the south coast Agulhas ecoregion.

The reef is encrusted with colourful invertebrates. These are most spectacular on the more vertical parts of the wall, The top of Bellows Rock is heavily covered by red-bait ascidians, which are much the same as each other. Occasionally a shoal of Yellowtail – Seriola lalandi – may swim past in mid-water – this could happen at any depth – or you may be visited by a Cape fur seal. The wreckage itself is less densely overgrown, and the components are generally easily recognised as bits of broken ship, though some skill may be needed to identify exactly which parts, as it is quite broken up.

Wreckless Reef is well encrusted with cauliflower soft corals in places.

Features
A steel wreck of historical interest. The structure of the hull has broken up considerably, but there are still a number of recognisable engineering components of interest. These include the boilers, which are quite prominent, the steam engine, several winches, and anchors. The masts are said to be lying a bit further to the east.

Photography
This is a deep site, and natural illumination is seldom good, even when the visibility at depth is good, so artificial lighting is usually desirable if not always essential. There are not many macro subjects on the wreck, so wide angle photography at fairly short range, with external flash, will probably be the best option most of the time.

Hazards

 * Cold water is possible.
 * Strong winds may develop over a short time, particularly in summer. The forecasts are usually reliable.
 * There is almost always a strong surge and breaking waves over the exposed rock and surrounding shallow areas.
 * Nitrogen narcosis is probable on air and Nitrox mixtures at the depth of the wreckage.
 * Although penetration of the wreck is not really possible, it is still possible for the unwary diver to get snagged in the wreckage.
 * A current is often present, and may carry divers towards the white water. This should be avoided by swimming away from the rock across the current (usually to the north) when ascending if the current is flowing to the west, as is frequently the case. If the visibility in the upper water is poor, which can easily happen in summer, it isn't possible to know which way you are going without a compass.

Skills
The ability to deploy a DSMB is strongly recommended, as is the fitness and agility to get back into the boat after the dive quickly and with a minimum of fuss, as the boat can not hang around near the rock.

Ability to follow a compass bearing is necessary if the upper water visibility is bad, as you may need to swim across the current to move a safe distance from the rock. As you will have no visual reference the only other way you will know where you are is if you get too close and get caught in the break, by which time it will be too late to try to get away.

Certification for diving deeper than 30 m will be expected — This is not a dive for beginners. Most dive operators will not book divers for this site unless they have seen them in the water and are satisfied with their skills and fitness.

Equipment
A DSMB and reel for each diver are highly recommended in case of being separated and off the wreck, A light is also strongly recommended as it is frequently quite dark due to overcast conditions or turbid upper water. Nitrox can increase no-stop time and reduce decompression time, Trimix can reduce the risk of narcosis. A dry suit will be warmer both during the dive and while travelling there and back, specially in winter. A fairly large cylinder will be required, and a bailout cylinder, sidemount twins, or isolation manifolded twins will give the peace of mind of a fully independent backup gas supply. A compass is strongly recommended, particularly if the upper water visibility is poor. For decompression gas, if needed, a mixture that can be used deeper than 12 m is recommended, as it may be necessary to stay well below 6 m to drift past the white water during ascent. Oxygen is not recommended as the only decompression gas, as it may be necessary to stay at 9 to 12 for quite a while to drift past the white water zone over the top of the reef, and using this time for accelerated decompression is more efficient.

Nearby
Other offshore dive sites of False Bay:

Back to the Alphabetical list of sites, list of wreck dive sites in the False Bay offshore area, or list of reef dive sites in the Southern False Bay offshore reefs 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 east coast
 * Fresh water dive sites of the Cape Town Metropolitan Area


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Diving the Cape Peninsula and False Bay/SS Maori

The dive site SS Maori or often just The Maori is an inshore historical wreck on a shoreline rocky reef in the Karbonkelberg headland area on the Atlantic seaboard of the Cape Peninsula, near Cape Town in the Western Cape province of South Africa.

Understand

This is one of the most popular wreck dives of this region, as it is of historical interest, in good condition for its age, reasonably sheltered and fairly shallow. There is not much to see if you are interested in invertebrates and fish, but there are lots of bits of ship, including some large steam engines, and cargo of railway lines and big cast iron pipes.

Position

 * S34°02.062’ E018°18.793’  (Main engine)

Close inshore in the middle of the bay between Duiker Point and Oude Schip, but not easily accessible from the shore as there are no roads in this area.

This site is in the Table Mountain National Park Marine Protected Area since 2004. A permit is required. The site is within the Karbonkelberg restricted zone.

Name
The "SS Maori" was a typical British steam cargo vessel of the early 1890s. owned by the Shaw Savill Company, and commanded by Capt G. Nicole. The ship was wrecked in the bay to the north of Duiker Point on the Cape Peninsula on Thursday 5 August 1909 in thick fog and drizzle while on a voyage from London to New Zealand with a crew of 53 and a mixed cargo of British manufactured goods, including explosives, railway-lines, crockery and water-piping. A boat with 15 crew members made for Chapman's Bay, but six were drowned when it capsized in surf. Altogether 32 lives were lost.

The wreck lies in about 20 m of water a little north of the Oakburn (1906), which sank on the south eastern corner of the bay. The wreck has been extensively worked on in the past for non-ferrous fittings, and a large amount of intact crockery has been recovered over the years. The ship’s bell is in the Hout Bay museum. This is a historical wreck and is now protected by legislation. Removing wreckage or artifacts is a criminal offence. The Maori was a two deck steel screw steamer built in 1883 by Swan Hunter of Newcastle on the Tyne. The triple expansion steam engine was built at Central Marine Engine Works in West Hartlepool.

Depth
Maximum depth at the wreckage is 21 m on the reef near the bow. Average depth during a dive is about 13 m, and the top of the engine is about 6 m deep.

Visibility
Visibility is variable, and depends to a large extent on the weather of the previous few days. Strong swells with a westerly component, particularly from the north west, will tend to churn up the water and reduce visibility considerably, while a strong south easterly wind will tend to drive the surface water offshore, and the upwelling of water that replaces it is usually clearer, at least at first, but often the upwelling is closely followed by a plankton bloom, which will reduce visibility near the surface. Visibility at the Maori can differ from nearby sites, but tends on average to be similar.

Topography

The inshore end of the wreckage is at S34°02.072’ E018°18.828’, and the offshore end of the main hull remnant is at S34°02.051’ E018°18.761’. The hull centreline axis is approximately 314° magnetic, length 112 m, width of main section about 18 m. The surrounding area is scattered high granite corestone boulders, particularly inshore, with low boulders and lots of wreckage extending beyond the sides of the hull remnant. There are three large Scotch boilers and the triple expansion steam engine structure near the shore, and further out near the end of the main wreckage are a number of large pipes (about 1.2 m diameter) and railway lines still stacked in place. Scattered to the sides are more rails and pieces of hull debris. There are bits of porcelain and bottles still visible in places.

The boilers are about 4 m long and 4 m diameter, and the fireboxes of two are closed and the covers heavily encrusted. There are three fireboxes to each boiler. There were two boilers about 4 m forward of the engine. On the starboard side the boiler has broken off its mountings and has fallen over the side of the hull. It is now resting on the bottom alongside the hull, more or less upright, and the firebox doors and an inspection cover are gone. The port boiler has broken loose and rotated 45%deg; on both vertical and transverse axes, so that it is almost at the hull side, and tilted with the aft end facing inboard and upward. the shell of this boiler is damaged and parts are missing, so that the fire tubes and a firebox can be seen inside from several places The third boiler is on the centreline a short distance forward of the other two, and appears to still be firmly attached in its original position, though the shell is missing some plating, and the interior can be seen.

The central section of the hull bridges across some large boulders, and there is a space under this section of the hull that averages about a metre high, and extends right across the hull, with a bilge keel at each side, and the keel of the vessel clearly identifiable between. There are a few holes in the bottom plating in this part of the wreck which though too small to swim through, admit light into the space under the hull, and are large enough to stick your head into to look at the bottom structure.

Forward of the boilers and aft of the cargo pipes there are several items of large machinery, which have the look of horizontal two cylinder steam engines. There are crankshafts with flywheels and connecting rods. The flywheels are about 2 m diameter in cast iron with multiple spokes and a rim about 200 mm thick. Each engine has two flywheels at opposite ends of the crankshaft. There are two of these engines to port lying athwartships. The forward engine is close to the hull side and the after one is about 3 m away from the side. On the starboard side is another similar engine lying lengthwise parallel to the starboard side, and a fourth slightly smaller engine is on the starboard side of the main engine, between it and the hull side.

The structure of the main engine is still basically intact, and the cylinders can be seen with piston rods, connecting rods and structural pillars between the cylinders and the foundation. Other rods may be valve rods, but everything is heavily encrusted and no detail is visible. There appears to be a condenser on the port side of the engine, and may be a feed water pump on the port side a bit further outboard.

There is also a lot of totally unrecognisable machinery and equipment in this area.

The propeller shaft extends from the main engine crankshaft aft along the centreline and ends at the stern gland and a small amount of the sternpost at a depth of about 7m, quite close to the shoreline rocks. The propeller is gone.

The cargo of railway lines is partly neatly stacked on the starboard side of the propeller shaft, and partly forward of the steam engines of the cargo, and above much of the cargo of large pipes. There are also large numbers of rails scattered like twigs on the reef to the sides of the hull. The cargo pipes are mostly forward of the engines, and below the railway lines. They extend the full width of the forward part of the hull and are stacked at least two deep. They appear to be cast iron, with a diameter of about 1.2 m and length of about 3 m each, but stacked so that they are in line with about 4 in a row, and this is about the length of the railway lines. There are a few pipe sections on top of the rails and forward of them, and a few aft of the main engine on the starboard side. The pipes and rails appear to have originally all been stowed lengthwise and parallel to the centreline, as this is how most of them still lie.

Geology: Granite corestone reefs of the late Pre-Cambrian Peninsula pluton.

Conditions
The site is often at its best during or after a south easterly wind. The wreck is in a bay that is well protected from the southeaster, but the trip back is directly into this wind, which tends to make for a cold, wet and bumpy ride. The bay is partially protected from south west swell, but some of it will get around Duiker point and will cause surge on the wreck. Choose a day when the south west swell is low.

The site is usually at it's best in spring and summer but there are also occasional opportunities in autumn and early winter. The site is very much more pleasant if the visibility is good, but can be worth a dive even in poorer visibility as long as the surge is not too strong.

This is an area which sometimes has upwellings, caused by the south east wind, resulting in cold clear water for a while, but which may develop a plankton bloom over a few days which will reduce the visibility again.

Get in

The site can only be accessed by boat. It is about 7.75 km from Hout Bay harbour. It is not far from the shore, and a shore entry or exit is quite feasible, but there are no roads leading to the area. The nearest parking is a few kilometers away over bush paths at best.

Marine life
Not a particularly colourful site, as the wreck seems to be largely covered by seaweed. Lots of kelp along the edges and high areas, encrusting corallines on the deeper detritus, and lots of small brown and red seaweeds all over the plating and frames. Also mucky brownish fuzzy stuff, which may be hydroids or something like that. This site is dived to look at the wreck, not the marine life. Large numbers of box jellyfish are common on the lighter sandy bottom around the wreck. Occasional shy sharks, klipfish and hottentot seabream may be seen, and rock lobster live amongst the wreckage and boulders. A moderate number of spiny starfish and brooding cushion starfish live on the surrounding bottom, as do fairly large numbers of Cape urchins.

Features
The engine structure, complete with cylinders and piston rods, a condenser, three boilers, the propeller shaft and other machinery, including what may be a donkey engine, are recognisable, and some of the cargo, such as the large pipes, several horizontal steam engines, and a large quantity of railway lines is still in place.

The anchor winch is slightly away from the main wreckage, forward and to port of the hull.

Photography
Wide angle lenses are appropriate as there is mainly wreckage to photograph, and the light quality and visibility are usually unpredictable.

Suggested Routes
Anchor off the split rock about 40 m offshore, looking directly into the split. (GPS position given above). The parts of the wreck to seaward of this area are more interesting and in better condition than the part towards the shore.

Hazards
Cold water. Strong surge. Ragged wreckage. Entrapment in small spaces.

Skills
No special skills required. The site has been used for night dives, as it is not easy to get lost, and in an emergency it is usually possible to climb ashore.

Equipment
A dry suit or 7 mm wetsuit is recommended as the water is usually cold. A light is useful for looking into dark places in the wreckage. Those who are well insulated or resistant to the cold may find Nitrox useful to extend no-decompression times.

Nearby

Back to the Alphabetical list of sites, or list of dive sites in the Oude Schip and Leeugat 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/SS Oakburn and MV Bos 400

The dive site Oakburn and Bos 400 is a 1994 wreck overlapping a historical wreck, on a shoreline rocky reef in the Karbonkelberg headland area on the Atlantic seaboard of the Cape Peninsula, near Cape Town in the Western Cape province of South Africa.

Understand

The site is mainly interesting for the wreck of the Bos 400, and what remains of the Oakburn. The marine life is better represented at other nearby sites.

Position

 * S34°02.216’ E018°18.573’

The position is unmistakable as the Bos is clearly visible above the water for a long distance. The Oakburn is to the south west of the Bos, almost under its stern, and somewhat deeper. There is some overlap.

This site is in the Table Mountain National Park Marine Protected Area since 2004. A permit is required. The site is within the Karbonkelberg restricted area.

Name
The "SS Oakburn", a British cargo steamer of 3865 tons, was wrecked in fog on 21st May 1906, on a voyage from New York to Sydney. Two lives were lost. Its cargo included railway lines and equipment, glassware, sewing machines, musical instruments, oil and paper. The Oakburn has pretty much fallen apart, and on 27 June 1994, the crane and pipelaying barge "Bos 400" broke its towline during a north westerly gale while under tow by the Russian tug "Tigr", and ran aground virtually on top of the older wreck. Unsuccessful efforts were made to reconnect the tow and salvage the vessel. The Bos is also starting to break up and it is possible to do some penetrations on the submerged sections. Length of the Bos 400 was about 100 m and displacement about 12000 tons. The helicopter platform collapsed in September 2010, and the central section of the hull a week or two later. The crane base remains firmly aground and upright on the inshore rocks.

Depth
Maximum depth on the Oakburn is about 22 m, mostly shallower. The Bos is mostly shallower, but is scattered down the slope to at least 20 m. Parts of the wreckage extend above the water at all tides.

Topography
Granite corestone point with two steel wrecks.

The older Oakburn lies deeper and further to the west, to the stern of the Bos, among moderate to large boulders and outcrops. The wreck is severely broken up and the plates and framing are fairly mangled, though there are a few places a diver can get under them. There are three scotch boilers grouped to the northwest of the exposed part of the Bos, on sand bottom at 21 m. The top of the boilers is at about 18 m depth.

The recent Bos 400 is largely intact and a large section is still perched high on the rocks, with only part of its upper deck awash. There is a large space under the stern which can be penetrated like a cavern, which is fairly free of snags and is open along a wide area. Other penetrations on this section may be possible in calm weather, but swell causes powerful surge around and through the openings in the stern. The sides were clad with heavy vertical timbers for protection when laying pipes.

In September 2010 the section of the hull which had supported the helipad broke away and slid down and to the north, and the helipad fell off and came to rest on the reef slightly to the north at an average depth of approximately 13 m. Various components of the wreck now lie on the bottom in this area, some of which are easily accessible for penetrations.

Later in September 2011 the middle section of the hull also broke away and slid down to the north, and appears to have broken up considerably. The debris includes an area just adjacent to the remaining exposed part with the crane, which is covered with torn and twisted plating, and sections of pipe of various diameters. There are also a few 50 litre gas cylinders and the armature of a large electric motor.

To seaward there is a large pipe with a surrounding cylindrical casing with perforated ends, a section of superstructure which is now upside down and a small crane base with a box section boom. There is also a large structure of heavy tubing with a sliding block and what appears to be a hydraulic piston, and at the end of the structure a large conical opening. This may have been part of the pipe-laying equipment.

The end section which supported the helipad is only slightly submerged. The deck is about 5 m deep, and has a few large openings into the interior. This section is rectangular in plan, and is strongly wedged in place by several rocks which have penetrated the bottom plating, locking it in place on top of the boulders.

The wreck is now a considerably more interesting dive site than when the vessel was intact, as there are now large number of interesting artifacts and structural components lying around, some of which can be penetrated.

Geology: Granite outcrops and boulders of the late Pre-Cambrian Peninsula pluton

Conditions
The site should preferably only be dived on calm days as it is in an exposed position. There can be a very strong surge through the shallower wreckage.

The site is exposed to swell from the west, and protected from wind and chop from the south east. The site is usually at it's best in summer but there may also be occasional opportunities in other seasons.

This is an area which sometimes has upwellings caused by south easterly winds, which result in cold clear water, and may be followed by a plankton bloom, which will reduce visibility again.

Get in
The site is only accessible by boat as there are no roads in the area. The site is about 7.4 km from Hout Bay harbour.

Marine life
Marine life is typical of the area but not particularly noteworthy. A careful search will reveal quite a lot of colourful corals, sponges and anemones sheltering in crevices.

Features
Historical and recent wrecks. The Bos is largely intact, though it is deteriorating rapidly as it is in the surf zone. Penetration is possible, but can be tricky in the shallow sections due to the surge.

Photography
There are no macro subjects worth setting up for. This is a site for wide angle photography, and on a good day the lighting is reasonable.

Routes
No recommendations available at present.

Hazards
Cold water, Strong surge. Ragged wreckage. Probably a high risk of entrapment in some sections of the Boss.

Skills
No special skills required for non-penetration dives.

Equipment
A light will be useful as there are lots of holes and openings to look into.

Nearby

Back to the Alphabetical list of sites, or list of dive sites in the Oude Schip and Leeugat 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/SS SA Seafarer

The dive site SS South African Seafarer is an inshore recent wreck on a rocky reef in the Green Point area on the Atlantic seaboard of the Cape Peninsula, in Cape Town in the Western Cape province of South Africa.

Position

 * S33°53.80’ E018°23.80’ — (approximate). 50 to 75 m offshore, slightly to the west of the Green Point Lighthouse

The position of the block (presumably an engine block) of the Seafarer is S33°53.965 E18°23.791

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

Name
The 8000 ton Safmarine freighter SS South African Seafarer was wrecked in a north westerly gale on 1st July, 1966, in front of the Green Point Lighthouse. All crew and passengers were rescued on the following day by helicopter. Most of the cargo was lost when the vessel broke up and the sea bed resembled a junkyard. No hull structure is recognisable.

Depth
Fairly shallow, probably not more than 8 m

Topography
Geology: Pre-Cambrian sedimentary rock, probably Tygerberg formation of the Malmesbury series.

Conditions
This area is exposed to the south west swell and the reefs are rugged. Be careful in the surf zone. It will generally only be diveable in a fairly flat sea. A north west wind will push up a chop which will make shore entry and exit uncomfortable or even dangerous, so check the weather forecast and don't dive if a front is coming in. South easterly winds will only be a problem if very strong, and this can be forecast fairly reliably.

The site is more likely to be at it's best in summer but there are also occasional opportunities in other seasons.

Facilities
Paved public parking area.

Get in
Shore dive: To get there park in the parking lot facing the sea in front of the lighthouse. To get to the sea you will need a rope or a ladder. The reason for this is that there is a drop of several metres from the promenade walkway to the rocks below. There are no steps around anywhere, so the only way to get down is by lowering yourself and your gear down. Boat dive: This site can also be dived by boat. The site is about 2.3 km from the Oceana Power Boat Club slipway at Granger Bay.

Features
Steel wreck of fairly modern construction, severely broken up.

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 Table Bay 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/Star of Africa

The dive site Star of Africa is an offshore rocky reef with a historical wreck 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

The wreck of the Star of Africa has been dived very seldom, if ever, before September 2015, when a group of Cape Town wreck hunters found the site on the last planned search leg of the last planned dive before they intended to abandon the search indefinitely. The search had been going on sporadically for several years, when the weather permitted, and sufficient enthusiasts were available to swim search lines.

By September 2015, most of the likely ground had been covered, leaving just three unsearched patches. Two of them had shown slight results on a magnetometer search some years before, the third was just a gap in the chart. Searches at the two magnetometer hits revealed nothing, and the three teams allocated to the last gap also had no luck. The first group decided to swim the last line in the last gap after completing their unsuccessful dive and landed right on the wreckage. They found heavily encrusted iron structure, two brass porthole frames and a hardwood deadeye with the rusted remains of a wire stay. This last item is strong evidence of a sailing vessel of the right period. A second dive was done about an hour later, and more structural wreckage was found, including riveted plates, curved hull frames, and part of the keel from near the sternpost. Three anchors were also found, two of them next to the iron bowsprit.

Details of the vessel: Length 154.5' x breadth 27.3' x depth 15.9'. Iron sailing barque of 445 tons, owned by L Anderson & Murison, Cape Town, and built by John Duthie, Sons & Co., Torry Shipbuilding Co. Ltd., Aberdeen, Scotland in 1876, near the end of the age of sail. The Star of Africa was carrying a cargo of rice from India to Cape Town, when it struck Albatross Rock on 29th August 1880 and sank within a few minutes. The Second Officer and one sailor survived to tell the tale. The masts were visible sticking out of the water for a short time, but the exact position was not determined or recorded.

Position

 * S34°16.288' E018 21.860' — offshore from Albatross Rock.

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

Name
The Star of Africa is the name of the ship wrecked at the site.

Depth
Maximum depth is about 27 m. and the top of the reef is about 24 m. Average depth of a dive is likely to be about 26 m.

Visibility
Visibility on a good day should be over 10 m.

Topography
The wreck is very broken up, and lies scattered on low to medium profile sandstone reef with occasional sandy areas and low ridges. The bowsprit and two bow anchors are at the southern end of the debris field, which to date has been estimated at 50 m diameter. The highest item of wreckage found so far is the two anchors, which are about 2 m high. Most of the structural wreckage extends less than half a metre above the bottom.

Geology: Hard and resistant sandstones, possibly of the Table Mountain series. Strike appears to be roughly magnetic north/south, Dip is not clear, but may be either nearly horizontal or nearly vertical.

Conditions
The site is completely exposed to westerly swells, from northwest to southwest, so should be dived in very calm conditions, and is more likely to be good in summer. The site is protected from south easterly swell, but exposed to south easterly winds, as the peninsula is quite low at that point.

Get in
This site can only be accessed by boat. The nearest launch site is the public slipway at Witsand, also known as Soetwater, or the Crayfish factory, between Kommetjie and Scarborough. The site is 10.7 km from Witsand, or 27.5 km from Hout Bay harbour.

Marine life
Sparse Laminaria kelp forest on the rocky areas, with mixed seaweed understorey, particularly crustose corallines, Invertebrates are fairly sparse on the flat open areas, with a bit more variety on the small rocky ridges.

Features
Wreck of a late 19th century iron barque.

Photography
Wide angle photography of the wreck in good visibility.

Suggested Routes
This is a site which will be dived to see the wreck, so swim around and see it. It is small enough to see most of it on one dive.

Hazards
No site-specific hazards.

Skills
No special skills are required. No penetration is possible, and the site is open and clear of significant hazards. The depth is below the range recommended for entry level divers, but otherwise it is suitable for most divers.

Equipment
The water will be cold, so a good wetsuit or drysuit is recommended. The site is small and open, it should be possible to surface at the shotline, but a DSMB is recommended in case you have to surface elsewhere, so that you are more visible to the boat. Nitrox will enable you to dive for longer without the need for decompression stops. The wreck is at a depth where a well chosen mix can extend bottom time considerably.

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/SS Thomas T Tucker

The dive site SS Thomas T Tucker is a shoreline rocky reef with a recent wreck in the Southern Peninsula area on the Atlantic Seaboard of the Cape Peninsula, near Cape Town in the Western Cape province of South Africa.

Understand

This ship was wrecked high on the rocks, and parts of the wreckage are visible on shore. Most of the wreckage is in fairly shallow water.

Position

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

Name
The "SS Thomas T. Tucker" (Hull Number 269) was a U.S. liberty ship produced by the Houston Shipbuilding Corporation which ran aground at Olifantsbospunt on November 27, 1942, during heavy fog while on her maiden voyage from New Orleans to Suez, carrying a cargo which included tanks and ammunition.
 * Class and type: Cargo ship
 * Displacement: 14,245 long tons
 * Length: 135 m
 * Beam: 17.3 m
 * Draft: 8.5 m
 * Propulsion: Two oil-fired boilers, triple-expansion steam engine, single screw, 2,500 horsepower (1,864 kW)
 * Speed: 11 to 11.5 knots
 * Range: 23,000 miles
 * Capacity: 10,856 metric tons deadweight (DWT)
 * Complement: 41 men
 * Armament: Stern-mounted 4-in deck gun for use against surfaced submarines, variety of anti-aircraft guns

Depth
The wreckage is in shallow water. Maximum depth is probably less than 10 m.

Visibility
Visibility is not often good, as the wreckage is in what is usually the surf zone, and only really divable when the sea is quite flat. However this means that even when the water is fairly dirty, there is still adequate light. Don't expect visibility of more than 5 or 6 metres, and it could be less.

Topography
Sandstone reef, fairly flat with narrow jointing crevices, no sand, but quite a bit of gravel in crevices, some gravel quite dark in colour. Wreckage extends beyond the high water mark, so is easy to find.

Geology: The reef is Ordovician sandstone of the Peninsula formation. Strike is probably east-west, Dip nearly flat, south.

Conditions
The site is very exposed to wind and sea from the north west to south west, so should be dived only in exceptionally flat seas. The site is protected from south easterly seas, though it will catch the wind, but if a westerly swell picks up you will have to leave before it gets too rough.

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

Get in
The site is only accessible by boat, as there are no roads providing reasonable shore access. It is 11.2 km from the slipway at the old crayfish factory north of Scarborough, about 17.1 km from the launch site at Kommetjie and 27.5 km from Hout Bay harbour slipway.

Marine life
Big ecklonia forests, lots of small red and brown saweeds and heavy coralline encrustation on wreckage. Sheltered areas under wreckage have more variety

Features
Fragmentary wreckage of a steel steamer.

Photography
Don't take a big expensive camera to this site, particularly if it has external strobes, unless the sea is extremely flat. A small pocket camera will be easier to protect in the surge, and easier to hold still to frame a shot.

Suggested Routes
No particular routes recommended.

Hazards
Strong surge.

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/SS Umhlali

The dive site SS Umhlali is an inshore rocky reef with historical wreck in the South Peninsula area on the Atlantic Seaboard of the Cape Peninsula, near Cape Town in the Western Cape province of South Africa.

Position

 * S34°16.435' E18°22.487' (somewhere on the wreckage)

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

Name
The "SS Umhlali" is the name of the ship wrecked at this site. The SS Umhlali was a British registered steel cargo and passenger ship of 3380 gross registered tons, built at the Laing yard in Deptford in 1904 and wrecked on Albatross Rock on 15 September 1909. The ship was 106,1 long, 13,2 m beam and had a triple expansion steam engine.

Depth
Maximum depth is about 8 or 9 m. and the top of the top of the reef is about 6 m.

Topography
The site is a moderate to low profile sandstone reef with widely scattered wreckage of a steel ship. The wreckage is heavily encrusted with corallines and other marine growth common in the area and most of the wreckage is very low and not easy to identify.

Geology: Ordovician sandstone of the Peninsula formation. It appears to be a hard rock, quite resistant to erosion, and the bedrock has quite a large number of boulders wedged into gaps, with smaller boulders and pebbles in the interstices. There is very little sand, and where it is present, it is possible that it covers specimens of the vessel's cargo which was washed into a crevice and settled there in the protected zone. Strike can not be determined on site, and dip is very flat.

Conditions
The site is exposed to swell and wind waves from the south west and north west, so should be dived in very low swell, and is often good in south easterly winds as long as they are not too strong. The site is reasonably protected from light south-easters, but if the swell picks up or the wind swings westerly then the conditions will rapidly become undiveable. The site is usually at it's best in spring summer and early autumn, but there are also occasional opportunities in winter. This is an area which sometimes has upwellings, caused by the south east wind, resulting in good visibility and cold water.

Get in
The site is only accessible by boat, as there are no roads providing reasonable shore access. 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
The reef is covered by a moderately dense kelp forest of both Sea bamboo and split fan kelp. The understorey in some places is bushy coralline algae, and the most exposed areas are generally covered by encrusting corallines. There are also large areas of low algal turfs of other kinds. The wreckage and crevices of the reef provide shelter for large numbers of West coast rock lobster, occasional rock crabs, scattered arborescent bryozoans, and some small sponges and colonial ascidians. Some of the relatively exposed surfaces have a dense and strongly adherent growth of larger solitary sea squirts, but these are significantly smaller than the usual red bait pods. These squirts provide a substrate for small seaweeds.

Features
Wreckage of a ship, and occasionally items of the cargo, which included small arms ammunition, large cartridges loaded with cordite, and mineral water bottles which were sealed with a captive glass ball

Photography
This is an area where there is not much to photograph unless you are a seaweed enthusiast, and even then, macro will usually give the best results, or if visibility is good and surge low, natural light wide angle shots.

Suggested Routes
The site is in dense kelp and usually in strong surge. There are no routes known, and your best bet is to move around at random and see what you can find. Look closely, as almost everything is tricky to recognise. the wreckage is astonishingly well camouflaged by the growth.

Hazards
Dense kelp may make surface swims difficult, particularly if you are low on air and have no snorkel. Keep enough gas to swim back to the boat underwater if it is anchored. Some of the wreckage has rusted to sharp points and edges. These could be dangerous in a strong surge if you are not careful.

Skills
No special skills required. The site is also suitable for snorkelling as it is mostly about 7 m deep.

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