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Diving the Cape Peninsula and False Bay/Star Wall

The dive site Star Wall or Star Walls is an offshore rocky reef wall south west of Duiker Point in the Karbonkelberg headland area on the Atlantic seaboard of the Cape Peninsula, near Cape Town in the Western Cape province of South Africa. The site includes Star Wall, M&M Cave, and Lollipop Pinnacle.

Understand

This site was first recorded in March 2006. It is the tallest and longest wall known in the Cape Town area and is a dive site well worth visiting, with a wide range of interesting and colourful invertebrates and spectacular topography, both on the wall itself an on the adjacent reef to the north.

Position

 * S34°02.466' E018°18.087' — Shallowest point on top of the main outcrop at Star Walls
 * S34°02.426' E018°18.191'
 * S34°02.506' E018°18.186'

About 200 m roughly south west of the offshore rock at Duiker Point known as "Die Perd".

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

Name
The name "Star Walls" was probably chosen with reference to the adjacent site "Kanobi's Wall", as an allusion to the movie series "Star Wars", and to the vertical granite cliff face that constitutes the main feature of the site. The site was discovered and named by Blue Flash charters in 2006.

M&M Cave was found by Monty Guest and Mauro Introna on a scootering dive from Star Walls.

Depth
Maximum depth at the base of the wall is 32 m, and the top of wall is at approximately 8 m. The pinnacle on top of the rock is at about 5 m.

Most divers would be likely to spend most of the dive at depths between about 24 m and 12 m, as this is where there is most to see, both in terms of marine life and interesting topographical features, and it is in the relatively surge free zone. An average depth of 18 to 21 m would be appropriate for dive planning.

Visibility
Visibility is variable, as with all sites in the region. On a really good day it may exceed 20 m, and will then usually be very cold. These conditions normally occur in summer, when upwellings driven by the strong south easterly winds bring cold, clear, deep water to the surface. The good visibility does not often last long, and is usually followed by a plankton bloom soon after the wind dies down. More often the visibility is less than 10m, and it is quite commonly around 5 to 8 m in ordinary diving conditions. Of course it can easily be worse, and may be as low as 3 or 4 m, even if the conditions otherwise look good. This means that you just have to look closely at the critters, and for this a light is useful.

Topography
Star Wall is a massive and continuous almost vertical granite wall of about 25 m height, extending for a length of approximately 100 m west to east on the south face of an enormous outcrop, with an extra 50 m length of wall on the south-east face. The bottom of the wall is on sand patches amongst large boulders. The rock of the wall is fractured by a number of joints which have weathered to form crevices and small undercuts. These joints are mostly vertical and horizontal, and a few are fairly deeply indented, providing more protected local micro-environments, and which typically are more heavily encrusted with invertebrates.

The reef to the south is relatively low, with a few outcrops extending above 27 m, and two small pinnacles above 24 m. There is an outcrop several metres high very near to the eastern end of the wall, and this extends eastwards several metres, like a low extension of the wall.

The western end of the wall makes a sharp turn towards the north, and the top is deeper in this area. This becomes a deep gully parallel to the south face, between the wall outcrop and the rest of the high reef further north.

The south wall is the deepest face of a huge outcrop, which is relatively flat on top, sloping from a high point to the east at about 5 m depth, down to about 9m at the extreme west.

The top is interrupted by two major cracks. One forms a gully a few metres deep near the east end, which runs from near the south east corner to the north side, and the other is roughly parallel and about half way along the top. Both slope down to the north, as does the top in general.

The south east face is also a wall, and is separated from a somewhat lower outcrop further east by a fairly narrow gully with a slightly shallower bottom, which slopes up to the north east, then forks into several gullies.

The north side is more indented and broken up, and slopes down less steeply, to a bottom depth of between 15 and 21 m. There are several small caves and swimthroughs in this area, particularly toward the east, and though there is no massive wall, the topography is varied and complex, with large boulders, gullies, crevices and overhangs.

Reef to the north of the wall — The reef is nearly continuous below 18 m to Kanobi's wall to the north, with a number of high pinnacles, some of which are shown on the map.

On the west side the reef is divided by deep gullies or gaps running from west to east, and eventually continues to the north of Kanobi's reef. This part of the reef is virtually unknown. The east side between the East face and Kanobi's is better known, mainly around M&M pinnacles, but large parts are not yet mapped in detail.

The reef just to the north of the east wall is an area of deep gullies, high pinnacles, huge boulders, overhangs, holes and occasional swimthroughs.

Just north of the east wall, a gully forks and turns west behind the Star Wall outcrop, and is obstructed by a huge boulder with a hole under it which looks big enough to swim through. This may come out at the east end of the gully cutting across the reef from the west. The gully continues north for a moderate distance.

There is a very high profile area north of the main outcrop, with lots of cracks and high points concentrated in a fairly small area.

The east branch of the gully opens up as it continues north. Eventually if you remain at about 18 to 21 m you will get to the east side of Kanobi's reef, passing several high pinnacles on the way, and if you go deeper and further east roughly opposite the second pinnacle, you may find the M&M cave, which is slightly deeper.

M&M Pinnacle and Cave — Somewhat to the north east of the wall, at S34°02.409' E018°18.189', the M&M pinnacles rise from the edge of the eastern sand patch at roughly 24m depth to about 10m on top. They have near vertical walls on at several sides, especially along the gap between the pinnacles and the cave rocks. This gap extends almost all the way to the sand bottom depth and is several metres wide. There is a overhang to the north west and a swim-through to the east under one of the rocks crossing from north to south, which is partly obstructed by a boulder but can be passed on either side. The largest boulder of the group has a hole through it (the Orifice) and a bowl-like depression towards the northern corner, which is probably the result of corestone weathering in the distant past.

Across the gap to the south of the main pinnacle group, At S34°02.426' E018°18,191', the M&M Cave swimthrough is large enough to turn a scooter inside. The position is shown on the map as M&M Cave. The cave is between 22 and 24 m deep and has access from several sides. It is under a large flattish boulder propped up against other large boulders in a small group. The top of the highest of these boulders is probably about 19m deep.

The name is made up from the initials of the divers who found it and marked its position, and has been extended to the group of pinnacles in the immediate vicinity. There is a memorial plaque to one of them in the cave.

These pinnacles are very close to the edge of the large eastern sand patch at about 24 m depth.

The eastern sand patch is quite extensive, and split into several tongues which extend among the boulders in several directions. It is consistently about 24 m deep, and bordered mostly by fairly low boulders with low Laminaria on top. In some areas the sand and boulders cover the bottom about evenly, in others the perimeter is more distinct.

Lollipop Pinnacle — About 150 m to the south east of Star Wall, at the edge of the southern sand patch, and about half way to Sunfish pinnacle, is a monolithic boulder resting on top of the bedrock reef at about 25 m depth. The pinnacle rises to a minimum depth of about 10 m, and is roughly 20 m in diameter. It was named by the first group of divers recorded to have dived this pinnacle.

Southern sand patch — A few metres to the south of the Lollipop Pinnacle, the edge of the reef drops down to sand at a fairly constant depth of about 34 m. This border extends for some distance to the west of the pinnacle, and at least as far as Sunfish Pinnacle to the east, in a moderately flat curve from west to east. Sunfish Pinnacle — About 300 m east of the Star Wall reef, on the far side of the western sand patch, there is a pinnacle that comes up very close to the surface, with quite deep water around it. This is described in a separate article.

Kanobi's Wall — The northern pinnacles of the reef behind (to the north) Star Wall. Marked by a half tide rock.

SURG Pinnacles — A group of deeper pinnacles to the west of the main reef, north of Star Walls.

West Wall is a lower wall to the west of the back reef, south of SURG Pinnacles. It is the south face of a ridge which is about 20 m deep on top, with a maximum depth a bit below 33 m. The north face is much less steep and not as deep.

Geology: Granite of the late Pre-Cambrian Peninsula pluton. Occasional patches of fine white sand

Conditions
Surge — The site is exposed to south westerly swells, which can produce a strong surge over the top of the wall and pinnacles, some of which may break in moderate seas. Surge is usually much weaker in deeper areas, particularly on the face of the wall, which lies across the wave fronts of the prevailing swell.

Currents — At times there is a slight current along the wall, which has been known to run opposite to the prevailing south easterly wind. Currents may also develop across the wall, over the reef, probably due to local winds, as they are short lived and unpredictable, and progress against the current will be relatively strenuous, but the main strength of the current is usually at the surface and down on the reef it is usually much weaker. It can be quite tricky to pick up divers from the water if the swell picks up during the dive, specially if the wind or current is setting you onto the blinders at Kanobi's reef to the north. A current of approximately 1 km/h setting magnetic south has been measured on a day of light south eaterly to easterly wind, and two days later a north setting current of similar strength, also with a south easterly wind.

Temperature — The water will usually be cold. Temperatures are generally 12°C or less, but have not been recorded lower than 8°C. 14°C would be considered unusually warm. A thermocline of one or two degrees may occur, and this is often associated with a change in visibility.

Seasonal variations — Conditions suitable for diving this site will be most common in summer, but any time when the south westerly swell is weak and low may be suitable, though visibility may be more unpredictable in winter.

Upwellings and plankton blooms — This is an area which sometimes has upwellings, caused by the south easterly wind, which generally bring in cold, clear, nutrient rich bottom water. This will usually develop a plankton bloom over a day or two of good sunshine, which will reduce shallow water visibility again. This means that the best times to dive are during or directly after an extended period of moderate to strong south easterly winds, and this generally happens in summer. A plankton bloom which reduces surface visibility to 2 to 5 m may well only extend down a moderate distance, and the visibility below will usually be better. The depth of the bloom is unpredictable and may range from around 5 or 6 m to about 20 m. Light levels below the bloom are often drastically reduced, and the colour tends to be very green.

Adverse weather — Moderate to strong winds with a significant westerly component, or large swells or wind waves from the north west to the south west are likely to produce unsafe or unpleasant conditions, and should be avoided.

Get in
The site can only be accessed by boat. It is about 6.6 km from the slipway at Hout Bay harbour. The ride will usually take 10 to 20 minutes, depending on the weather. It there is a strong south easter, the ride back will be relatively wet and bumpy. It is usual to fully dress in your wet or dry suit before leaving the harbour, though gloves and hoods may be left until you reach the site. Completion of kitting up and pre-dive checks are done on site.

Marine life
Typical of the big reefs of the Atlantic coast. Heavy growth of red bait and kelp on top. Walls, crevices and overhangs are covered with a large variety of sponges, corals, ascidians and other sessile invertebrates, and a host of small mobile critters, many of them well camouflaged.

There is a marked difference between the benthic ecology on the more vertical parts of the reef and the flatter areas. The walls and slight overhangs in the 12 m to 24 m range probably have the most diverse invertebrate cover, and certainly the most colourful. There are large numbers of small gorgonian sea fans, noble corals, soft corals, hydroids, anemones, sponges, colonial ascidians, and bryozoans, providing shelter and food for more mobile invertebrates, The predominant colours are oranges and browns, with splashes of bright blues, yellows, pinks and an occasional touch of green. The depth range from about 15 to 21 m is probably the most colorful.

The high parts of the reef tend to be covered by extremely dense cover of the solitary ascidian Pyura stolonifera, commonly known as Red Bait, and much of the flatter surface above 20 m has split-fan kelp forest. The deeper flattish surfaces are relatively sparsely covered, with sea cucumbers and sea urchins as the more obvious cover, and a variety of encrusting sponges and coralline algae

The Sumo crab which often carries a "hat" of the Green-moon sponge has frequently been seen on the wall.

Features
The longest and highest unbroken wall dive known in the Cape Peninsula. It is about as high as a 7-floor building and longer than a football field. There are a few small cave/swimthroughs to the north of the outcrop, and a larger cave to the north east.

Photography
This is a great site for invertebrate photography. Most of the subjects will be lass than 250 mm long, and there may be some much smaller, with a large variety in the 20 to 100 mm size range.

If the visibility is good, there may be opportunities for some fairly spectacular scenic shots, with or without divers, and you may be visited by a seal. Occasionally divers have been briefly visited by Dusky dolphins during their safety stop.

Macro and wide-angle equipment are most suitable, and super-macro may also be appropriate. The reef is exceptionally colourful, particularly in the 15 to 25 m depth range, where the most of the red and orange light will already have been absorbed by the water, so good artificial illumination is recommended to get the most out of wide angle shots, as a large amount of the reef fauna is bright reds, oranges and yellows.

Routes
Find out which way the current is running (if any) and drop in on top of the wall. Swim over the edge and descend to the depth of your choice.
 * 1) If you have not dived the site before, there is plenty to see on the south and east faces of the wall. Start deep and work your way up, inspecting the various zones and working your way along the face with the current. Swim away from the reef before deploying your DSMB at the end of the dive to keep clear of the surge at the top.
 * 2) A visit to the gulleys to the north of the wall is an interesting alternative. descend to about 18 m at the face of the wall, and swim around the reef with the wall to your left. You will pass along the east wall, then turn to the west into a gully with high reef on both sides. The gully opens up to the north, but stay close to the reef to your left at about 18 m depth, and you will soon come to a huge boulder with a tunnel under it. You can see through the tunnel, which appears to open slightly deeper on the other side. It is not known at this stage whether it is big enough to swim through. From here you can either go further north up the rest of the gully and then explore the uncharted areas beyond, or cross over or through the tunnel and continue around the back of the wall outcrop.
 * 3) If you want to try to find the M&M cave, start as for route 2, but instead of taking the left fork, go right and continue due east magnetic until you reach the sand patch, then follow the edge with the reef to your left at about 24 m depth until you see a group of large rocks to the left. The cave should be under the large rock closest to the sand. A few metres further along the sand edge is another large rock with a swimthrough under it. This is part of a small group of huge boulders known as the M&M pinnacle.

Hazards
The site is in a very exposed area and one should not dive there if there is big swell or strong wind. Skippers beware of the pinnacles as some of them may break unexpectedly if there is swell or a low tide. This is a particular problem when the swells are in "sets", as there may be a long period where the swells are low and well behaved, followed by a few big ones, which can lift and break without much warning, and can be quite stressful if the boat is over the top of the reef at the time.

For this reason it is quite common not to use a shotline. The wall is big and easy to find, and if the swell is marginal it is better to drop off the boat a short distance to the south of the wall to avoid the lumpy seas and strong surge on top. The wall is then found by simply descending to about 15 m and swimming north. Ascent in these conditions is also safer if you swim away from the wall to the south before ascending on a DSMB.

Other hazards are cold water and strong surge, especially around the pinnacle. Strong offshore winds may develop over a short time in summer, but these are usually forecast.

The currents are not usually a hazard to the diver, but they could drift you to a place where the boat can not safely approach. If this happens, you will just have to wait until you drift to a better place before being picked up. Avoid the exposed rock at Kanobi's, where you could be banged around by breaking seas.

Skills
It is possible to restrict oneself to depths above 18 m if one's buoyancy control is good, but most boat operators will probably insist on certification for at least 30 m, as the main feature of the site is the wall, and divers who are not certified to 30 m are not usually good enough at depth monitoring and buoyancy control to dive on a wall. This is unfortunately also often the case with divers with more advanced certification, and anyone who is not both competent and confident of their competence at precise buoyancy control should avoid this site, both for their own safety and for the protection of the more fragile reef organisms. Ability to deploy a DSMB from mid-water is strongly recommended, good buoyancy control is essential.

Equipment
A DSMB is useful if you surface away from the shot line or there is no shot line. It should only be deployed at a distance from the wall were it is unlikely to be dragged over the top by surge or current, which could snag the line and possibly damage the reef biota. Diving with a standard SMB is not recommended unless you have a really good reason and are adequately skilled to avoid entanglement of the line on the top of the wall. This requires constant vigilance, significant line tension, and usually requires staying a couple of metres away from the wall.

Nitrox can significantly extend your dive time if you are well insulated, and a dry suit is recommended as the water will be cold. If you have a full face mask, it will help on the really cold days, but most divers just allow a few minutes for their face to get used to the cold.

A dive light is worth taking along, as if the surface water is turbid or the lighting is just gloomy due to depth, it may be fairly dark in the deeper areas, and artificial lighting will bring out the bright reds, oranges and yellows of the invertebrates on the face of the wall. A wide angle light beam is best, as it allows close up examination of the organisms while illuminating enough of the surface that you don't have a tiny hot spot on a generally dim background.

Nearby

Back to the Alphabetical list of sites, or list of dive sites in the Outer Hout 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/Steenbras Deep

The dive site Steenbras Deep is an offshore rocky reef in the eastern central area of False Bay, near Cape Town in the Western Cape province of South Africa.

Understand

This site is at the southern end of a long ridge. It is not dived very frequently as it is a long boat trip and visibility is not very predictable, though it can be better than other sites on the east side of the bay.

Position
About 6 km west of Boskloof Point and Steenbras River mouth, and shown on the SA Navy charts but not named.
 * S34°12.640' E018°45.500'
 * S34°12.148' E018°45.568'

This site is not in a Marine Protected Area (2004). A permit is not required.

Name
The name "Steenbras Deep" is a contraction of Steenbras Deep Reef. This has been the name used by divers and fishermen for this reef for decades at least, and is more likely to refer to the nearby Steenbras River than to any of the fish species known as Steenbras, though this is also a possible derivation.

Depth
South Pinnacle (1st Pinnacle) is about 17 m at the highest point, and 30 m maximum depth. North Pinnacle (2nd Pinnacle) is about 18 m at top and about 27 m at the sand

Visibility
Visibility is not easy to predict, but can be better than other east False Bay sites if there is a red tide, as it is deep enough that the bottom water may be clear, though the light level may be low. It can be better than 10 m on the reef while the surface and top several metres has less than 3 m viz. Good visibility at the surface may not predict good visibility near the bottom. There have been occasions where a band of poor visibility occurs in mid-water with better visibility both above and below. This does not appear to be explained in the scientific literature, but may be associated with a thermocline.

Topography
South Pinnacle or 1st Pinnacle: Large area of irregular shape, about 130 m east to west amd 200 m north to south at 27 m, with the top at about 18 m. Perimeter drops off fairly steeply, with several large and fairly deep gullies cutting into the outcrop from several directions. There are sand patches at about 30 m depth scattered around the outcrop, and more reef in other places. There are also a few 18 m pinnacles near to the plateau area. There are places with a fairly flat shingle bottom adjacent to the reef.

North Pinnacle or 2nd Pinnacle: Irregular shaped reef about 40 m diameter at 21 m, of hard, fine-grained sedimentary rock. Some jointing or bedding planes about N-S magnetic. If this is the strike then dip is very steep, nearly vertical. A sample of rock has been collected and awaits analysis. The pinnacle is irregular in shape, with a large number of cracks, grooves and indentations, mostly not very deep. Sand is coarse and shelly with lots of bryozoan detritus at the edge of the reef at about 29 m. The top of the pinnacle is at about 18 m. There is a small section of lower reef to the south-west, mostly deeper than 21 m

Geology: The geology of the area is not known, but the rock is sedimentary, and the shape of the reef is more consistent with sandstone than shale, as it has a chunky, squared off looking structure, much like the Rooi-Els reefs. Strike is not recorded, but dip may be steep, based on the shape of the ridges and gullies. The rock is very similar to that of Drop Zone and Sterretjies. The north-westerm section of the South Pinnacle area appears to have near vertical dip, and the top surface of the outcrop is quite jagged, similar to outcrops of dark rock at Blousteen and Gordon's Bay, which are known to be Tygerberg formation. The surrounding bottom in this area includes large areas of water-smoothed shingle.

Conditions
The site is exposed to wind and waves from all directions, however it is quite deep, so short period waves will not affect conditions on the bottom greatly. Low short swell, light wind is best. There may be a thermocline, and the visibility may change significantly below the thermocline. 17°C at the surface with 2 to 5 m visibility above the thermocline and 11°C with 8 to 10 m visibility below the thermocline is possible and conditions at depth are not easily predictable. There is no specific time of year for diving this site, you just have to wait for low swell and light winds.

A light current has been reported occasionally, particularly at the surface, which can make it tricky to find the right part of the reef without a heavy shotline. This current has been measured at 0.9 km/hr setting SSE, but other directions and strengths are possible. The surface current is usually wind driven, and will therefore flow left of the wind direction due to Coriolis effects, but will lag a bit when the wind changes.

Get in
The site is only accessible by boat. It is approximately 10.5 km from Harbour Island, or 10.1 km from Gordon’s Bay harbour.

Marine life
There is quite a good variety of invertebrate life on the reef. It is similar to, but has a slightly different ambience compared with the reefs on the east shoreline, and is very different to the granite reefs on the west side of the bay. Much of the reef has high profile, and the surface is generally rugose, with a lot of decimetre scale complexity, including quite a number of narrow crevices which can trap a shot-weight. There is a high density of soft coral and sponge cover which is spectacularly colourful when the coral polyps are open.  Image:Frilled_nudibranch_at_Steenbras_Deep_DSC09845.JPG|The Frilled nudibranch, Leminda millecra is fairly common at this site Image:The_reef_at_Steenbras_Deep_DSC00617.JPG|The reef at Steenbras Deep Image:Violet_spotted_anemone_and_soft_corals_at_Steenbras_Deep_DSC09857.JPG|Violet spotted anemone and soft corals Image:Sponge_at_Steenbras_Reef_DSC00586.JPG|Sponge Image:Sponge_at_Steenbras_Reef_DSC00629.JPG|Sponge

Photography
The site is good for photography. The visibility is unpredictable, and often not very good, so lenses suitable for close-up work are most likely to produce good results, and artificial lighting will be necessary in almost all circumstances. External flash is recommended to minimize backscatter.

Routes
No particular route recommended. Put down a shotline on top of the reef, descend on this and go down the side of the reef to the sand, then work your way up the pinnacle. There is often a slight current, so do not leave the boat unattended. For preference ascend on the anchor line or a shotline, otherwise a SMB should be used. This is not a good place to be lost.

Hazards
Strong winds may develop over a short time, however these are usually predictable, so check the weather forecast.

Skills
Tha ability to deploy a DSBM is recommended. The site is not suitable for novices as the depth is on their extreme limit and the site is far offshore.

Equipment
A light can be useful if the visibility at the surface is bad. A reel and DSMB are highly recommended, so the boat can find you if you drift away, Nitrox can greatly extend no-decompression time. A dry suit would be good if diving on Nitrox, as it may be quite cold at the bottom.

Nearby
Other offshore dive sites of False Bay:

Back to the Alphabetical list of sites, or list of reef dive sites in the northern False Bay offshore 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

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/Steps

The dive site Steps is an offshore rocky reef in the Karbonkelberg headland area slightly north of the Oude Schip point on the Atlantic seaboard of the Cape Peninsula, near Cape Town in the Western Cape province of South Africa.

Position

 * S34°01.330’ E018°18.600’ — about 600 m north of the Oude Schip headland.

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
Derivation of the name "Steps" is not known, but may refer to some topographical feature of the site.

Depth
Maximum is about 20 m, average depth on a dive is likely to be about 15 m

Visibility
Visibility will be similar to other reefs in this area. It will usually be best in summer after a few days of south easterly winds cause an upwelling of clear water from the depths. On a good day visibility may exceed 10 m, with 20 m an infrequent possibility.

Topography
The reef is separated from the Oude Schip headland by a relatively deep area. The site is a large reef of granite corestones comprising high ridges and deep gullies, some quite narrow. The major jointing is at roughly 200° magnetic, and most of the ridges and gullies are in this direction.

Geology: Late Pre-Cambrian granite of the Peninsula pluton.

Conditions
Often at its best after a south easterly wind. The site is exposed to the south west swell which will produce a strong surge along the gullies and over the top of the ridges. A south easterly wind will tend to reduce the swell and cause upwelling of clear water from the depths. This water is cold, so good visibility will usually be associated with cold water. Temperatures from 8°C to 14°C are possible, averaging around 11°C in summer. The site is fairly well sheltered from the direct force of the south Easter, and can be dived even in a brisk blow, but the boat ride back to Hout Bay will be into the teeth of the wind.

The site is usually at its best in summer but there may also be occasional opportunities in autumn and early winter.

This is an area which sometimes has upwellings, caused by the south easterly winds, resulting in cold clear water, sometimes followed by a plankton bloom which will then reduce the visibility.

Some of the ridges and gullies are aligned more or less with the direction of the south westerly swell, so the surge can be quite strong both on top of the ridges, and in the gullies, as they provide little protection.

Get in
This site is only accessible by boat. It is about 9 km from the Hout Bay harbour.

Marine life
Not a site where you would expect to see a great number of fish, but quite colorful gully walls with ridge tops either covered in red-bait if fairly shallow, or urchins, if deeper. There are red seaweeds and corallines.

A variety of encrusting, tubular, ball, fan, and wall sponges, anemones and soft corals, sea fans and noble corals, hydroids, colonial ascidians, starfish, sea cucumbers, mussels, whelks and nudibranchs, false corals, fanworms, crabs, rock lobster, amphipods, barnacles and swimming shrimps can be seen

Photography
Macro photography will usually produce good results, and if the visibility is good, a wide angle lens may provide some interesting shots. Macro will require flash, but wide angle may be OK with natural light, or external flash to reduce backscatter.

Routes
No specific routes recommended.

Hazards
Cold water, 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 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/Stern Reef

The dive site Stern Reef is an inshore 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

Position

 * S34°13.164’ E018°28.032’ — An extensive area of high to low relief granite corestones on a sand bottom, marked by a rock which breaks the surface at some states of the tide. About 260 m South of Spaniard Rock, towards Miller’s Point.

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

Depth
Maximum depth is about 14 m, and the top of the reef breaks surface at low tide. Other rocks are lower. but the bottom is fairly level.

Topography
Coarse sand bottom with big granite boulders and reef. Largely fairly high to high relief with some low areas. Quite nice, specially just to seaward of the blinder, with quite a nice swim-through and some deep gullies between boulders. The reef has not yet been surveyed, but is thought to extend at least 50m to the north, east and west of the breakers. The bottom to the south is sandy.

Geology: Late Pre-Cambrian granite of the Peninsula pluton.

Conditions
Shore diving is limited by entry and exit conditions. Boat dives may be done in bigger swell with more surge, but the site is fairly shallow and surge will usually reach all the way down.

Facilities
Same parking area as for Spaniard Rock

Get in
Optional shore dive from Rocklands Point: Parking at side of main road on gravel shoulder. Access not easy and entry/exit a bit rough if there is much swell. Can also be done as a boat dive from Miller's Point slipway or Simon's Town jetty. The site is easy to find as there is almost always a break over the top of the reef.

Marine life
Kelp on top of shallower reef areas. Heavy encrustations of red bait and feather stars with a variety of other invertebrates typical of the area.

Photography
Fairly good site for macro photography.

Routes
No specific route recommended.

Hazards
The path from the road is steep and slippery and usually in poor repair. Shore entry and exit are over a boulder beach.

Skills
No special skills required for boat dive. Some fitness and agility required for shore entry and exit.

Equipment
No special equipment required. A light is handy for looking into crevices and overhangs. A compass can be useful for keeping track of where you are.

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/Stonehenge

The dive site area Stonehenge is an offshore 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, south of Duiker Point. The Stonenge reef complex includes the named dive sites Stonehenge North, Stonehenge Central, Stonehenge South, Stonehenge wreck, Stonehenge Blinder, A360 Pinnacles, Canyon, and the Dusky Pinnacles reefs, which include Coral Pinnacle and Sponge Garden.

Understand
The Stonehenge reef complex is a large area with varied topography, biodiversity and depth variation. There are plenty of shallow areas suitable for entry level divers, and several pinnacles and small walls suitable for slightly more qualified divers. None of the sites are deep enough to be restricted to divers with deeper certifications, but the whole area is quite exposed to the prevailing swell and there is a lot of split-fan kelp on the reef down to about 21 m.

Position
South of Duiker Point, below Karbonkelberg: This site is in the Table Mountain National Park Marine Protected Area, proclaimed in 2004. A permit is required. The site is within the Karbonkelberg restricted area.
 * S34°02.625' E018°18.300'. These are some of the defining markers for Stonehenge, as they stick out of the water and can be seen from a distance.
 * S34°02.750' E018°18.300'. A line of exposed rocks in roughly the middle of the high reef area.
 * S34°02.835' E018°18.365'. A half tide rock on the southern edge of the area.

Name
The area is named "Stonehenge" after a group of rocks which break the surface near a much larger rock which is shown on the charts, possibly by someone who had no idea of what the original Stonehenge megalithic structure looks like, but just liked the name.

Depth
Maximum depth is over 30 m, along the western edge, and the depth varies considerably with the sites, some of which break the surface.

Visibility
Visibility will vary with season and weather conditions in much the same way as other sites in this area. On a good day it should be 10 m or more, possibly as much as 20 m on an exceptional day, and should generally be more than 5 m in diveable conditions. However it is possible for a plankton bloom after an upwelling to reduce visibility, particularly near the surface, even when conditions are otherwise optimal. If this happens, visibility will usually improve with greater depth, but it may be quite dark below the bloom.

Topography
Big boulders and rock outcrops over an extensive area. High relief in deeper areas with swim-throughs, gullies, holes and overhangs.

Stonehenge blinder is a huge granite corestone pinnacle about 65 m E-W by 45 m N-S at the base, tapering to 45 m E-W by 25 m N-S near the top. There is a narrow crack about 1.5 m wide and several metres deep by 15 or more metres long near the south east side, and the north side is very sheer. The top point is a bit away from the north eastern edge and is about 3 m deep. The bottom is lower profile reef at 20 m and deeper.

The western pinnacles are along the edge of the slope to deeper water, and the northern and eastern sites are relatively shallow. This is a huge area of reef which has not been explored very extensively and is only partly surveyed.

Geology: Granite of the late Pre-Cambrian Peninsula pluton

Conditions
The site is exposed to south westerly swells, so best when the south west swell component is low and short. This may occur during or after south easterly winds. The site is usually at it's best in summer, but there may also be occasional opportunities in autumn or early winter. The area to the south of Duiker point is marked on the charts as "Bakleiplaas" which is thought to be a reference to the usually relatively choppy surface conditions. The sea here is seldom really flat. The reef is not very extensively explored as conditions are not often good for diving, particularly in the shallower parts, where there is usually white water and strong surge.

This is an area which sometimes has upwellings, caused by strong south easterly winds, resulting in cold clear water, and may then have a plankton bloom after a few hours of strong sunshine, which will reduce the visibility again.

Expect cold water (about 11°C). Temperature ranges between about 8°C to 14°C

Get in
The site is only accessible by boat. It is about 6.5 km from Hout Bay harbour.

Do
Dive at one of the listed sites and explore the vicinity, or explore an uncharted area and let us know what you find.

North Stonehenge area

 * S34°02.587' E018°18.235'. This is at the east end of Sponge Garden. Maximum depth in this area is about 25 m, and the top is about 10 m. Quite pretty reef and quite colourful sponges in the deeper areas, with kelp on top of the shallower reef.
 * S34°02.590' E018°18.206'. Dusky Pinnacles, with Coral Pinnacle and Sponge Garden lie to the north west of the exposed rocks of Stonehenge North. There are a few pinnacles grouped quite closely in a rough line from west to east.Coral pinnacle is named for the noble corals on its sides. It is a typical single huge boulder on a flat bedrock base, like several others in this region. It is small enough that most divers will move away from it at some stage of the dive, so a DSMB is recommended in case you do not get back to the shotline. Depths of 24 m are found nearby, and over 30 m is possible by swimming west or north. There is a lower pinnacle a short distance to the west and another slightly north-east. The area to the south west is not mapped or reported in any detail, but is probably also deeper than 30 m. There is a smaller pinnacle south of the Duskies which rises to about 7 m depth on top, and other roughly 9 m pinnacles a short distance to the east. These pinnacles were named after a pod of dusky dolphins which were seen at the pinnacle on the day that it was first surveyed, which was the first recorded dive at the site. It is a pretty area, but not very big. It is shallow on top, but also one of the deeper areas of Stonehenge as it is on the edge of the high reef area. If you have time to spare, head east along the north side past the row of lower pinnacles to the east, which is the Sponge Garden, and has several large swim-throughs under the pinnacles, and several overhangs and small walls, which have quite diverse and colourful sponges.

 * S34°02.625' E018°18.300'. A relatively shallow and kelpy area, marked by the exposed rocks to the north of the area. Not well known. Let us know what you find.

Southwest Stonehenge

 * S34°02.740' E018°18.200'. The A360 Pinnacles are a pair of roughly parallel ridges to the southwest of Stonehenge Central, at the edge of the 24 m contour, with a 27 m gully between them. The south ridge rises to 10 m and the north ridge to 15 m on top. This is a nice site in good visibility, and is deep enough to avoid much of the surge. The kelp thins out by 24 m. The southern ridge is split transversely by several cracks, the north is more monolithic and has a nice little wall on the south side. To the west the bottom is relatively flat, undulating bedrock at about 21 m, with boulders and a lot of kelp.

Central Stonehenge

 * S34°02.750' E018°18.300'. Stonehenge Central is relatively shallow and heavily grown with kelp. A large, little explored area of large boulders, some of which extend above the surface, marked by a line of granite boulders sticking up out of the water. Not very deep, and seldom calm enough to look like a pleasant dive. Although shallow, it is high profile reef with lots of small gaps and overhangs.

South Stonehenge

 * S34°02.835' E018°18.365'. A large, flattish, half-tide rock, with a large number of sandy anemones. A shallow area, mostly above 15 m and the top of the rock above 6 m is quite large, and very surgey.

 * S34°02.885' E018°18.335'. Drop a shotline at the GPS position and use it to find the wreckage, which is a small amount of debris at 21 m from a small workboat which sank here while transporting salvaged steel from the wreck of the Bos 400 towards Hout Bay harbour. After looking at this, swim a compass course to the blinder, which is the most interesting recorded topographical feature in easy reach, or do your own thing and explore the area. Carry a DSMB and use it to alert the boat when you start ascent.

 * S34°02.838' E018°18.316'. A large boulder or outcrop, rising from about 24 m to the south to about 3 m on top, where the surge can be very strong. Drop in at the pinnacle and descend to the bottom. Slowly ascend as you swim around the pinnacle, observing the various ecological zones. If the sea is calm, a safety stop can be done over the top of the pinnacle, otherwise deploy a DSMB or ascend on the shotline.

Marine life
Typical of the big reefs of the Atlantic coast. There is a heavy growth of red bait in shallow areas, Kelp on top surfaces in moderate depths, and fairly bare rock with urchins on relatively flat deep surfaces. Walls, overhangs and other steep surfaces are covered with wide variety of sponges, corals, ascidians and other invertebrates.

Photography
Good photographic site. There will always be good subjects for macro work, and wide angle with natural lighting will produce good results on a clear day.

Hazards
Cold water, Strong surge in gulleys and swim-throughs, and over the top of the shallow parts of the reef. Strong offshore winds may develop over a short time.

Skills
No special skills required. The ability to deploy a DSM and use a compass is useful.

Equipment
A light can be useful to look into dark places and to restore colour at depth. A compass can help keep track of your position, and a DSMB is handy to allow the boat to keep track of ascending divers. Nitrox can extend your no-decompression time if you are well insulated.

Nearby

Back to the Alphabetical list of sites, or list of dive sites in the Outer Hout 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/Strawberry Rocks

The dive site Strawberry Rocks is an inshore rocky reef in the North Oudekraal area on the Atlantic seaboard of the Cape Peninsula, near Cape Town in the Western Cape province of South Africa.

Understand

This is a pleasantly scenic site and there are usually several Cape fur seals to be seen, as well as colourful reef invertebrates.

Position

 * S33°58.719’ E018°21.658’ — (Middle of the group)

Strawberry Rocks are the two smaller groups of granite boulders to the north east of the large Geldkis group.

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

Name
Derivation of the name "Strawberry Rocks" is not recorded, but it is likely a reference to the large areas of Strawberry anemones — Corynactis annulata — which can be seen here.

Depth
The bottom is generally from about 10 m to a maximum of about 15 m,

Topography
Besides the large rocks which break the surface, there are numerous lower submerged boulders around the exposed ones. Many of the boulders are situated that there are overhangs, swim-throughs and caves under them, and there are also some deep narrow gaps between rocks. Surge can be strong.

Spectacular in good visibility. Bottom is sand between the main rock group and shore, with occasional rocks closer inshore, and scattered boulders near the group, often with tall clumps of kelp. There is a very nice little A-section cave with chimneys at position S33°58.717’ E018°21.665’, It is well protected from low swell, but may be too surgey on a rough day.

Geology: Granite corestones of the late Pre-Cambrian Peninsula pluton, surrounded by fine white quartz sand.

Conditions
The site is often at its best during or after south easterly winds, but strong south easterly winds (offshore) can make it difficult to swim back to shore at the surface. It is exposed to south westerly swells, and surge can be strong, particularly in the swim-throughs.

The site is usually at its best in summer, but there are also occasional opportunities in autumn and early winter.

This is an area which sometimes has upwellings, caused by south easterly winds, resulting in clear cold water, which may develop an algal bloom after a few days, which will reduce the visibility.

Keep a lookout for times when the south west swell is low and short period, and the south easterly winds have just stopped, for a good probability of good diving conditions.

Facilities
None. Security is no better than most other roadside parking areas.

Get in
Shore dive. Park at the side of the road on the outside of the bend north of the Twelve Apostles hotel. The entry/exit point is Sandy Cove. This gives the most direct route to the site which is the group of smaller boulders to the north-east of the group of large granite boulders (Geldkis) about 300 m from the entry point. Boat Dive: May be from Hout Bay (16 km) or Oceana Power Boat Club at Granger Bay (13.5 km). The sand to the north may be suitable for anchoring.

Marine life
Seals often hang out on the rocks and drop by to investigate during the dive. Kelp forests grow on top of the shallower rocks. Walls exposed to the SW and NW swells are relatively bare compared to overhangs, caves and sheltered areas, some of which are very colourful and heavily encrusted with sponges and small sea fans.

More exposed areas have a lot of red bait and black mussel, There is a large variety of organisms in the caves including knob ascidians, lobed ascidians, white ball sponges and sea fans, hard corals and various encrusting and fan sponges

Photography
A good site for macro photography, or wide angle if the visibility is good.

Routes
There are two basic routes depending on whether the dive is from shore or a boat.
 * 1) For a shore dive, enter at Sandy Cove, and swim out on the surface to the north east of Strawberry Rocks. Dive around the group anticlockwise to the seaward side to the cave under the rocks, then further round west to the gap at Geldkis and back to Sandy Cove on a compass course. Alternatively continue the dive to include Geldkis if air supply and temperature allow, then return from the west end of Geldkis.
 * 2) For a boat dive, start in much the same place and follow a similar route round the site, It is not recommended to leave a boat at anchor unattended because of the possibility of strong winds causing it to drag and be blown away out to sea.

Hazards
Cold water, Hot sunshine. Strong surge in gullies and swim-throughs. Sea urchins. Strong offshore winds may develop over a short time.

Skills
No special skills are required for a boat dive, For a shore dive a fair level of fitness is required as there is a long swim to and from the site. Ability to navigate back by compass is recommended, particularly if there is offshore wind forecast.

Equipment
A light is recommended for looking into crevices and overhangs, and because of the loss of colour at depth. A compass is strongly recommended for shore dives and the return should be done underwater if the wind picks up during the dive. The water is cold and a dry suit will help if you chill easily.

Nearby

Back to the Alphabetical list of sites, or list of dive sites in the Oudekraal 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/Sunfish Pinnacle

The dive site Sunfish Pinnacle is an offshore rocky reef in the outer Hout Bay area on the Cape Peninsula, near Cape Town in the Western Cape province of South Africa.

Understand

A fairly large pinnacle on a rocky bottom on the way to Duiker Point from Hout Bay harbour, which has been picked up quite frequently on the echo sounders of dive boats passing over it. It has now been dived, and to some extent mapped. The site is quite pretty and should make a pleasant alternative site. Topography is rugged, with high vertical walls on two sides of the pinnacle.

Position

 * S34°02.475' E18°18.290'

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

Name
The name "Sunfish Pinnacle" is derived from the oceanic sunfish Mola mola, one of which was seen at the site the weekend before the first recorded dive.

Depth
Maximum depth is about 34 m on the sand to the south of the pinnacle. The top of the pinnacle is about 7 m deep. The immediate vicinity of the base of the pinnacle is from 18 to 21 m deep.

Visibility
Like other sites in this area, the visibility is usually best shortly after or during south easterly winds, which bring up clear, cold waters, but then often reduces again due to plankton bloom.

Topography
A large pinnacle, about 60 m east-west and 30 m north-south, with a rounded top at 7 m, and split by a deep narrow crack running north south, with a shallower and narrower crack crossing it from east to west. The north and east faces are nearly vertical from around 10m down to nearly 18m. The south and west sides are less vertical, particularly the south side, which steps down over a few metres. To the north there is a fairly large boulder with quite a narrow gap to the pinnacle, and north of that a gulley at about 20 m with another outcrop to the north several metres high. The reef to the south west is deeper, and gets down to 26m within a moderate distance. To the north west at a distance of about 50m there is an extensive patch of sand, separating the Sunfish Pinnacle from the Star Walls reef complex of Star Wall to Kanobi's Wall.

Geology: Pre-Cambrian granite corestones of the Peninsula pluton.

Conditions
The site is exposed to south westerly swell and winds, so should be dived when the swell is low, and is often good in south easterly winds.

The site is usually at it's best in summer but there are also occasional opportunities at other times of the year

This is an area which sometimes has upwellings of cold clear water, caused by south easterly winds, resulting in good visibility for a few days until the sunlight and nutrients cause a plankton bloom, reducing the visibility again.

Get in
Boat access only. The site is about (distance)km from the slipway at Hout Bay harbour

Marine life
The top and upper sides of the pinnacle are covered by a forest of Laminaria kelp. The near vertical faces of the sides of the pinnacle and the deep narrow cracks are covered with an assortment of sponges, noble corals, soft corals, sea fans, false corals and hydroids. Sumo crabs and basket stars have been seen.

Photography
Macro photography is most likely to produce good results over the widest range of conditions. If visibility is good, wide angle is a possibility.

Suggested Routes
The site is fairly small. The whole pinnacle can be comprehensively visited on a single dive.

Hazards
The site is on the route that small craft take between Hout Bay and Duiker Point. There is a slightly higher than usual risk of being run down by a boat if you surface without warning.

Skills
The ability to deploy a DSMB is recommended.

Equipment
Dry suit recommended as this area is usually cold. Each group should carry and deploy a DSMB if there is any chance of surfacing away from the shot line, so that boat traffic can see where you are surfacing. Nitrox can significantly extend your dive if you are warm enough.

Nearby

Back to the Alphabetical list of sites, or list of dive sites in the Outer Hout 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/Sunny Cove

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

Understand

The access is relatively easy and the site is fairly sheltered from south west swell.

Position

 * S34°08.68’ E018°26.30’ — Just east of the pedestrian bridge at Sunny Cove railway station.

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

Name
Named after the "Sunny Cove" railway station at the site, which was probably named after the general location, though it is not clear what cove is referred to.

Depth
Maximum depth is approximately 11 m over the sand.

Topography
Moderate relief sandstone rocks, ridges and gullies shelving down to sand at about 10 m.

Geology: Ordivician sandstone of the Table Mountain group. Probably Peninsula formation, or the underlying Graafwater formation. Strike is north-west/south east, and the dip is shallow (about 7°)and to the south west.

Conditions
Often at its best during or after westerly winds. The site is fairly well sheltered from south west swell. Usually considered a winter dive site, but also may be dived in summer if the south-easter has not blown for a few days.

Facilities
None. The public toilets at the railway siding have been locked up and are not accessible.

Get in
This dive is generally dived from the shore, though the site appears to be less frequently dived than in the past. There is parking at the side of the main road near the station. Walk over the pedestrian bridge and to the south east about 50 m to a grassy patch at the side of the path. Entry area is at the north side of the low rocky promontory visible in the middle of the aerial photo. This is also usually suitable for exit, but occasionally the inlet at the south of the promontory may be more suitable or convenient. The water is quite shallow in these areas, and there is kelp which both moderates the surge and gets in the way.

Marine life
Not particularly colourful, but quite a variety of invertebrate and seaweed species. Great white sharks have been seen from the shore cruising past the site.

Photography
Close-up photography is most appropriate at this site.

Suggested Routes
No particular routes recommended. It is often worth spending some time over the sand, but most of the dive would normally be on the inshore reefs.

Hazards
Sea urchins. A swimmer was taken by a great white shark near this site in 2004.

Skills
No special skills are required. The site is suitable for snorkelling and has been used for training entry level divers.

Moderate fitness and agility are required for the shore access.

Equipment
No special equipment required. A compass can be useful if you swim out over the sand.

Nearby

Back to the list of Alphabetical list of sites, or dive sites in the Fish Hoek and Glencairn 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/Tafelberg Deep

The dive site Tafelberg Deep is an offshore rocky reef in the Hout Bay area of the Cape Peninsula, near Cape Town in the Western Cape province of South Africa.

Understand

This site is not well explored, and is used mostly by divers who want a dive in the 40 to 50 m depth range which can be ended in shallower water.

Position

 * S34°04.6476’ E018°18.9710’, 18 m deep

Bearings:
 * 190m at 355°magnetic from Wilhelm's Mark to Tafelberg Deep Pinnacle
 * 300m at 307°magnetic from Mac's Mark to Tafelberg Deep Pinnacle
 * 450m at 026°magnetic from Mac's Mark to Klein Tafelberg Pinnacle

This is the extreme southern end of the known reef in the Tafelberg Reef area and is the southern edge of the south-easternmost part of the reef complex extending south from the Karbonkelberg. It is an area of relatively steeply shelving reef, as the average slope from the reef edge to the pinnacle is about 1 in 5. It is about 500 m south west of the pinnacle at Klein Tafelberg Reef

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

Name
The name "Tafelberg Deep" refers to the adjacent Tafelberg and Klein Tafelberg reefs, and that the depth is greater. The Tafelberg Deep Pinnacle is the nearest pinnacle to the deepest edges of the reef.

Depth
Maximum depth is about 50 m at the edge of the reef, and the top of the pinnacle is about 18 m. It is about 190 m from Wilhelm's mark to the pinnacle, on an upward slope of about 1 in 5 average gradient. It should be quite easy to navigate as the direction is about 355°magnetic, which is almost directly North, and almost continuously uphill.

Topography

Tafelberg deep is the southeastern end of a large granite reef which probably extends continuously at least as far as Di's Cracks to the northwest. Further southeast is sand bottom, for an unknown distance. The first sand patches between rocks have been found at 41 m to the south, and this increases to about 50 m maximum depth for the reef edge. The site has a shallow point at a cluster of pinnacles reaching up to about 18 m

Geology: Pre-Cambrian granite of the Peninsula pluton. Sand at the bottom to the south.

Conditions
The site is exposed to south westerly swells, which can cause a surge. The site is usually at it's best in summer but there are also occasional opportunities in autumn and winter. Short swells will often not affect the bottom conditions due to the depth.

This is an area which sometimes has upwellings, caused by strong south easterly winds, resulting in cold clear water, which may develop a plankton bloom over a few hours, which will reduce the visibility again.

Keep a lookout for times when the south west swell is low and short period, and there is not too much south easterly wind forecast.

Get in
The site is only accessible by boat. It is about 5.3 km from Hout Bay Harbour.

Do
Dive at one of the listed drop points and explore the reef around that point, or follow one of the routes.

 * S34°04.6476’ E018°18.9710’, 18 m deep. A huge outcrop of granite with a cluster of pinnacles. Very steep profile at and near the top, flattening out below about 24 m to the south. Moderately to steeply sloping slope of granite boulders and outcrops to the south. There is a ridge several metres high interrupting the slope to the south.

 * S34°04.7360’ E018°19.0322’, The sand edge runs roughly east-west for about 200 m and is very close to the 50 m contour. Wilhelm's mark is on this sand edge at the shortest horizontal distance from the main pinnacle, and is a suitable place to drop divers who want a 50 m dive and who want to follow the reef up for a reasonably long bottom time, with or without obligatory decompression.

 * S34º04.6810’ E018º19.1633’, An alternative drop point for a 50 m dive. It should be possible to navigate from this point to the pinnacle by going generally uphill and north. Some decompression should be expected, but could be minimised by careful gas planning

 * S34º04.6872' E018º18.9658', A sharp dropoff about 6 m high at 36 m on the ridge from the sand edge which leads up towards the main pinnacle, a bit to the south of the shortest route, It is crowned by an unusually thick and sparsely branched morph of noble coral, and may have several basket stars. Very pretty on a good day.

 * S34º04.6578' E018º18.9312', 26 m deep

Marine life
The reef life tends to have more sponges due to the depth, but is otherwise similar to other reefs in the area. The seldom seen Gilchrist's sea urchin and cobbled seastar have been recorded from this site. The noble corals at the deep coral crag are unusually thick, and less branched than is usual in this region. High densities of the hairy brittle star Ophiothrix fragilis may occur.

Photography
The site is mostly quite deep and often quite dark. Natural light will not be sufficient most places and times, and be sure that your camera housing is rated to the depth. Macro equipment is most likely to produce useful results, particularly in the deeper areas.

Suggested Routes
The recommended procedure is for the skipper to find the desired depth using echo sounder and GPS, and put down a shotline. Divers descend on this and swim a compass course toward the Tafelberg Deep pinnacle, on a bearing calculated by the skipper from the GPS positions of the two points. However, it is possible for divers to run out of planned bottom time before reaching the pinnacle, in which case they should deploy a DSMB and surface on that.

Hazards
Nitrogen narcosis, decompression sickness, Cold water.

Skills
Certification and skills for diving to 50m and using the appropriate equipment.

Equipment
Compass and DSMB with reel or spool are necessary due to the nature of the dive. Trimix and deco gas strongly recommended. Dry suit and light recommended.

Nearby

Back to the Alphabetical list of sites, or list of dive sites in the Outer Hout 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/Tafelberg Reef

The dive site area Tafelberg Reef is an offshore rocky reef in the outer Hout Bay area on the Atlantic seaboard of the Cape Peninsula, near Cape Town in the Western Cape province of South Africa.

Understand
Tafelberg reef is one of the closest reef areas to Hout Bay with depths below 24&npsp;m, which can be useful for training purposes. It is also biodiverse and topographically interesting, making it a versatile dive site, and though most of it is a bit deep for entry level divers, there are sites within their recommended depth range. The part covered in this page is the central section, less popular and familiar than the south eastern sites at Klein Tafelberg and Tafelberg Deep, and the north-western sites at Vulcan Rock and Di's Cracks. Tafelberg Reef includes the recorded dive sites at Cowrie Caves, Tafelberg Reef North and Tafelberg Reef West. The nominal position is based on the S.A. Navy chart of the area which is marked with the name at the shallowest officially charted part of the reef. Much of the reef has been recently surveyed using multibeam sonar in fairly high resolution by the S.A.Council for Geoscience, but the data does not appear to have been published yet.

Position

 * S34°04.220' E018°18.930' (nominal position, based on the Navy charts).

This site is in the controlled area of the Table Mountain National Park Marine Protected Area, just south of the border of the Karbonkelberg restricted area since 2004. A permit for recreational diving is required.

Name
A large area of reef off the Karbonkelberg headland to the south west of Hout Bay, is marked "Tafelberg" on the charts. The reef extends continuously from the Vulcan Rock area to the north west, to the Klein Tafelberg area in the south east. Tafelberg translates to Table Mountain.

Depth
Maximum depth is about 30 m, top of the reef about 8 m at the highest pinnacles. Most of the diving is probably between 15 m and 30 m.

Visibility
This is an area where visibility may be better than average for the west side of the Cape Peninsula. On a good day it can exceed 20 m, but 10 m is more likely. Good visibility is often associated with several days of strong south easterly wind which causes upwelling of clear, cold water from the depths. This water is often rich in dissolved nutrients, and if the wind is followed by a few days of bright sunshine, there may be a plankton bloom, also known as a 'red tide' which may decrease the visibility, particularly in the surface layers. However, the deeper water may still be relatively clear, though the light levels will be less and the water will be much greener.

Topography
Rugged granite corestone outcrops with high relief and sand bottom at about 29 m to the west and 30 to the north. There are deep crevices and gullies. There is not much overhang, but a lot of vertical faces. The site is very rugged and spectacular in good visibility. It tends to flatten out around 24 deep to the northeast.

Geology: Granite of the late Pre-Cambrian Peninsula pluton

Conditions
The site is exposed to south-westerly swells, which can cause a strong surge. The site is usually at its best in summer, when the swell is likely to be lower, but there are also occasional opportunities in autumn and winter.

This is an area which can have upwellings, caused by strong south easterly winds, resulting in cold clear surface water, which may develop a plankton bloom over a few hours of strong sunshine, which will reduce the visibility again. There is often a slight surface current due to recent local wind. This is usually the same current that causes the upwellings.

Keep a lookout for times when the south west swell is low and has a short period, after a day or two of strong south-easterly wind. These particularly good conditions are more likely in La Niña years, when the south-easterly winds tend to be stronger, and less likely in El Niño years, when the south-easterlies are likely to be weaker.

On very rare occasions, there is world class big-wave surf over Tafelberg Reef, but this occurs far less often than at the nearby "Dungeons" break. No-one will be diving by choice, but the occasional tow-in surfer may wipe out badly.

Get in
The site is only accessible by boat. It is about 4.5 km from Hout Bay Harbour. Boats may anchor, but conditions are usually more appropriate for live-boat dives.

Do
Dive at one of the known drop points listed here, and explore the local reef around each point. Alternatively, dive at an unsurveyed place and let us know what you find.

 * S34°03.934' EE018°18.890', is a cluster of boulder pinnacles in the northern part of Tafelberg Reef. The shallowest point is about 16&npsp;m deep and about four rocks rise to shallower than 18 m, The reef above 21 m is somewhat more than 50 m long from northwest to southeast and about 25 m wide. Maximum depth in the immediate vicinity is probably about 24 m,and there does not appear to be sand bottom nearby. It is a short distance to the north-west of the Tafelberg North mark. The cluster of shallower pinnacles has a small talus cave, and there are several other small caves and swimthroughs at the site. The top of the reef has a sparse split-fan kelp forest. There were also a fair variety of sessile invertebrates and other benthic organisms, including sponge crabs and basket stars. The name was chosen by the divers present on the day of first survey in recognition of sightings of several cowries.

Granite reef of moderately high relief. The top of the reef is heavily covered by red algae, kelp and redbait. Various nudibranchs, walking anemones, dreadlocks hydroids, sponges, and soft corals on the deeper surfaces.
 * S34°03.986' E018°18.958'

Rugged granite outcrop with high relief and sand bottom at about 29 m to the West. Deep crevices and gullies. Not much overhang, but a lot of vertical faces. The reef is heavily encrusted with red and brown algae on shallower horizontal surfaces, with sponges, hard and soft corals and ascidians on more vertical surfaces. Sandy areas appear barren.
 * S34°04.195' E018°18.812'

Marine life
The reef is heavily encrusted with red and brown algae on the shallower horizontal surfaces, and sponges, hard and soft corals and ascidians on more vertical surfaces. Seals may visit, particularly during decompression stops. Sandy areas appear relatively barren.

Features
A few small talus caves and swimthroughs have been reported from Cowrie Caves site.

Photography
Good site for macro photography.

Routes
Usually a live boat dive as the reef is large and there may be a current. There are no recorded routes for any of the drop points.

Hazards
Cold water and light surface current is normal for this area. Strong offshore winds may develop over a short time, but forecasts are usually reliable. There are some fairly tight swimthroughs which may have strong surge flow through them, which could cause a diver to get wedged into the restriction. The risk will depend on flow strength, diver size, and equipment configuration. Ordinary caution and on-site risk assessment is appropriate.

Skills
No special skills required, though the ability to deploy a DSMB is strongly recommended in case you are separated from the group or need to surface away from the shot line.

Equipment
It is cold and moderately deep, and a dry suit is recommended. This is a dive site where the use of Nitrox can be worthwhile to extend no-stop time. A light is recommended for looking into crevices and to restore colour to the marine invertebrates. This is a large site, well offshore, and it is strongly recommended to carry a DSMB and reel and use it for surfacing, particularly if decompression stops are required, as a diver can drift quite a long way during ascent, and may not be easily visible if they drift off the site. A compass can also be useful for keeping track of directions, as there are few other clues.

Nearby

Back to the Alphabetical list of sites, or list of dive sites in the Outer Hout 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/Target Reef

The dive site Target Reef is an offshore rocky reef with concrete structure in the Simon's Bay area of False Bay, near Cape Town in the Western Cape province of South Africa.

Position

 * : S34°10.619' E18°27.226' — About 30 m bearing 195° magnetic from permanent navigation buoy at S34°10.604' E18°27.224'

This site is in a Marine Protected Area (2004). A permit is required. It is entirely inside the Boulders Restricted Zone of the Table Mountain MPA

Name
The name "Target Reef" is derived from the disused naval gunnery targets that used to be supported by the concrete structure at the site

Depth
Maximum depth is about 22 m. and the top of the structure is about 6 m. Average depth is likely to be about 15 m.

Visibility
Visibility will vary depending on the season and recent weather conditions. In summer it will usually be better than 5 m in conditions suitable for diving, and in winter it will usually be better, and could exceed 20 m on a good day, though more likely to be between 10 and 15 m.

Topography
This is a small nearly circular reef about 40 m across, of rubble, boulders and some granite bedrock rising from sand at about 22 m up to the base of a concrete structure at about 18 m. The structure on top is large reinforced concrete block about 12 m high and 10 to 12 m along each side. It is reported to be identical to the blocks used for the new harbour wall at Simon's Town naval dockyard. The top is severely damaged, presumably by gunfire, as it was a base for targets. Steel reinforcing bar projects from broken concrete all over the top, and large chunks of debris are held in place by some of these bars. Two large chunks of concrete structure have fallen down to the reef. One is right at the base of the main structure, to the north west, and the other has rolled or slid down to the sand edge to the south west. The shallower one has deep holes accessible from the top towards the main block, and the deeper one is open at south west end, with a small opening at the north east end, which looks too small for access. These are shown on the map.

Geology: Pre-Cambrian granite of the Peninsula pluton. The rubble around the base is likely to include concrete fragments of the structure, and possibly other rubble brought to the site when the structure was built. The reef is surrounded by flat fairly fine silica sand.

Conditions
The site is exposed to wind and waves from the south east, so should be dived when there is no south easterly wind. Conditions are more likely to be good in winter, or at any other time when the wind is westerly. The site is reasonably protected from south westerly swells, but if long period south westerly swells are produced by storms in the South Atlantic then the swell refracting around Cape Point into False Bay may be sufficient to make the site undiveable.

The site will usually be at it's best in winter, but there are also occasional opportunities at other times of the year.

Get in
This site is only dived from a boat as it is too far offshore to swim and is in the harbour approaches for the Simon's Town naval harbour

The site is about 6.2 km from Miller's Point slipway, 3.5 km from Simon's Town jetty, or 2.8 km from the pickup point at Long Beach

Marine life
Lots of red bait on top of the broken piece at about 18 m, which is deep for red bait. Otherwise, very heavy redbait encrustation around top of structure, but walls relatively bare Rubble covered with similar benthic invertebrates to Castor reef. Shoals of smallish hottentot over top of structure.

Features
Large concrete structure with a couple of holes big enough for divers to enter.

Photography
This is not a particularly good site for photography. The biological diversity is not very high, and the site is small. Macro equipment is most likely to produce good results.

Suggested Routes
The site is small and can be comprehensively visited on a single dive. The main block of the target base is the start and end point for most dives, and it is worth visiting the large fragment of the structure to the south west at the sand edge, and the other large fragment at the north west corner of the base.

Hazards
There are a large number of projecting steel reinforcing bars all over the top of the structure, and in places on the big fragments. these may be sharp enough to cause injury or equipment damage if bumped into with sufficient force. This may happen if there is a large swell running, or as a result of inattention or clumsiness by the diver. Remain aware of your surroundings when near these bars.

Skills
No special skills are required. The central part of the site is shallow enough for entry level divers. Reasonable buoyancy control is recommended, particularly when over the reinforcing bars.

Equipment
No special equipment recommended.

Nearby

Back to the Alphabetical list of sites, or list of dive sites in the Roman Rock 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/Three Anchor Bay

The dive site Three Anchor Bay is a shoreline 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°54.36’ E018°23.85’

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

Name
The name "Three Anchor Bay" has been associated with this little bay for over a century, and it is marked on maps under this name.

Depth
Shallow

Topography
Rocky shoreline reefs and sand bottom.

Geology: Sedimentary rocks, probably Tygerberg formation of the Pre-Cambrian Malmesbury series.

Conditions
This spot picks up a fair amount of swell and except for the little beach and the slipway any other entries or exits require you to go through the surf zone. As this is a very rocky area this is not a good idea.

Facilities
Off road paved parking lot to the north of the bay.

Get in
Normally dived from shore entry: Park on the parking lot to the north east of the bay, close to the Putt-Putt course. Access down is via the slipway road or one of the few sets of stairs on either side of the bay. Entry is at the slipway or over the beach as the slipway can be very slippery at times.

Routes
Dive along the reef edges, either to the north or the south of the sand. There will be more to see and less risk from boat traffic.

Hazards
Boat traffic may be a problem during the day as there is a slipway at the entry area.

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 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/Tivoli Pinnacles

The dive site Tivoli Pinnacles is an offshore rocky reef in the Roman Rocks area of False Bay, near Cape Town in the Western Cape province of South Africa.

Understand

This site is part of the Roman Rock reef complex, and is convenient for launches from Simon's Town. The site is fairly small and has interesting topography, and a good variety of the local invertebrates and fish.

Position

 * : S34°10.892' E18°27.765' — About 250 m bearing 301° magnetic to Roman Rock Lighthouse.

This site is in a Marine Protected Area (2004). A permit is required. The pinnacle is on the boundary of the Boulders Restricted Zone of the Table Mountain MPA

Name
The name "Tivoli Pinnacles" is derived from the town of Tivoli, Italy which is a short distance east of Rome, as this pinnacle is a short distance to the east of Roman Rock.

Depth
Maximum depth is about 22 m on the sand to the south, and the top of the pinnacle is at about 10 m.

Visibility
This site is a fair distance offshore, and is not much affected by breaking waves, so the visibility will generally be as good as any other site in west False Bay, and better than the inshore sites. Visibility can be in excess of 15m on a very good day, but is more likely to be in the 6 to 10 m range.

Topography
The reef is relatively long and narrow with the long axis running roughly North-South (330° magnetic). Length is about 190 m, and width about 60 m. There are other extensive reefs of similar topography, geology and ecology nearby, at Roman Rock to the west, Castor Rock to the north, Rambler Rock to the east and south east and some unnamed pinnacles to the north east.

The reef has a high profile pinnacle group towards the south end, and another, much smaller and slightly lower group to the far north. The area around the south pinnacles and as far as the north pinnacles, appears to be mostly low profile corestone bedrock and boulders, with much of the perimeter quite broken, particularly on the west side. There are a few outliers, some of which appear to be quite extensive, but most are low and small. The southern sector of Castor Rock reef is visible from the northern extreme in good visibility, across about 10 m of sand.

The main pinnacle of the southern group has a fairly flat top between about 10 and 12m depth, and there is a much smaller pinnacle a few metres to the east.

The surrounding sand is at about 21 m to the south, gradually rising to 18 m at the far north and north west. Pinnacles to the south are mostly bedrock outcrops, wall sided in several places, and fairly flat topped, with a number of lower parallel ridges and gullies running roughly parallel to the long axis of the reef. The northern pinnacles are mostly large boulders standing on low bedrock, with near horizontal jointing about 1 to 2 m from the bottom. The tops of these pinnacles are estimated to be deeper than 12 m.

Geology: Pre-Cambrian granite of the Peninsula pluton. Corestone outcrops and boulders with jointing predominantly roughly north-south, some large, and surrounded by fine white quartz sand.

Conditions
The site is exposed to wind and waves from the south east, so should be dived when the prevailing swell and wind is westerly to at least some extent, or when it is calm. The site is reasonably protected from south westerly swells, but if the wave period is long (13 seconds or more), a significant part of the swell will make it round Cape Point, and the surge may be uncomfortable and visibility reduced.

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

Get in
This site is always dived from a boat, as it is too far offshore to swim and is in the harbour approaches of the Simon's Town Naval harbour. The site is about 5.7 km from Miller's Point slipway, 3.6 km from Simon's Town jetty, or 3.5 km from the pickup point at Long Beach

Marine life
The north pinnacles are notable for large Bank Steenbras, which have been seen in groups of up to 4. The south pinnacle has several large Roman in residence. The steeper sides of the pinnacles are encrusted with large numbers of feather stars, and there are good examples of gorgonian sea fans in the deeper parts. The more horizontal areas often have large groups of grey sea cucumbers clustered so closely that the reef can't be seen between them. There are large red-bait pods in the shallower areas, and other places have large numbers of strawberry anemones.

Photography
Macro equipment will usually give some good results, as there are vast numbers of small invertebrates, and wide angle lenses may capture the rugged topography if the water is sufficiently clear. The reef is shallow enough that lighting can be quite good, but it is at the same time too deep to retain much red or orange, so colours will be muted and greenish unless artificial lighting is used. For distances over about 300mm, this is best done with external strobes, to minimise backscatter.

Suggested Routes
No specific routes are recommended. Diving near the pinnacle is likely to provide the most interesting sea life and scenery, but a short visit to the sand will provide a bit more variety. Boats will usually put down a shotline at the south pinnacle, and it will normally be convenient to start and finish the dive at this point. The site is not particularly deep, and there may be time to visit the north pinnacles, and hope to see a few Bank steenbras.

Hazards
No site-specific hazards are known.

Skills
No special skills are required. Most of the site is in the depth range suitable for entry level divers, and the deepest parts are only a few metres deeper.

Equipment
No special equipment is required. If you plan to surface away from the shotline, a DSMB is recommended.

Nearby

Back to the Alphabetical list of sites, or list of dive sites in the Roman Rock 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/Tony's Reef

The dive site Tony's Reef is a shoreline rocky reef in the Gordon's Bay area on the east side of False Bay, near Cape Town in the Western Cape province of South Africa.

Position
This site is not in a Marine Protected Area. A permit is not required.
 * S34°10.565’ E018°49.745’

Name
The name "Tony's Reef" may refer to a local dive boat skipper who has worked in this area for a long time.

Depth
Maximum about 14 m on sand bottom.

Visibility
Visibility in this area is not often better than 5 to 6 m. It is likely to be at its best in summer after a few days of south easterly wind and a flat sea.

Topography
Fairly rugged reef with medium to large ridges and outcrops sloping down fairly steeply to shelly pebble zone and finally sand bottom. The sand may be in two zones, fine sand inshore with small wave ripples, and further out coarse shelly sand with large ripples. The reef structure is basically east-west ridges and gullies, some of which are very broken up and not easily recognisable. There are some transverse gullies superposed on this basic structure, which run inshore-offshore, some of which have a bottom of clean, well rounded boulders, indicating strong wave action in rough weather.

Geology: Rock is probably sandstone of the Graafwater formation (earliest strata of the Ordovician Table Mountain group). The dip is very steep, nearly vertical, and strike is approximately parallel to the general trend of the coastline in the area, roughly east-west magnetic.

Conditions
Best when south west swell is short and low. More exposed to south west swell than Pinnacle, but well protected from south-easterly winds.

Get in
Boat dive from Gordon’s Bay or Harbour Island. The site is the west side of a rocky point just east of Troglodyte's Cove and west of Pinnacle. Anchor off shore between the narrow shallow gully that opens out inland to a rocky beach just visible from the sea, and the rocky point to the north east (top right of the photo). There is a large whitish rock high on the mountainside above the road which is used as a landmark, but it is not directly in line with the site. It may be possible to do this as a shore dive, but no path has been found and there is no parking area nearby.

The site is about 3.4 km from Gordon's Bay harbour, or 3.9 km from Harbour Island

Marine life
Marine life is typical of this part of False Bay. There are sea fans, encrusting sponges, false corals, and red bait in the shallower areas. Burrowing anemones have been seen at the sandy edge of the reef.

Photography
Macro photography is most likely to produce good results. Alternatively you can try wide angle with either natural lighting or external flash to reduce backscatter.

Routes
Dive from the boat, check that the anchor is secure and proceed to the reef on compass bearing. There are some good ridges just off the low rocky promontory, and more good reef slightly east of this area. The pebble zone is worth a visit to see the burrowing anemones.

Hazards
No site specific hazards recorded.

Skills
No special skills required.

Equipment
No special equipment required. This is a fairly good site for photography, though the visibility is seldom very good, so a light is useful to bring back the colour.

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/Torch Reef

The dive site Torch Reef is a small offshore rocky outcrop in the Seaforth area of Simon's Town on the Cape Peninsula side of False Bay, near Cape Town in the Western Cape province of South Africa.

Position

 * S34°11.700’ E018°27.960’, a small granite reef east of Photographer’s reef and a short distance north of Outer Photographer's Reef.

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

Name
On one of the first recorded dives at this site a diver lost his torch, and the name stuck.

Depth
Maximum depth is about 30 m on the sand east of the rocks. The sand slopes up quite noticeably to the west. The top of the reef is about 20 m deep.

Topography
Granite corestone outcrops on a sloping sand bottom.

Geology: Granite of the late Pre-Cambrian Peninsula pluton

Conditions
The site is far enough offshore to be exposed to wind from all directions, which can produce an unpleasant choppy sea, and make it difficult for the boat crew to see a diver on the surface. However it is moderately protected from south westerly swell. It is fairly deep so will not be greatly affected by surge unless the swell is long, but may be quite dark because of the depth. The site is usually at it's best in winter but there are also occasional opportunities during the rest of the year. Poor visibility at the surface does not necessarily extend to the bottom.

Get in
This site is only accessible by boat, It is about 4 km from Miller's Point slipway and ?? km from Simon's Town jetty.

Marine life
The reef is largely covered by common feather stars, with unusually large numbers of Elegant feather stars. There are also clusters of Mauve, red-chested and a few golden sea cucumbers, sea squirts, sea fans and a few species of brittle star.

Photography
Macro photography or wide angle with external flash is most likely to produce good results.

Routes
The reef is small and it should be possible to visit most of it on a dive.

Hazards
No site specific hazards have been reported.

Skills
No special skills required. The depth is beyond the range for entry level qualification.

Equipment
A light will be useful as the site is deep and may be dark, and in any case will restore colour lost due to depth. A deployable SMB will help the boat find you if you surface away from the shot-line.

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/Troglodyte's Cove

The dive site Troglodyte's Cove or Cave Gully is a shoreline rocky reef in the Gordon's Bay area on the east side of False Bay, near Cape Town in the Western Cape province of South Africa.

Position
This site is not in a Marine Protected Area. A permit is not required.
 * S34°10.828’ E018°49.509’

Name
The site is named "Troglodyte's Cove" or "Cave Gully" for the cave at the head of the inlet which shows signs of recent habitation in the form of garbage and discarded utensils.

Depth
Maximum about 14 m at the edge of the sand.

Topography
The gully below the cave mouth has steep rock sides and pebble/boulder bottom. Reef ridges roughly parallel to shore formations, and gets to 9 m depth very close to the outer edge of the shoreline, then shelves down gradually to 14 m, at which depth it reaches the fine sand. The ripples on the sand are approximately perpendicular to shoreline as wave crests are also usually perpendicular to the shoreline. There are some fairly big outcrops and boulders up to about 3 m high above the bottom, and some overhangs near the shoreline, especially in the inlet. Towards Lorry Bay (West of the gully) the reef is more rugged and spectacular.

Geology: Sandstone with some quartzite veins. Probably of the Peninsula formation.

Conditions
South westerly swell should be short and low.

Facilities
Off road paved parking.

Get in

The site can be accessed by boat or from the shore.

Shore dive with a moderate climb. There is off-road paved parking on the seaward side of Faure Marine Drive (R44) at S34°10.887’ E018°49.464’. The path is to the right facing the sea. Walk along the path until it starts to descend steeply then turn shorewards to the deep gully and walk along the sloping ledge on the rock face that leads down to the cave mouth. From there climb down the boulder slope to the water’s edge at the large rusty steel roller. There is a convenient rock to stand on to do final kit-up, and the water will usually be deep enough to jump in. About 250 m total walking distance with a descent of about 25 m, most of which is in the last 50 m. Entry and Exit are very sheltered from south west swell and the climb is not difficult. Access altogether reasonable for a fit diver.

Alternatively a boat dive about 4 km from Gordon's Bay harbour or 4.4 km from Harbour Island. Anchor off shore where you want to dive. The inlet is not a suitable anchorage.

Marine life
There is a rock to the north east of the gully which is frequented by a small group of seals.

Routes

 * 1) In at gully at mouth of cave, Very easy entry, climb down rocks no problem. Dive in inlet, rock face on left till out of inlet, then straight out over coarse gravel North magnetic till sand. Turn and swim back about south east magnetic, over sand, gravel/pebbles, occasional small boulders, larger outcrops and finally rocky reef with pebble bottomed gullies to shoreline near the seal reef. Follow shoreline back to inlet and exit at gully
 * 2) In at gully at mouth of cave, down, out and round to left (west). to quite near to Lorry Bay and back to gully.

Hazards
Shore access requires a walk down steep rock and boulders and a slightly tricky entry and exit.

Skills
No special skills required. Reasonable fitness and agility are required for shore entry.

Equipment
No special equipment recommended.

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