Sodwana Bay is located on the east coast between St Lucia and Lake Sibhayi, along the Northern Zululand Elephant Coast. Said to be the ‘scuba diving capital of South Africa’, Sodwana is the only tropical dive site in the country, its reefs renowned as ‘the most southern coral reefs in the world’.
Comprised of around 95 species of hard and soft coral, this 50km stretch of reef is ‘home’ to approximately 1200 different species of colourful fish, all of which attract a total of 35 000 divers per year. .
Dive Sites and qualifications
In terms of qualifications: divers require a minimum Open Water Certificate (which can be trained for and obtained on-site).
As for the dive sites, these are named according to their relative distance from the launch area, and so there are dives ranging from two, through to nine miles. Each ‘mile-dive’ is then further divided into different areas for example; you have the straight-forward 2mile dive, then the Northern 2 Mile, Central 2 Mile and Southern 2 Mile. In addition to this, each of these ‘locations‘are separated even further into different areas.
For example: in the Northern 2 Mile dive you have the Wayne’s World, Pinnacles and 4 Buoy dives. If you were to choose Wayne’s World then, the dive would be a slightly deeper but also relatively flat (given its location on the reef). In comparison to other dives, this one also boasts a large variety of soft coral.
To choose from therefore are dozens of different dive locations and so to make the decision you would need to consider the following: how deep it is that you’re wanting to dive, what it is that you want to see, how many other divers you’re willing to share your experience with and finally: how much you are willing to pay (as the deeper dives tend to be slightly more expensive).
Locations
• 2 Mile dives (all of which are less than 18m in depth) incorporate the following:
Stringer, Anton’s, Zambi Alley, caves and overhangs, Coral Gardens, 4 Buoy, Pinnacles, Wayne’s World, 2 Bouy, Cat and Chain.
• 5 Mile dives: Hotspot, Gotham, Lettuce, Ribbon and Pothole (This dive is particularly for those wishing to explore the fragile eco-system of the ocean).
• 7 Mile dives: Northern wall, Amphitheatres and Mushroom Rock (for individuals who possess a fascination with water-topography).
• 9 Mile dive: This dive is not always accessible, as weather conditions sometimes prevent the preliminary 20-40minute boat-ride from even taking place. This dive is for experienced divers alone, which translates into fewer people and more interaction with ‘highlights’ such as the Green Tree (which is about two and a half meters tall, and is situated on an outcrop of rock). South of the Green Tree there is also a system of overhangs, nooks and caves, with a nearby ‘drop-off’ of about 14-21 meters. For its relative lack of popularity, this dive is said to have maintained some of its ‘integrity’.
Visibility
Depending on the season, you can expect a visibility of between 15-20 meters (the latter of which is experienced especially during the winter months).
Water Temperature
This ranges from between 20-28degrees Celsius, which means that your wetsuit need only be between 3-7mm thick. The best months to dive would be in February and March, given that the temperature sits around 24degrees Celsius. With that said however, the winter months attract fewer tourists, which means that you’ll have more of the coast and underwater world to yourself.
Another benefit of diving in winter though is that once out of the water, you’ll encounter fewer ‘malarial’ mosquitoes.
Wildlife
Besides pesky mosquitoes, expect to see fish of every colour, nudibranchs (including the Spanish Dancer), whale sharks (a main attraction), turtles, dolphins, the ragged toothed shark and even a coelacanth (‘rediscovered’ here in November 2000).
