What this site is
Scuba Diving South Africa is an independent travel guide for divers. South Africa has some of the most varied diving in the world, but the information about it is scattered across dive centre websites, forums and travel pages. This site brings the essentials together in one place: the main dive regions, the animals you can meet, the seasons, and the practical side of planning a trip.
We are not a dive centre, a tour operator or a booking agent. We do not sell dives or trips, and no operator pays to be mentioned on this site. That lets us write about each region honestly, including the parts that are difficult, such as surf launches, cold water, strong currents and the fact that the Sardine Run and great white sightings are never guaranteed.
What we cover
The site is organised around South Africa's two oceans:
- The Indian Ocean coast: the coral reefs of Sodwana Bay, the raggedtooth sharks and wrecks of Aliwal Shoal, the deep shark dives of Protea Banks and the winter Sardine Run.
- The Atlantic and the Cape: the kelp forests, seals and wrecks of Cape Town.
- Guides across both coasts: shark diving, wreck diving and trip planning.
How we write
We stick to information that is well established and that a diver can check: geography, protected areas, the general seasons of the main animals, and the way diving works in each region. Seasons in nature are never exact, so we describe them as approximate. We avoid listing prices, timetables and business details that go out of date quickly; your dive centre is always the best source for those.
Conditions in the ocean change, rules change and dive sites change. Before you dive, always follow the advice of your local dive centre and your own training. Nothing on this site replaces a proper dive briefing, a certification course or professional medical advice.
Diving responsibly
South Africa's reefs, kelp forests and wildlife are what make the diving here special, and many of them are protected. We encourage every diver to:
- get the permit needed to dive in marine protected areas and respect the zones and rules;
- keep good buoyancy, and never touch, chase or feed marine life;
- leave wrecks and artefacts where they are;
- choose operators who put safety and animal welfare first;
- use reef-friendly sun protection and take your rubbish home.
Corrections and suggestions
If you spot something out of date or wrong, we would like to know. Details for getting in touch are on our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use pages. Please also read our Terms of Use for how the information on this site may be used.
Scuba Diving South Africa is published by Portside Marketing, LLC.