Wreck diving in South Africa

A coast of shipwrecks

For centuries, ships sailing between Europe and the East rounded the southern tip of Africa, and the coast earned a fearsome reputation for storms, big swells and strong currents. Thousands of ships have been lost along it. Most are broken up in shallow, surf-battered water and are of more interest to historians than to divers, but a number of wrecks lie in diveable water and have become some of South Africa's favourite sites. Several ships were also deliberately sunk to create dive sites and artificial reefs.

Wrecks on the two coasts feel very different. Off KwaZulu-Natal, wrecks sit in warm, blue water and are covered in coral, sponges and shoaling fish. Around Cape Town, wrecks are draped in cold-water invertebrates, with kelp nearby and seals sometimes passing through.

KwaZulu-Natal wrecks

1. The Produce

   Near Aliwal Shoal · Cargo ship · Sank 1974

   The Produce sank near Aliwal Shoal in 1974 and is now one of the best-known wreck dives in the country. Large parts of the ship remain, home to big shoals of fish, rays and groupers, and in winter raggedtooth sharks are sometimes seen around it. It is deeper than most of the shoal itself, so it suits divers with some experience. See our Aliwal Shoal scuba diving guide.

2. The Nebo

   Near Aliwal Shoal · Steamship · Sank 1884

   Lost in 1884, the Nebo lies upside down near the shoal. After well over a century underwater it is thickly covered in marine growth and is home to plenty of fish. It is often dived on the same trip as the reef.

Durban also has wrecks off its coast, some of them sunk deliberately as artificial reefs. Ask local dive centres which ones are being dived and what conditions are like, because visibility near the port can vary a lot.

Cape Town wrecks

1. SAS Pietermaritzburg

   False Bay · Naval minesweeper · Scuttled 1994

   A former South African Navy minesweeper, originally built for the Royal Navy, scuttled off Millers Point in False Bay in 1994 to create a dive site. It sits upright on the sand and is one of the most popular wreck dives around Cape Town, with sea fans, anemones and fish all over it.

2. The Smitswinkel Bay wrecks

   False Bay · Group of scuttled ships · Deep

   In Smitswinkel Bay, south of Simon's Town, several ships were scuttled close together, including the former navy frigate SAS Transvaal. They lie in deeper water than most Cape dives, often beyond the limits of entry-level certification, so they are best for advanced or technical divers with cold-water experience.

3. The Clan Stuart

   False Bay · Shore dive · Shallow

   A steamship that was driven ashore near Simon's Town in 1914. Its engine block still breaks the surface off the beach, and the scattered wreckage in the shallows makes an easy shore dive or snorkel on calm days.

4. The Maori

   Atlantic seaboard · Steamship · Sank 1909

   On the Atlantic side of the peninsula, the Maori was wrecked in 1909 near Duiker Point, between Llandudno and Hout Bay. Its broken remains lie among kelp and granite boulders and are best dived in the calm conditions of summer.

Our Cape Town scuba diving guide explains how the weather decides which side of the peninsula to dive, which matters for wrecks too.

Wreck diving safely

Wrecks are exciting, and they bring their own risks. South African wrecks are often in open water with current and swell, and the Cape wrecks are cold. Keep these points in mind:

• Know your depth limits. Several wrecks lie deeper than entry-level certification allows. An advanced course and a deep dive specialty help.
• Do not penetrate without training. Going inside a wreck needs wreck penetration training, the right equipment and a guide who knows the wreck.
• Watch for sharp metal, fishing line and nets. Carry a cutting tool and keep your gear streamlined.
• Leave it as you found it. Wrecks are history and habitat. In South Africa, wrecks older than 60 years are protected as heritage, and taking anything from them without a permit is illegal.
• Plan the ascent. In current, you may ascend away from the wreck line, so carry a surface marker buoy and know how to deploy it.

Planning wreck dives

The Aliwal Shoal wrecks are easy to add to a KwaZulu-Natal trip based south of Durban, while the Cape wrecks fit any Cape Town dive holiday. If you want both, our South Africa dive trip planning guide shows how to combine the two coasts.