Bren Tierney
30-09-2003, 15:13
I posted this on another forum in response to a question from 'nickjb', who I think might be member here also. Any way, hope it helps:
"Hey Nick,
We did this trip in October 2001. I'm happy to recount that it was simply the Nads!
After you've finished in Ponto Do Oro (Mozambique), head down the KwaZulu-Natal coast (e.g. Richards Bay, this has the nearest chamber also) and check out the first of your 'must-see' diving stops: Sodwana Bay.
A National Marine Reserve Park with outstanding diving and the potential, if you've not already seen them at Ponto, to see Whale Sharks. We drove over a baby one (BY ACCIDENT!) in the RIB (or 'Rubber Ducks' as they call them out there) as we were speeding our way out to one of the dive sites (9-Mile Reef, if memory serves), it was OK and none-the-worse for wear I'm happy to report.
We stayed at the Sodwana Bay Lodge - see here:
<a href="http://kwazulu.hotelguide.co.za/sodwana-bay-lodge.html" > <a href="http://kwazulu.hotelguide.co.za/sodwana-bay-lodge.html" >http://kwazulu.hotelguide.co.za/sodwana-bay-lodge.html</a></a>
- cabin/hut-type accommodation with en-suite flushing dunny, shower, basin etc. Beds with Mozzie-nets (although we never had cause to use them), big veranda-balconies for sitting out in the afternoon/evening and taking in the African Bush whilst sipping the poison of your choice, wonderful sunsets! The place has an on-site pool, sun-loungers, bar, pool room with satellite TV and restaurant/cafe with a varied menu and great fresh fish! There is an on-site PADI 5* dive-centre which takes you and your kit the 1.5 km to the beach, from where you launch. Top place and highly recommended. You can do other things like midnight horse-rides across the moon-lit beach and sand dunes, as well as visit the massively recommended, and very near, Hluhluwe (pronounced 'Schluschluwe') National Game Park - just as enjoyable as Kruger. The diving here is mainly reef diving, but none the poorer for that. I saw many species I'd never set eyes on before. Masses of turles and reef formations that are unique in a lot ways (trenches, bowls, scrapes, top swims-through etc.)
Moving further down the KZ-N coast, towards Durban, you'll come to Unkomas, the town which services Aliwal Shoal.
The diving here is also excellent, with a mixture of good reef systems, 'nursery' areas for Raggie Tooth Sharks (inquisitive, look fearsome, but gentle as goldfish) such as 'Raggie Cave' and 'The Cathedral', the latter being spectacular as the sharks gather in such numbers and merely rest or circle in the cave.
You also have two 'must-do' wreck dives here: the 'Nebo' and the 'Produce'; the 'Nebo' being a bulk-carrier in about 33 metres, massive, snapped in half so penetration of holds, cabins, wheel-house and other deck-spaces is easy and offers massive choice. She's on her starboard-side and is covered in fish (lots of fish!) - inside and out. The 'Produce' was sunk pre-1900 and is an older and relatively collapsed wreck, but still provides loads of nooks-n-crannies for divers to wander around and have a peak. The plates on her rise out of the seabed and her strutts and ribs (which seem endless) can easliy keep you occupied for the dive.
We did both wrecks (both circa 30 metres, dependent on tides) in one day; we clocked up abpout 12 mins of deco on the last dive, but if you're happy with that, then fill yer boots, we did. We stayed in a wee B&B (again with massive deck/veranda area for after dive sherries and to sit and chat with other divers/guests) in Unkomas, but the local dive centre came to pick us up every morning and drop us off back when we'd done for the day. Here too, and one of the overriding memories we took from our second trip to SA is the complete and sincere openess and friendliness of the B&B owners and hoteliers in general. They realise that you are their 'life-blood' and treat you with the customer-orientated 'how can I help sir/madam' attitude which can be, alas, lacking in other countries.
Then on down to Protea banks - shark-fest-central!!
It has to be said that you don't dive 'The Banks' for the reefs! If you're after reefs, stick with the above two options. We did four dives here over two days and as a result would recommend it to anyone wanting decent 'shark action'.
All the diving we did, and most of the divng off the South African coast, as far as we can tell (with the possible exception of cage-diving for Great Whites), is done off very large RIBS ('Rubber Ducks'). You all gather around the RIB on the shore and face her into the breakers. Then you run with the bow facing seaward and get her afloat. When the water is up to everyone's waist, the ladies get on; when it's up to your armpits/shoulders, the men get on. Once all aboard, the skipper gives a brief orders drill on the dos-n-don'ts, strapping yourself into the foot and hand-grips, then does a double circle close to shore to signal the harbour/beach-master's tower that all is OK and then you're off - out through the breakers, and what a rush!
As you bounce merrily along (some of it in mid-air), you speed up and head off-shore. This is true 'bounce-diving' in the 'blue'. The skipper knows the GPS points and takes you right to them. All kitted-up (tanks and kit arrayed in central holding-spine onboard), you backward roll off the RIB and with a very quick surface visual and an all round 'OK' signal, you all head down, finning, following the DM who carries a surface marker buoy so the skipper can keep tabs on where you are in the drift.
On the first dive, I think we saw one retreating Raggie and just pootled around in a group (watching as various shoals of fish went by), all at neutral-buoyancy and watching and waiting. The dive lasted about 40 mins (about 33m max depth - although other dives were to 42 and 47 metres) and we came ashore with thoughts of 'oh well, what ever happens at Protea Banks obviously happened to someone else on a different day'. We spoke way too soon!
The second dive saw us drop in off the RIB and straight down to 30 metres. Almost immediately we saw a family of Ribbon-tail Rays (we'd never seen them before) doing a family jig! Then, and with the DM 'bellowing' through his reg, we turned to see two Zambezi (Bull) Sharks come over to check us out! No sooner had they left, then a couple of Angle Sharks, followed by a Guitar Shark hove into view on the seabed. At this stage, we'd comepletely changed our minds about Protea Banks as these sightings alone had made the trip worthwhile.
Happy in our reverie, we began a very slow ascent and were at about 22 metres when the DM again began to 'windmill' his arms to grab everyone's attention - an Oceanic White coming towards us for a brief look-see! Wow, these beasts usually stay deep (40+ metres) during the day and come closer to the surface to feed at night, so what a bonus.
But, we had seen nothing yet!
As we continued the ascent, we hit about 15 metres when a couple of Bronze-Whaler Sharks came screaming past us, stopped, and then carried on about their business.
And THEN the event happened.
We were at 13 metres doing the 1st of our safey stops (12 days of bounce-diving to depth and with very short surface intervals meant that deeper stops made sense) when in excess of 120-150 Hammerheads came right towards us: above, below and from all sides! A genuinely awe-inspiring sight! Cameras and videos going like crazy we just hung there and watched the spectacle. Amazing.
And all that on one dive! After the 1st dive's disappointment! There's an old adage at Protea Banks: 'if you don't see what you want, have another look in 30 minutes..' and they are dead right.
To be honest, after this magnificent display, we couldn't really care if they turned round and said that all diving was cancelled for the rest of the week, we'd been treated to a series of underwater memories that will last a lifetime.
Diving in South Africa is HIGHLY recommended, and I'm glad Yvonne/'Bunny' enjoyed it so much and is going back. You will NOT be disappointed.
The other outrageous bonus is that the country is dirt-cheap (though markedly more so in Mozambique) for just about everthing. The Rand, last time I checked, was standing at about 17 to the ?! Happy days.
Hope this gives you a flavour of what's on offer - and there's a lot. We booked with 'Dive the Big 5' (see URL below) who hooked us up with, if memory serves, African Dive Adventures in-country. Their URL also has detailed info on the wrecks and reefs we dived and the many other options.
Oh, one last thing, I advise you take/rent a semi-dry (we dived in O'Three 5mm semis with a 3mm shortie undersuit and were toastie warm). Your call dependent on how much you feel the cold.
<a href="http://www.divethebig5.co.za/" > <a href="http://www.divethebig5.co.za/" >http://www.divethebig5.co.za/</a></a>
HTH, enjoy and dive safe.
Bren."
"Hey Nick,
We did this trip in October 2001. I'm happy to recount that it was simply the Nads!
After you've finished in Ponto Do Oro (Mozambique), head down the KwaZulu-Natal coast (e.g. Richards Bay, this has the nearest chamber also) and check out the first of your 'must-see' diving stops: Sodwana Bay.
A National Marine Reserve Park with outstanding diving and the potential, if you've not already seen them at Ponto, to see Whale Sharks. We drove over a baby one (BY ACCIDENT!) in the RIB (or 'Rubber Ducks' as they call them out there) as we were speeding our way out to one of the dive sites (9-Mile Reef, if memory serves), it was OK and none-the-worse for wear I'm happy to report.
We stayed at the Sodwana Bay Lodge - see here:
<a href="http://kwazulu.hotelguide.co.za/sodwana-bay-lodge.html" > <a href="http://kwazulu.hotelguide.co.za/sodwana-bay-lodge.html" >http://kwazulu.hotelguide.co.za/sodwana-bay-lodge.html</a></a>
- cabin/hut-type accommodation with en-suite flushing dunny, shower, basin etc. Beds with Mozzie-nets (although we never had cause to use them), big veranda-balconies for sitting out in the afternoon/evening and taking in the African Bush whilst sipping the poison of your choice, wonderful sunsets! The place has an on-site pool, sun-loungers, bar, pool room with satellite TV and restaurant/cafe with a varied menu and great fresh fish! There is an on-site PADI 5* dive-centre which takes you and your kit the 1.5 km to the beach, from where you launch. Top place and highly recommended. You can do other things like midnight horse-rides across the moon-lit beach and sand dunes, as well as visit the massively recommended, and very near, Hluhluwe (pronounced 'Schluschluwe') National Game Park - just as enjoyable as Kruger. The diving here is mainly reef diving, but none the poorer for that. I saw many species I'd never set eyes on before. Masses of turles and reef formations that are unique in a lot ways (trenches, bowls, scrapes, top swims-through etc.)
Moving further down the KZ-N coast, towards Durban, you'll come to Unkomas, the town which services Aliwal Shoal.
The diving here is also excellent, with a mixture of good reef systems, 'nursery' areas for Raggie Tooth Sharks (inquisitive, look fearsome, but gentle as goldfish) such as 'Raggie Cave' and 'The Cathedral', the latter being spectacular as the sharks gather in such numbers and merely rest or circle in the cave.
You also have two 'must-do' wreck dives here: the 'Nebo' and the 'Produce'; the 'Nebo' being a bulk-carrier in about 33 metres, massive, snapped in half so penetration of holds, cabins, wheel-house and other deck-spaces is easy and offers massive choice. She's on her starboard-side and is covered in fish (lots of fish!) - inside and out. The 'Produce' was sunk pre-1900 and is an older and relatively collapsed wreck, but still provides loads of nooks-n-crannies for divers to wander around and have a peak. The plates on her rise out of the seabed and her strutts and ribs (which seem endless) can easliy keep you occupied for the dive.
We did both wrecks (both circa 30 metres, dependent on tides) in one day; we clocked up abpout 12 mins of deco on the last dive, but if you're happy with that, then fill yer boots, we did. We stayed in a wee B&B (again with massive deck/veranda area for after dive sherries and to sit and chat with other divers/guests) in Unkomas, but the local dive centre came to pick us up every morning and drop us off back when we'd done for the day. Here too, and one of the overriding memories we took from our second trip to SA is the complete and sincere openess and friendliness of the B&B owners and hoteliers in general. They realise that you are their 'life-blood' and treat you with the customer-orientated 'how can I help sir/madam' attitude which can be, alas, lacking in other countries.
Then on down to Protea banks - shark-fest-central!!
It has to be said that you don't dive 'The Banks' for the reefs! If you're after reefs, stick with the above two options. We did four dives here over two days and as a result would recommend it to anyone wanting decent 'shark action'.
All the diving we did, and most of the divng off the South African coast, as far as we can tell (with the possible exception of cage-diving for Great Whites), is done off very large RIBS ('Rubber Ducks'). You all gather around the RIB on the shore and face her into the breakers. Then you run with the bow facing seaward and get her afloat. When the water is up to everyone's waist, the ladies get on; when it's up to your armpits/shoulders, the men get on. Once all aboard, the skipper gives a brief orders drill on the dos-n-don'ts, strapping yourself into the foot and hand-grips, then does a double circle close to shore to signal the harbour/beach-master's tower that all is OK and then you're off - out through the breakers, and what a rush!
As you bounce merrily along (some of it in mid-air), you speed up and head off-shore. This is true 'bounce-diving' in the 'blue'. The skipper knows the GPS points and takes you right to them. All kitted-up (tanks and kit arrayed in central holding-spine onboard), you backward roll off the RIB and with a very quick surface visual and an all round 'OK' signal, you all head down, finning, following the DM who carries a surface marker buoy so the skipper can keep tabs on where you are in the drift.
On the first dive, I think we saw one retreating Raggie and just pootled around in a group (watching as various shoals of fish went by), all at neutral-buoyancy and watching and waiting. The dive lasted about 40 mins (about 33m max depth - although other dives were to 42 and 47 metres) and we came ashore with thoughts of 'oh well, what ever happens at Protea Banks obviously happened to someone else on a different day'. We spoke way too soon!
The second dive saw us drop in off the RIB and straight down to 30 metres. Almost immediately we saw a family of Ribbon-tail Rays (we'd never seen them before) doing a family jig! Then, and with the DM 'bellowing' through his reg, we turned to see two Zambezi (Bull) Sharks come over to check us out! No sooner had they left, then a couple of Angle Sharks, followed by a Guitar Shark hove into view on the seabed. At this stage, we'd comepletely changed our minds about Protea Banks as these sightings alone had made the trip worthwhile.
Happy in our reverie, we began a very slow ascent and were at about 22 metres when the DM again began to 'windmill' his arms to grab everyone's attention - an Oceanic White coming towards us for a brief look-see! Wow, these beasts usually stay deep (40+ metres) during the day and come closer to the surface to feed at night, so what a bonus.
But, we had seen nothing yet!
As we continued the ascent, we hit about 15 metres when a couple of Bronze-Whaler Sharks came screaming past us, stopped, and then carried on about their business.
And THEN the event happened.
We were at 13 metres doing the 1st of our safey stops (12 days of bounce-diving to depth and with very short surface intervals meant that deeper stops made sense) when in excess of 120-150 Hammerheads came right towards us: above, below and from all sides! A genuinely awe-inspiring sight! Cameras and videos going like crazy we just hung there and watched the spectacle. Amazing.
And all that on one dive! After the 1st dive's disappointment! There's an old adage at Protea Banks: 'if you don't see what you want, have another look in 30 minutes..' and they are dead right.
To be honest, after this magnificent display, we couldn't really care if they turned round and said that all diving was cancelled for the rest of the week, we'd been treated to a series of underwater memories that will last a lifetime.
Diving in South Africa is HIGHLY recommended, and I'm glad Yvonne/'Bunny' enjoyed it so much and is going back. You will NOT be disappointed.
The other outrageous bonus is that the country is dirt-cheap (though markedly more so in Mozambique) for just about everthing. The Rand, last time I checked, was standing at about 17 to the ?! Happy days.
Hope this gives you a flavour of what's on offer - and there's a lot. We booked with 'Dive the Big 5' (see URL below) who hooked us up with, if memory serves, African Dive Adventures in-country. Their URL also has detailed info on the wrecks and reefs we dived and the many other options.
Oh, one last thing, I advise you take/rent a semi-dry (we dived in O'Three 5mm semis with a 3mm shortie undersuit and were toastie warm). Your call dependent on how much you feel the cold.
<a href="http://www.divethebig5.co.za/" > <a href="http://www.divethebig5.co.za/" >http://www.divethebig5.co.za/</a></a>
HTH, enjoy and dive safe.
Bren."