Cape Town - Diving Holiday Destination

Cape Town (South Africa)

South Africa is at the southern tip of the continent of Africa vast interior plateau rimmed by rugged hills and narrow coastal plain. On the Western Cape, you will find Cape Town.

Cape Town is the second most populous city in South Africa, and is the provincial capital of the Western Cape, perched between the ocean and the mountain, with a national park as its heart. Cape Town is famous for its harbour as well as its natural setting in the Cape floral kingdom, including such well-known landmarks as Table Mountain and Cape Point. Cape Town is one of the most popular South African destinations for tourism.
You will never be bored in Cape Town.

Table Mountain offers some of the best climbing in the world, and it´s right there in the city. The surfing is fantastic; the diving is cold but good. You could go mountain biking, or go sea kayaking - you may see whales or penguins. If the wind is right, you could fly off Lion´s Head with a qualified tandem paraglider pilot, and land on the beach in time for sundowners.

There are many waterbased activities to take part in while visiting Cape Town from scuba diving, shark cage diving and deep sea fishing to surfing, kite-surfing and windsurfing, within its beautiful blue waters and sunny skies. With the Indian and Atlantic Oceans to choose from, there are plenty of diving opportunties along the Cape Peninsula including reefs and numerous ship wrecks. Water temperatures vary from between 9 and 17 degrees and visibility can reach up to 25 metres. Although there are not the vibrant displays of colour as seen in tropical waters, there is an adundance of marine life to be seen including shoals of fish, corals, anemones, dolphins, penguins and sharks.

Cape Town South spans two coastlines and the Table Mountain National Park, and the area is home to some of Cape Town's best attractions, beaches, restaurants and places to stay. Some of the favourite attractions include Kirstenbosch National Botanical Gardens, Table Mountain National Park, Cape Point, Boulders Beach Penguins, Whales from May to September and fantastic beaches and watersports. You can even dive with the Great White Sharks in False Bay.

False Bay is a natural bay that stretches along the peninsula's eastern coastline from the Cape of Good hope Nature Reserve at Cape Point to Cape Hangklip. It was named "False Bay" when early navigators mistook Cape Hangklip for Cape Point, which resulted in many shipwrecks in the bay with its strong cross winds and rocky routes. It is the largest true bay in South Africa and one of the great bays in the world. The water body covers approximately 1000km2, and the coastline, which makes up the Southern portion of the breathtaking Cape Peninsula, and includes the area from Muizenberg to Cape Point, is about 32km in extent. Seaside villages of False Bay include: Muizenberg, Zeekoeivlei, St James, Kalk Bay, Clovelly, Fish Hoek, Simon's Town, Scarbourough, Kommetjie and Noordhoek. It is well sheltered, though experiencing southeasterly winds in summer; and its waters are approximately 10° F (5.5° C) warmer than those of Table Bay.

Climate

The Cape Peninsula has a Mediterranean climate with well-defined seasons.

In winter, which lasts from May to September, large cold fronts come across from the Atlantic Ocean with heavy precipitation and strong north-westerly winds. The winter months are cool, with an average minimum temperature of 7 °C (45 °F). Most of the city's annual rainfall occurs in wintertime, but due to the mountainous topography of the city, rainfall amounts for specific areas can vary dramatically. The suburb of Newlands which is to the south of the city is the wettest place in South Africa. The valleys and coastal plains average 515 millimetres (20 in) of rain per annum, while mountain areas can average as much as 1,500 millimetres (60 in) per annum.

Summer, which lasts from November to March, is warm and dry. The Peninsula gets frequent strong winds from the south-east, known locally as the Cape Doctor, because it blows away pollution and cleans the air. The south-easterly wind is caused by a high-pressure system which sits in the South Atlantic to the west of Cape Town, known as the South-Atlantic High. Summer temperatures are mild, with an average maximum of 26 °C (79 °F). The only times when Cape Town can be uncomfortably hot is when the Berg Wind, meaning "mountain wind" blows from the Karoo interior for a couple weeks in February or early March.

Dive Facts

Visibility varies from 1 to 20 meters, and the water temperature in summer is 14 ° C and in winter down to 8 ° C. A dry suit is recommended.

The depths vary between 5 and 40 meters and the dives are done either from hard boats, RIBs or by shore entry.

Dive Attractions

Cape Town and environs has many excellent wreck, seal and kelp dives. Depending on conditions one can dive the Indian or the Atlantic Oceans, and often the site is only decided on the day of diving.

See our Dive Site Directory for more detailed info on Cape Town Dive Sites, and our Dive Club Directory for Cape Town Scuba Diving Clubs and Tour Operators.

Most sites are easily accessible from the roads and subsequently a lot of shore diving is done here. The area is very picturesque and there are many activities for non-diving companions while you are busy blowing bubbles with the fishies. These include some of the most scenic hiking trails in the mountains, horse rides, sunbathing on white beaches and for those who prefer a less active holiday, shopping.

Cape Town dive sites include:
The A Frame
The Antipolis
The Aster
Batsata Rock
Boss 400
Buffels Bay
Castle Rock
The Clan Stuart
Clifton Rocks Coral Gardens
Froggy Pond
Geldkis
Justins Caves
The Katsu Maru
The Maori
Millers Point
North & South Lions Paws The Oakburne
Outer Castle
Partridge Point
Pyramid Rock
RMS Athens
The Romelia
Sandy Cove
SAS Pietermaritzburg
The Schuilenberg Smitswinkel Bay Wrecks
Spaniard Rock
SS S.A. Seafarer
Sunny Cove
Vulcan Rock
Whittle Rock
Windmill Beach
Table Bay Diving

Other

Languages: IsiZulu 23.8%, IsiXhosa 17.6%, Afrikaans 13.3%, Sepedi 9.4%, English 8.2%; English widely understood in tourist locations.

Currency : rand (ZAR)

Electricity: 220/230 volts AC . Three round pronged plugs are universal and most hotel rooms have 110-volt outlets for small appliances

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