Choose your adventure:

Blood Reef System

This area of reef derives its name from the large amount of blood and offal that clouded the water during the days of the whaling off Durban. The reefs lie close to shore on the Bluff in relatively shallow water. The dive sites are in areas of the reef structure where the sandstone bedrock has been eroded in order to form ledges and caves.

The reef boasts a variety of corals and fish life with some of the more interesting finds being the leafy scorpion fish, the pine apple fish, banded pipefish, and frog fish. Under the ledges one often finds the flap nose hound shark, moray’s and turtles. From July through to the September, divers can encounter Ragged Tooth Sharks as they follow their annual migration through to the warmer northern reefs of Sodwana and its surrounds.

• Birthday Ledges

  Depth: 14m to 18m

  A sandstone ledge that faces out to sea. It is approximately 14m on the top of the ledge and 18m at its deepest. The Bday Ledges is situated off “the fence” off the Bluff. The dive starts with a cave. Swimming north, with the ledge on the divers left shoulder; divers will encounter gullies and little holes. This is the premier dive spot on the Bluff and was discovered by one of the local divers on his birthday in 2002 –hence the name sake! 

  Frog fish, paper fish, raggie scorpion fish, broad barred lionfish, moorish idols, turtles, pipe fish, emperor angel fish, semi circle angel fish, potato bass, pineapple fish can be spotted around the ledges.The top of the reef is covered by red thistle coral and there are various hard corals and tube worms. Take your time on this reef! The more time you spend on the reef the more you will see. The position of this reef makes it a consistent dive site in terms of visibility throughout the year – best visibility occurs in winter.

• Big Cave

  Depth: 15m to 18m

  A ledge that runs perpendicular to the shore in 18m of water of the Water Tower on the Bluff. There are two caves in the area – one is large with an opening at in the roof is the one that is of interest as it is home to Raggies as they migrate up and down the coast. There are gullies and holes that are home to Flap nose hound sharks, frog fish, paper fish, moray eels, cleaner shrimp, razor fish and pipefish.

  Interesting section of reef that can be reached by swimming from B'day ledges. If you see stripped grunter, be sure to look under the ledges in the area as there is sure to be a hound shark resting there. The cave is best dived in calm seas to enable a diver to safely enter the cave.

• Caves

  Depth: 13 to 10 m

  One of the oldest dive spots on the Bluff. The Caves is situated off the two pillars of the old Bluff whaling station. The cave entrance opens up into a large vault. The vault then opens up into a tunnel which opens up into another smaller vault. The tunnel has been roped by the DuC divers which has no light penetrating the roof. There are eel cat fish, sweepers, cray fish, Natal Sea Catfish and the odd lion fish and turtle that in habit the cave. This dive is not for ever diver…   If you have wanted to do cave diving, the Caves will give you an idea if you are claustrophobic or not. It is not advisable to dive this reef if there is a large swell running as the surge in the caves can find divers getting knocked about in the cave. Get your buoyancy right, have a powerful torch and take cognise of the fact that there is a roof stopping you from doing an emergency ascent. Divers can exit the system at the end of the tunnel where there are two exits. One is an easy exit through the hole the roof, the other requires a bit of a crawl and shouldn’t be attempted unless trained in diving in overhead environments. The dive master will generally tie a marker buoy up at the entrance to the cave and retrieve it at the end of the dive. Be sure to take your deploy buoy as should you exit at the other end of the system, in case you are unable to navigate back to the marker buoy.

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• Coral Gardens

  Depth: 15m to 18m

  This reef was discovered by one of the pioneers of diving off Durban – Rikki Schick, this area has the biggest variety of corals, both hard and soft and sponges on the Bluff. The reef does not have dramatic topography – but the whip corals, coral trees, vase sponges, hard corals and thistle corals are the highlight of this reef. Weedy scorpion fish, razor fish, paper fish and the flap nose hound shark are some of the interesting finds on this reef.

  Get your buoyancy right, get a powerful torch and get ready to scratch around!

Cooper Lighthouse Wreck

Depth: 25 to 30m

Coopers, sitting off the bluff at 29 meters, is Durban’s most interesting wreck in the recreational divers range. There has been much speculation over the years as to her true name and the reason she languishes on the seabed. At a length of 77 meters she is not a small vessel and it is strange there are no records of her sinking. Her origins are British and it is likely that she was scuttled after one of the world wars as ships that were commandeered by the navy were often not returned to their pre-war owners. Shell holes in one of her boilers indicate that she didn’t go down quietly.

Today she plays matron to a myriad of fish species and although not a easy dive due to the prevailing currents she offers a exiting dive to both fish lovers and historical buffs. This wreck is a photographers dream – the prop, the rudder and the bow present endless wide angle opportunities.

In way of fish life – the Harlequin Goldie – a species of goldie that is endemic to KZN steels the show here. Juvenile angel and butterfly fish, scorpion fish, paper fish, lion fish, eels and coral banded shrimps are all here in abundance. 

The size of this wreck makes it possible to view the entire wreck in one dive. However air and decompression are your limitations, and should be closely monitored on this dive.

The wreck is dived by way of a shot line. The skipper will hook onto the wreck by way of anchor that is attached by line to a buoy (shot line). Divers will descend on the line onto the wreck. At this point you have two options in way of a dive plan. One option is to return back to the shot line at 125bar. Care must be taken to assess the current and visibility, as you don’t want to run out of air before making it back to the shot line. The other option is for the DM to send up a deploy buoy for the members of the group to ascend on. The benefit of using a deploy bouy is that you can ascend from anywhere on the wreck, when you reach 50bar.

Running out of air, and going into decompression are the major risks to consider on this dive.

The Harlequin Goldie (Pseudanthias connneli) is endemic to the coast of KZN. This uncommon goldie was thought to only inhabit wrecks off KZN. The fish has however been encountered on reef off the Bluff (Harlequin Reef), NO.1 and a few isolated reefs in Phumula / Rocky Bay area of KZN south Coast.

Click here to view an image of the Coopers Lighthouse Wreck (courtesy of Calypso @ uShaka)

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Fontao

Depth: 15m to 27m

One of three artificial reefs sunk by the Oceanic Research Institute (ORI) on the 8th of August 1991. The Fontao is a disused prawn trawler that is 34.5m long, 8m wide and 13.5m high.

The wreck is situated off Umhlanga rocks and sits upright on a sandy bottom. The ship is mostly intact, except for the wheelhouse, which has broken off and now lies on the sand. It is possible to penetrate this wreck however these penetrations are characteristically very restricted. The wreck swarms with bait fish which can restrict visibility on the wreck.

The aspect of penetration, as well as the restricted visibility due to the vast amount of bait fish, should be considered when diving this wreck. This wreck is dived with a shot line. Diving this wreck as a group can be difficult - the penetration aspect and bait fish characteristics of this wreck, make it important to stick to the buddy pair system. Make sure between you and your buddy, that there is deploy buoy in order to ensure that you ascend on a buoy line in the even of you not being able to ascend with the group.

The DM should note the number of divers on board and divers should note the name of the boat they are on as this wreck can get busy.

Click here to view an image of the Fontao Wreck

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Number 1 Reef system

This area of reef derives its name from fisherman who consider this the No.1 fishing spot of Durban. No.1 is situated approximately 5km out to sea. Whereas this reef is extensive, most of the diving takes place to the South of the Bell Buoy that demarcates the shipping lane / entrance to the harbour.

This is probably one of the most challenging and rewarding dive sites on the KZN coast. The depth, the variation in visibility, strong currents and proximity to the shipping lanes make this dive is an advanced, if not technical dive. Nitrox is highly recommended, along with a deploy buoy. Safety stops at 10m should be conducted in order to assist with decompression and as a preventative measure against in and out going ships. (it is not uncommon to have ships travelling to within 100m of the buoy line!)

In terms of diving conditions, this is the most consistent and most dramatic dive site off Durban with 10m drop offs, immense caves and variety of reef and pelagic fish, corals and marine artefacts. Manta’s, eagle ray’s , electric rays, butterfly rays, sword fish, marlin, king fish, baardman , daga salmon, frog fish, paper fish, tiger angel fish (discovered and named after Dennis King who is a member of the club), zambezi sharks , black Tip , copper sharks , guitar fish , whip gobies , fire gobies, lizard fish are just some of the fish you are bound to encounter on No.1 on any dive.

Black Coral trees – some over 2m tall, whip corals, fan corals, tiger anemones and strawberry anemones colonise the reef and host invertebrates and small fish. In terms of Marine artefacts, huge ships anchors and chains, rudders and ammunition lie scattered on the reef.

• Artillery Reef

  Depth: 25 to 30m

  Artillery shells from the dump are sporadically encountered here… look on the sand and inside the cracks and crevices. This is one of the areas of no.1 where you can swim in any direction and lock into some interesting reef.

  The ammunition that is found in this area is from the Ammunition dump that is off the Bluff. If you find a shell it is advisable to let it be as most the ammunition that has been dumped is unexploded!

 

• Raggies

  Depth: 22m on the top of the ledge and 30m on the sand

  Description: This is large ledge that has been under cut to form two large caves. The caves are often inhabited by Ragged Tooth sharks as they migrate up and down the eastern coastline of SA. There is a anchor chain that runs parallel to the entire ledge. Frog fish, tiger angel fish, lizard fish and whip gobies along with the ragged Tooth sharks s is why you want to dive this reef.

 

• Nev’s Ledge

  Depth: 20m to 30m

  The ledge begins with a 8m drop off and opens up into a mini amphitheatre. The mini amphitheatre has an old Dan forth anchor and a rudder. There is a number of caves and swim through’s along the ledge. Raggie scorpion fish, pipe fish, razor fish and flap nose hound sharks along with incredible topography of this reef are the reason you want to do this dive.

 

• Eskom

  Depth: 20 to 27m

  A shallow reef that is dominated by a large pinnacle that stands to attention on a relatively flat reef. There are coils and coils of cable that are scattered all over the reef which inspired the name Eskom. Swim in any direction on this reef and you will be rewarded with an interesting section.

 

• Bat Reef

  Depth: 22m on the top and 27m on the sand

  This reef is a pinnacle that extends like a large finger from 27m. Wrapped around the pinnacle is an anchor chain with the anchor out on the sand. The pinnacle is surrounded by gullies and caves that host a large variety of butterfly, wrasse, goldies, angelfish and clown trigger fish. There is also a large population of bat fish here –hence the name sake. Lookout for whip gobies, long nose hawk fish and crabs  in the Black Coral trees.  Best dived in calm conditions – whereas a drift dive on No.1 is always exciting, a strong current will not allow you to get where you want to be.

 

• Dave’s Cave

  Depth: 27m on the sand

  An isolated reef that juts out of the sand. The isolated nature of this reef makes for intense concentration of pelagic and tropical fish. This is one of the southern most sections of reef dived on No.1. There is an isolated cave that is home to daga salmon and baardman which sift through the sand in search of invertebrates.

  Not an easy dive in a strong current due to the isolate nature of the reef. This reef is very popular with the fisherman due to the daga and baardman that are found here. Look on the sand for rays and paper fish.

 

• Harlequin Reef

  Depth: 30m to 35m

  So named because of the Harlequin Goldie that inhabits this reef. The reef could actually be a wreck - potentially an old concrete barge. The reef looks like a bread loaf sitting on the sand. There is a large anchor and chain. This dive can only be attempted in perfect conditions – good visibility and no current are prerequisites. It is one of the few dive sites in the world where you can see the Harlequin Goldie.

  A deep dive that should only be attempted by the experienced, trained and adventurous diver. H valves on cylinder, advanced Nitrox qualification and bailout cylinders (focus on redundancy)  are recommended qualifications and equipment needed for this dive.

  The Harlequin Goldie (Pseudanthias connneli) is endemic to the coast of KZN. This uncommon goldie was thought to only inhabit wrecks off KZN. The fish has however been encountered on reef off the Bluff (Harlequin Reef), NO.1 and a few isolated reefs in Phumula / Rocky Bay area of KZN south Coast.

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T-Barge

Depth: 25m

One of three artificial Reefs sunk by the Oceanic Research Institute (ORI) on 19th December 1990. The barge is 30m x 20m x 3m comprising of 48 compartments of 3m x 3m x 3m. The barge itself is made of concrete and there is a gantry like superstructure of steel located at the T junction. Situated off Virgina this wreck is home to bait fish, bat fish, lion fish and pineapple fish.

This is a popular fishing spot. Whereas the alpha flag displayed by the dive boat dictates that all fishing activities cease whilst the dive is being conducted, it is best to carry a knife in order to assist yourself or buddy in the event of entanglement. Carry a deploy buoy with you and make sure you dive with your buddy – this is not a drift dive and so it becomes difficult to follow a DM on this dive. It is quite safe to explore this wreck in buddy-pairs but just ensure that you have a buoy line to ascend on – whether it be your own deploy buoy or that of the DM. 

Batfish, pineapple fish, turtles, puffer fish and lion fish are some of the interesting fish that are found on this wreck. Of late there have been sightings of brindle bass on this wreck.

Click here to view an image of the T-Barge Wreck

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Vetch's Harbour

• Vetch's Pier

  Depth: 1m to 6m

  This is the unofficial “house reef” of Durban Undersea Club! The reef is man made pier that was constructed in 1860 and named after Captain James Vetch. The reef is made up of rubble and curves in southerly direction toward the North Pier of the harbour. The Pier is approximately 500 long and 50m wide and is a comfortable shore entry dive. “The Block” is the highest point and marks the end of the reef. Vetchie,s is home to a huge variety of fish and invertebrates, including a number of species of hard corals, huge numbers of juvenile fish from numerous species of wrasse, butterfly, angel, damsel an and surgeon fish.

  Vetchie’s has one of the highest concentrations and varieties of Morey eels than any reef off Durban – which can be a bit un- nerving for first timers to the reef. Potentially more dangerous are the numerous scorpion fish that stay put even when one is about to touch them inadvertently. The outside of the reef has got the biggest concentration of fish but is open to breaking waves on the low tide. The best time to dive the reef is on the high tide, as it allows one to cross over the top side of the reef. The curvature of the reef makes an entry on the outside and an exit on the inside the best profile for a dive on this reef. 

  Best conditions on Vetchies are during and after a strong South Westerly wind. The South Wester pushes clean water into the Vetchies Harbour and makes for top to bottom conditions on the reef. The inside of the reef makes a spectacular snorkel dive for the less adventurous, particularly on calm days at spring low tide. The reef shelters the inside which means the visibility is often very good. In spring and early summer, the rubble of the inside of Vetchies serves as a nursery ground for hordes of fishes.

  If you are snorkelling, make sure you are fit and that you are not diving with a fin with a stiff blade. Swimming on the surface for long distances can result in cramp. If you are doing a scuba dive, make sure you return back to shore upon reaching half your SPG pressure so as not run out of air –it is no fun having to swim back to shore on the surface in full scuba kit. Always carry a snorkel when diving this reef.

 

• Limestone Reef

  Depth: 3m on the top to 7m on the bottom

  This reef runs parallel to the shore. The reef is transected by the very end of Vetches’ Pier and extends in a North easterly direction. As with most of the reefs off Durban, this is a ledge dive. The top of reef is flat and sits at 3m below the surface. At its mid section the ledge is at about 3m. There are a few holes and crevices that require close inspection – there are often Coral Banded Shrimps, Lion fish, juvenile angel and butterfly fish.

  In the summer months after the Umgeni has flooded, an observant diver can find golf balls which have been hit into the river from Windsor golf Course. Limestone can be dived by way of shore entry. Enter on the outside of Vetchie’s until you reach a pole approximately 3m long. Swim across the sand and you will reach Limestone. Always dive this reef with a marker buoy! Limestone is one of the reefs fisherman visit to catch live bait.

  If you are snorkelling, make sure you are fit and that you are not diving with a fin with a stiff blade. Swimming on the surface for long distances can result in cramp. If you are doing a scuba dive, make sure you return back to shore upon reaching half your SPG pressure so as not run out of air – it is no fun having to swim back to shore on the surface in full scuba kit. Always carry a snorkel when scuba diving on this reef.

 

• The Odd

  Depth: 7m

  The vessel is relatively in tact with the boilers, mast, bow and stern all visible from the surface. The wreck lies parallel to the beach in Vetches’ harbour. The sea ward side is well preserved but is submerged in sand. The leeward side is broken up and is home to many juvenile butterfly and angle fish. There are resident lion fish and scorpion fish that predate on the shoals of juvenile fish on this wreck.

  This wreck lies at the entrance to Vetches harbour and very close to the new North Pier of the harbour mouth. Most of the skippers that launch their boats from the mini harbour are unaware of the existence of this wreck and therefore special care needs to be taken when diving on this wreck, so as not to be run over by a boat. Always dive with a buoy and do not surface if you hear a ski boat approaching. 

 

• The Ovington Court

  Depth: 7m

  This ship was wrecked on the 25th of November 1940. The ship was awaiting a berth in the harbour when a severe storm caused the anchors to drag and the ship ran ashore. The wreck can be reached by boat or by shore when the boilers make themselves visible on the low tide.

  The wreck was blown up as it was deemed unsightly to by the beach goers of Durban back in 1940. All that remains of the wreck are the boilers. This wreck sits at the backline and is un-diveable when a big swell is running.

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*All Durban site information courtesy of Bryan Hart from Dive @ 5*

• Aliwal Shoal

Aliwal Shoal is reputed to be one of the best places in the world to see Ragged Tooth sharks (Sand Tiger sharks). This Rocky reef is also visited by Tiger sharks, Brindle and Potato bass as well as Manta rays and Dolphins. Two wrecks also lie nearby and this makes for interesting diving.

• Pinnacles

Two pinnacles rise up from the reef, from 12m to 5m below the surface. It is situated on the northern side of The Shoal and is usually dived when the current is weak or there is little surge. The fish life on the shoal is very much the same as everywhere along the coast, with schools of Kingfish and other predatory fish encountered too. Although Aliwal is a rocky reef it has lots of soft corals and algae growing on it, like Thistle and Feather coral.

• Raggy Cave

This is where Raggies (sand tiger sharks) can be seen during the winter months. It is situated near the eastern side of the shoal at about 16m. It is a cave and sometimes the Raggies can be found breeding in it. Fish life encountered are Ragged tooth sharks, Kingfish, Potato bass, Moorish idols, different wrasse and Turtles. Thistle coral occurs but mostly Leather coral and huge Porous corals.

• Cathedral

  This is the site of the famous Africam Underwater webcam. It is situated on the east side of the reef and is a huge cave and sand patch on which the Raggies breed. It is 28m deep and thus should only be attempted by advanced divers.This is where Raggies (sand tiger sharks) can be seen during the winter months. It is situated near the eastern side of the shoal at about 16m. It is a cave and sometimes the Raggies can be found breeding in it. Fish life encountered are Ragged tooth sharks, Kingfish, Potato bass, Moorish idols, different wrasse and Turtles. Thistle coral occurs but mostly Leather coral and huge Porous corals.

  Click here to view map of Aliwal Shoal.

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Nebo

Depth: Average 19m / Maximum 25m

Location: 30^o 15, 20’ S <> 30^o 49,00’ E

The Nebo was a 2000 ton wooden steamer that sank on her maiden voyage from Sunderland to Durban on the 20th May 1884. It is assumed that the ship was incorrectly loaded and sank in heavy seas. Her cargo railway line material makes a surreal sighting on the bottom of the ocean.

Her stern is fairly intact but the bow and midships is quite broken up. The propeller was damaged in the grounding and the blade can still be seen on the Shoal in the Pinnacles area. The stern is home to a large variety of fish and also has a swim through below the propeller. The boilers are visible in the midships area as are the cargo of railway girders. There is a large debris field on the port side.

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Produce

Depth: Average 20m / Maximum 32m

Location: 30^o 15,00’ S <> 30^o 49,30’E

The Produce was a Norwegian molasses carrier that hit the Northern part of Aliwal Shoal on the 11th of August 1974. No lives were lost. Three sections make out the wreck today; the aft section which is tilted onto one side, the broken up centre section and the bow section. The Produce today is a haven for many reef fish as well as the resident Brindle Bass, a massive fish that is up to three meters long and weight often more than 500 kg. Manta Rays, game fish and plenty of scorpion and lion fish as well as thousands of goldies surround the wreck. This wreck lies in about 30m of seawater and at its top is about 17m below the surface.

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Protea Banks

Situated 7,5 km off Margate, Protea banks is a world renowned shark dive and a must for all who would like to view these magnificent creatures in their natural habitat. Protea consists of the Northern and the Southern pinnacles. Although the area is large, the current is generally quite strong, and divers are able to cover between two and four kilometers of reef on a 35 minute dive. This dive is recommended for advanced divers only, due to the depth and conditions.

• Northern Pinnacles

This is an ideal area for nitrox diving and has a magnificant topography. This part of the reef is only dived in winter during our Raggie season, and only very few divemasters know how to dive the Northern Pinnacles properly. Because most people don't even find this location, the reef is virtually untouched and undamaged. It has two large cave systems which are used by the Ragged Tooth Sharks as resting zones on their annual migration and congregation route. On a good day, the diver can encounter up to 200 sharks in an area smaller than half a rugby field.

We start our dive at the large cave, looking in from the top and observing Raggies interacting peacefully with each other. Often we find the caves so full of sharks that we can hardly see the bottom. We respect their resting zone by merely observing and not disturbing them. We then pass the tunnel which we can swim through if it is not occupied by sharks, swim past the coral garden and get to the second cave.This cave is also open on top and features several chambers, each one with a wide opening at the top ceiling. If there are no Raggies in the caves, it is much fun to explore around in the chambers, looking for sharks' teeth which are generally plentiful. This is the only souvenir we allow the diver to remove from the reef. As spring goes into summer, large shoals of Hammerhead Sharks frequent this part of the reef. The best months to dive the Northern Pinnacles are June to November. It truly is the best dive on earth.

Click here to view an image of the Protea Banks Northern Pinnacles (*courtesy of African Dive Adventures)

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• Southern Pinnacles

Depth: 26-40m

This area is home to the Zambezi Shark (Bull Shark) which is what Protea Banks has initially become famous for. From Oct to May, some very large specimen can be encountered here. In the beginning of the Zambezi season, they tend to keep a safe distance from the divers which gets reduced as time goes by. Towards Easter, Zambies often get so inquisitive and used to encounter divers underwater, that they can come really close up, ideal to take this awardwinning photo. Scalloped Hammerhead Sharks are also seen shoaling at this time. They can come past in as many as several hundreds on a good dive. Hunting packs of Great Hammerheads check out who makes all that funny noise and Blacktips dart in and out of the diver's vision like a bunch of playful puppies.

We start the dive at the Southern Cave which is a buzz of all sorts of game and reef fish, often so thick that it is hard to see one's buddy. Thereafter we reach Kingfish Gully, an overhanging rock which is home to large shoals of Kingfish, Yellowtail, Kaakap, Sea Pike Tunny, Potato Bass and many more species. The current then takes us to a large sandy patch we call Sand Shark Gully. It lies at exactly 40m depth and is home of the Giant Guitar Shark. At times we see them lined up like planes at an airport, 50 to 60 of these magnificent crea- tures is not uncommon. The best months to see Tiger Sharks are April and May, although we see Tiger Sharks right through the year.

Click here to view an image of the Protea Banks Northern Pinnacles (*courtesy of African Dive Adventures)

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