Sodwana Bay

Sodwana Bay is located in a protected marine reserve that is known as the Greater St. Lucia Wetlands Park, so you are going to be sure of seeing a lot of well preserved reef areas as well as abundant marine life. It is widely accepted that Sodwana Bay is the mecca of diving in South Africa and is approximately 4 hours drive from Durban. You can expect to see an abundance of tropical fish, hard and soft coral, sponges, moray eels, large schools of pelagic fish, potato bass, turtles (hawksbill, loggerhead, green, leatherback) and depending on the time of year, whales (southern right, humpback), whale sharks and dolphins.

Visibility is rarely less than 15 meters, and the water temperature in summer is 24+ degrees Celsius and in winter not colder than 19 degrees Celsius. The depths vary between 12 to 18 meters with 30 and 50-meter sites for the suitably qualified. The dives are all done from semi-rigid boats, with exiting launches through the surf!

Two Mile Reef aka Anton’s Reef Perfect for less experienced divers is a small reef. One of the reasons that this area is so popular is that it is a shallower reef and it has exceptional visibility of more than fifteen meters. This combination works to help demonstrate the wonderful coral and marine life that are found in the region. You can really get a feel for this underwater environment when you explore the submerged overhanging areas which are home to interesting schools of tropical fish.

Five Mile Reef This area is home to a flat landscape that is covered in a wide variety of coral, many of which are considered to be exceptionally delicate; however, it has managed to remain intact so you don’t have to worry about seeing large portions of damaged or dying coral when you dive. The large schools of tropical fish that swim in and around the coral also provide for some interesting underwater exploration opportunities. Many of the divers who have visited this region have said that diving at Five Mile Reef in Sodwana Bay is like working their way through an aquarium because of the combination of the pristine waters and the fish and coral.

Seven Mile ReefThis area has been praised for its interesting pinnacles with their mushroom tops and the wonderful drop offs that offer spectacular scenes. Just like Five Mile Reef, there are also quite a few delicate coral formations that are in pristine condition and are perfect for exploring. The wealth of marine life in the area can give you a wide range of viewing options, and you might even be able to see a few manta rays, bottle-nosed dolphins, and turtles.

Nine Mile Reef is an area in Sodwana Bay that often attracts a lot of the more serious divers. One good thing about this reef is that it is not as easily accessible as many of the other diving regions, so it does not get the large groups of divers that a lot of the other areas attract. With fewer people around to cause underwater congestion problems, it has helped to preserve the integrity of the dive site and is also a lot easier to move around and get a good look at the exciting topography of the region. There are large drop offs, gorgeous pinnacles, and even large coral tree growth to explore and look through. It has also been said that this region houses the largest collection of differing marine life in Sodwana Bay, so it is highly unlikely that you will run out of things to see and explore.