The Dive Site Series
Hidden below the waters surrounding the Cape Peninsula lie one of the unknown jewels of the area, known to only those who brave the sea to get a first-hand account. Viewed from above it gives the impression of being a bleak brown landscape as has been mentioned to me on many an occasion. Enter the water and suddenly a whole new world unfolds right before your eyes.
Cape Town is not well known as a diving destination of any note, particularly to “outsiders” – ie. to those who do not dive and also tourists to the area. It is certainly not well marketed world wide, as have dive venues such as Sodwana Bay and Aliwal Shoal. The aim of this series is to illustrate the many great diving opportunities available and to draw attention to the vast marine biodiversity that surrounds us.
Dive Site Description
The dive site features flat coarse shelly sand bottom at about 17m with large granite corestones. Very large boulders and outcrops extend over a fairly large area, with deep gullies and high ridges. Dramatic relief. Two large rocks break the surface and support the lighthouse structure and helipad. The long axis of the reef runs roughly east-west and the main reef is about 400m long and 110m wide north to south, with the widest point to the east of the lighthouse.
The rocks are encrusted with a variety of organisms depending on depth and orientation. There is kelp and sea urchins on the tops in shallower areas, and Red-bait and other large solitary ascidians scattered around. The steeper sides are largely covered by common feather stars, with some dense areas of mauve sea cucumbers on the tops of ridges, There are also occasional sea fans, some quite large. The sand is coarse and shelly near the rocks, and there are sand stars, brittle stars, sand slugs, cerianthids and purple sea pens on the sand. .
This site is only really accessible by boat and is a popular venue with the charter operators.
Follow this link for more information and a dive site map.
Featured Critter – Common octopus
The Common octopus(Octopus vulgaris) is found from Saldanah Bay to Durban down to a depth of 200m. They usually like to hide in caves or holes, the location of which is often given away by the plie of discarded shells outside of the entrance. They feed on crabs, West coast rock lobster and fish. They can grow from 300mm to 600mm, reaching a mass of 6Kg and with arms of up to 1m in length. They can change skin texture and colour to match their surroundings.
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| Seen in its natural habitat. |
Close up of the eye. |
About the cache
The cache is not underwater - it has been placed at a popular whale watching site. If you look straight out to sea from the parking waypoint you can clearly see the lighthouse in the distance.