Best dive location in south africa for a beginner?

[ls1dreams]

Hi all,

I've been reading on here for a bit among the locations, but was wondering about which location would be best for a beginner.

- Sodwana bay sounds good, but is too far out of my route to visit
- Aliwal shoal sounds cool, but I heard that the currents can be very ripping, and combined with a bouncy boat ride + negative entry might be tough
- Cape town diving sounded so-so?

Protea banks? Anything else along the garden route?

 

[DivealotZA]

Hi

Cape Town diving can be so-so, but it can also be amazing!

There's a lot of shore entries which can be really easy for beginners and there's some amazing small life here.

You can also dive Partridge point where there's seals or head to Millers point where there are cow sharks - depending on the time of year.

If you're coming here pop me a message and I can give you some more detailed information

 

[jfe]

maybe give these guys a call, they seem to cover the Garden Route. Not used them before so cannot comment on their services.
Homepage - Pro Dive South Africa

 

[ls1dreams]

Hi

Cape Town diving can be so-so, but it can also be amazing!

There's a lot of shore entries which can be really easy for beginners and there's some amazing small life here.

You can also dive Partridge point where there's seals or head to Millers point where there are cow sharks - depending on the time of year.

If you're coming here pop me a message and I can give you some more detailed information

Thanks for this - maybe I'll give Cape Town a shot. There's a place that does some diving near seals/kelp that might be fun. I definitely prefer big animals over reefs/wrecks.

 

[Pietre Louw]

Hallo

Cape Town diving is great. And the condition here will prepare you for a lot.

If you are down here try Pices Divers in Simonstown. The have regular Shore Dives and you can even dive at Longbeach directly in front of the shop. The Seal dive is a very easy dive and great fun.

 

[aquarat]

Pisces Divers in Simon's Town are great. Definitely one of the better operators. Apart from seals they sometimes take people to see Broadnose Sevengill sharks in "Shark Alley", which is very close to shore.

 

[ls1dreams]

So here seem to be my options on the day I want:

Pisces - wreck/reef dive
Ollava - seal dive + a shore dive

I guess all the sevngill sharks are gone because of predatory orcas

 

[aislinn]

Hey Is1dreams,

I did my Open Water in Cape Town and each dive was utterly spectacular!

The Antipolis and Romelia wreck was magical - we swam through the vessel and I got to see enormous crayfish and starfish hanging out on ledges and in crevices and tons of fish. I know you said you prefer animals over wrecks, but it's definitely worth checking out if you are open to it.

Diving through the kelp forests is also a pretty magical experience. I saw a shy shark on my first dive, and at one point, while swimming on the outside, I found myself surrounded by a bloom of jellyfish - which is still one of the most unforgettable diving experiences I have ever had.

I used Into the Blue for my diving and they were all super friendly, professional and organised.

 

[ls1dreams]

Hey Is1dreams,

I did my Open Water in Cape Town and each dive was utterly spectacular!

The Antipolis and Romelia wreck was magical - we swam through the vessel and I got to see enormous crayfish and starfish hanging out on ledges and in crevices and tons of fish. I know you said you prefer animals over wrecks, but it's definitely worth checking out if you are open to it.

Diving through the kelp forests is also a pretty magical experience. I saw a shy shark on my first dive, and at one point, while swimming on the outside, I found myself surrounded by a bloom of jellyfish - which is still one of the most unforgettable diving experiences I have ever had.

I used Into the Blue for my diving and they were all super friendly, professional and organised.

Too late and this makes me sad. Weather was super windy and the 2-3 days I had the possibility of diving all got canceled. Did make it to aliwal shoal though!