New dive destination South Africa

[ajduplessis]

This was not an attack of any kind. It is a simple question. I find it strange that people quote on personal experiences. I like hearing what people have to say and what they liked. Not what the resort advertise. If I offended anyone , PLEASE EXCEPT MY APOLOGY.

Jacques

 

[Deefstes]

Don't worry Jacques, I think drbill probably refers to the earlier exchanges in the thread. But SB is a strange place. My original remark was also no more than a simple question but somehow got construed as an attack of sorts. What was to follow most definitely was a rather vigorous attack but travel girl seems to be conspicuous in her absence since.

 

[Giffo]

Wow.

As a new member on this forum I am quite surprised by the conversation, particularly given that these destinations are in my country.

Anyway, for anyone who wants to know about SA diving, it truly is awesome. Sodwana is without doubt the diving mecca of SA, and as a result the main reefs are not as pristine as we would like. Compare 2-mile reef to a Guinjata Bay dive (in Mozambique) and you will see a difference. However, a relatively small proportion of divers make the trip to the further reefs, particularly 7-mile and 9-mile: these are absolutely world class! Even the smaller reefs such as stringer and ribbon are fabulous, and there are some other spots that only the better DM's know about... But I also have to confess that one of my best dives EVER was in fact on the southern portion of 2-mile reef (Antons, Caves, and finishing at Zambi Alley (where Bull Sharks used to be seen regularly)).

Thonga at Mabibi is definitely an awesome spot, as is Rocktail Bay further North. Yes, both very exclusive and very expensive, but if you can afford it the exclusivity is very nice and the diving is certainly some of the best. Can't argue with that.

For those of us who like to mingle in the dive community and enjoy the simple things in life, Sodwana takes the cake for this part of the coast. It does qualify as tropical as it is the furthest south that hard coral formations have formed in typical tropical profusion, and temps go as high as 29. The accommodation is varied, but we have always really enjoyed being self sufficient at the Parks Board Chalets (number 10 is the best!). Coral Divers is the biggest operator and have awesome facilities, but we have been lucky to get to know some of the DM's who take us on more unusual dives when it is not too busy. We don't stay with them, but they have good accommodation too. The after-dive facilities are awesome, and the evenings are a blast if you make friends. - a quiet sundowner by the pool often turns into a great conversation. Reefteach is also excellent for us eco-divers: very knowledgeable and guaranteed sightings of some of the rarer stuff.
However, I recommend you avoid the busy long weekends and holiday periods, especially Easter and Xmas: the beach gets completely overrun with the 4x4 crowd, and I like my peace and quiet.

Finally, and perhaps for a new thread, don't let anyone convince you that this is all - the entire coastline has great and varied diving, getting progressively colder as you approach the Cape but no less impressive in all the different ways the ocean has to offer. I am currently in Cape Town, and although a good 7mm with hoodie is required, the diving is amazing!

Hey - I should go into the marketing business!

 

[jolo]

Deeftes have you visited Mabibi good spot to dive if you can afford it

 

[Deefstes]

Deeftes have you visited Mabibi good spot to dive if you can afford it

Good grief! Jolo, have you even read what I wrote earlier in this thread? No, I have not dived at Mabibi and have said so very clearly earlier in the thread. It's beside the point though. The only reason I am involved in this thread is because I wanted to know what travel girl meant by Mabibi being "the only tropical dive site in South Africa".

C'mon, that's a very reasonable question and I have still not received an answer to it. I have been told though that I don't know what I'm talking about and that I'm making stupid remarks. To quote you:

I agree with travel girl in everthing she says I have often seen sny remarks from deefstes and I have also dived at Mabibi and you cannot compare Sodwana

I have challenged both travel girl and you to point me to these so called "sny remarks" (whatever that is) but you still haven't.

Can I reiterate, and please get this straight. I never made a comparison between the diving at Sodwana and Mabibi, I merely asked what travel girl meant by saying that Mabibi is "the only tropical dive site in South Africa". I didn't comment on the costs of Mabibi (that was Kosmonooit and Scuba Steve), I simply pointed out that there are only 20km between Mabibi and Sodwana and that the climate between the two couldn't possibly be so different that one is "tropical" and the other one not.

For what it's worth though, I fully agree with Kosmonooit and Scuba Steve that paying upwards of R2000 per person per night and then you haven't even dived yet is just ridiculously expensive. I don't pay that sort of money to see and experience my own country, even if it means I only get inferior diving (and I'm not even sure I buy that).

OK, so now I have answered your question. Could you please now answer mine (hopefully if I put them in bold red they will not go ignored this time).
1. What makes Mabibi tropical and Sodwana not? (and please note, I'm not asking what makes Mabibi better, I'm asking what makes it tropical if Sodwana is not tropical).
2. What are these so called "sny" remarks that I'm supposedly making so often?

 

[jolo]

Sorry I hit a sore spot I do not answer for Travel Girl please stop acting like a child

 

[Deefstes]

Don't worry, you didn't hit a sore spot at all. You did amuse me tremendously as you seem to post all sorts of rubbish without reading what preceded it. I answered your question as to whether I've visited Mabibi already and yet you ask the question again as if we're great buddies.

At the same time you post on this thread for anyone who cares to read that you have "often seen sny remarks from deefstes" yet you refuse to answer when I ask what those would have been. You also "agree with Travel Girl in everything she says" but you refuse to answer when I ask the question I had asked at the very beginning of this thread.

Your final comment, "stop acting like a kid", was the most amusing of all though.

 

[henno777]

Deefstes - LMAO - brilliant

 

[ScubaSteve]

Sorry I hit a sore spot I do not answer for Travel Girl please stop acting like a child

You have called on the dragon. It is time to either back your comments up or admit defeat. Your allegations were pretty wild IMO so I look forward to your responses with answers to Deefstes' questions.

 

[Mavirick1985]

Hi all hope you well
I have taken the liberty to take 5 of our students and my wife to Sodwana Bay and then to Mabibi all in a course of a week, I then had a vote between the two sites and I personally see the differences as
Sodwana: allot more commercial and allot of divers there are students
Mabibi: expensive as hell and quite
My opinion is I would rather pay less at Sodwana and stay longer, rather than stay a day and be bankrupt.
To the climate and the water and sea life be it animal or coral hard and soft ITS THE SAME the only difference is Sodwana being a more commercial destination has bit less due to the quantity of people and uneducated divers there was a 1 degree difference in the water and by geographical standards 20KM is not going to make a hell of a difference.
My wife is in the travel industry as well and her opinion is sell Sodwana, coz us as South Africans are being nailed from behind by the exclusiveness of Mabibi and I can honestly say the price difference for the experience is not worth it no matter what the travel agents say .
I loved Sodwana and I will go there again. But unless Mabibi opens there door to the regular street walking hard working South African they can suck my