Scuba Diving in South Africa
Dive South Africa
“The world’s finest wilderness lies beneath the waves.”
― Robert Wyland
Looking for the best Scuba Diving in South Africa?
Join us for a dive tour, package or charter!
Dive South Africa with Oceans Africa and take the guesswork out of dive travel planning. We have guided and advised specialist dive travellers in Southern Africa for over 20 years, helping them choose the right regions, seasons and operators.
Our in-depth and up-to-date knowledge of the South African dive industry means we know where sightings and conditions are best and which service providers deliver consistently. We match you with the most suitable operators based on your budget, experience and objectives, and arrange charters, accommodation and transfers so the logistics run seamlessly.
Whether travelling solo, with friends or planning a family dive vacation in South Africa, Oceans Africa will help plan every detail to ensure you experience the best scuba diving South Africa can offer.
Dive South Africa
Scuba Diving in South Africa
South Africa offers the adventurous diver an unlimited choice of dive sites and diving opportunities.
The coastline of South Africa is swept by two great ocean currents. The mighty Agulhas, bringing warm water down the East coast and the Benguela, driving cold water up along the West coast. This powerful clash of currents allows the waters of South Africa to support a huge variety of marine life.
South Africa has over 3000km of coastline boasting over 2000 species of fish, 40 species of whale and dolphin and a long history of shipwrecks and salvage. From kelp forests to coral reefs the diversity of dive options in South Africa can fulfill almost all your scuba diving desires.
A dive holiday to South Africa promises more than just diving. Marine diversity, terrestrial wildlife and cultural richness combine to make every trip a fully rounded African experience. Feel the pulse of a continent that links oceans, wildlife reserves and mountain landscapes, all within a single journey. This is diving in Africa!
Create your own Dive South Africa Tour Package
Custom Dive Tour Tour SOUTH AFRICA
Be a leader, not a follower and create your own Scuba Diving South Africa Tour Package. Simply complete the form for an instant on-line quotation!
Dive Cape Town
Diving False Bay and the Atlantic
Cape Town is all about diversity – diversity of cultures and diversity of wildlife, both on land and underwater.
Dense and magnificent kelp forests protect the Cape shorelines from storms and provide a sheltered nursery habitat for many species.
The topography on many of the dive sites is spectacular with huge granite boulders, pinnacles and caves, supporting an enormous bio-mass of invertebrate life.
The dive sites of Cape Town must surely rate among the most colourful in the world! With deep wrecks and shallow kelp forest dives, there are dive options to suit all levels of experience.
Oceans Africa are a registered dive charter operator in the Cape Town area. We run our own boat Sea Otter, offering a unique private charter experience to our clients. With a permit to conduct scuba diving charters in The Table Mountain National Park (TMNP) Marine Protected Areas, a world heritage site surrounded by 1000 Km2 with 5 no take zones where fishing activities are strictly prohibited.
Dive the Garden Route
Diving Mossel Bay to Plettenberg Bay
Extending from Stillbay to Storms River and the Tsitsikamma Nature Reserve, the Garden Route describes a beautiful and varied coastal plain. The area is widely regarded as one of the country’s most scenic and bio-diverse corridors.
The coastline of fynbos covered dunes and protected bays is bordered by the plunging cliffs of the coastal plateau, cut by deep river gorges and pristine indigenous forest.
The beauty and diversity of the region is also found beneath the waves. Truly a garden route underwater, the dive sites of the Southern Cape boast some spectacular dive sites covered in colourful invertebrate life and supporting a wide varietiey of fish and sharks species.
Dive sites are accessed by both shore and boat, with established operators based in Mossel Bay, Knysna and Plettenberg Bay there is a good diving infrastructure. Adding the Garden Route to a dive holiday to South Africa combines dramatic scenery with exceptional temperate diving, making it a perfect inclusion on any multi-destination scuba diving vacation.
Sardine Run South Africa Dive Packages
Dive The Sardine Run South Africa
Dive The Sardine Run. The wildest dive possibilities in South Africa. As Sardine Run specialists Oceans Africa will find the right package for you!
Dive the Wildcoast
Diving East London to Port St Johns
The Wildcoast is an area of the Eastern Cape. Formerly the independent state of the Transkei, this is rural Africa by the sea. A wild and spectacular coastline with difficult access to many parts.
The remoteness of the region means there is little permanent infastructure for scuba diving.
During the Sardine Run however, many dive operators set up camp in these remote areas to witness one of the worlds most spectacular marine marine wildlife events.
Dive Aliwal Shoal
Umkomaas, Scottburgh and Rocky Bay
Aliwal shoal is widely regarded as one of South Africas top diving destinations. Easily accessed from the town of Umkomaas and serviced via Durban International airport it is a great start or end point to any dive tour of South Africa.
The Shoal is a huge offshore reef system of eroded fossil dunes. The topography of caves, fissures and pinnacles shelters a wealth of marine life.
With shallow, wreck and deep options to enjoy, Aliwal Shoal has dive options to suit all levels of diver training.
Dive Protea Banks
Diving from Shelly Beach and Margate
Having spent many years working and diving Protea Banks it is an Oceans Africa favorite.
Protea banks is all about the Sharks. Yes there are some really nice areas of reef to explore but the primary focus on these dives is to enjoy the many species of shark that can be found here.
The seasons on Protea Banks can be be defined by two clear shifts. Winter when dives are on the Northern Pinnacles and Summer when divers drift over the Southern Pinnacles
Dive Sodwana Bay
Diving northern KwaZulu Natal
Sodwana Bay lies Just south of the Mozambique border, at the heart of the iSimangaliso Wetland Park – a UNESCO world heritage site and and ocean reserve extending from Cape Vidal up to Kosi Bay.
The long stretches of remote beach are nesting sites for leatherback and loggerhead turtles and the adjacent reef substrate supports the most southerly hard coral reef structures in the world.
Diving conditions in South Africa
To enjoy the best scuba diving South Africa has to offer, contact us to find out when and where to dive!
Water temperatures vary considerably along the coastline. From an average of around 24 degrees Celsius in Sodwana Bay to as low as 10 degrees on the Atlantic side of Cape Town – adequate exposure protection is essential to enjoyably dive South Africa.
To dive South Africa comfortably we recommend a multi-layer system with 10mm on the chest, 5mm on legs and arms, hood, boots and gloves for Cape Town. You can then lose the gloves along the Garden Route, the hood can go in KwaZulu Natal and you may get away with a shorty in Sodwana Bay.
Dive Procedures & Equipment
This is how we roll - backwards!
There are no livaboard diving options in South Africa. The majority of dive sites are accessed by small craft – usually an inflatable ‘duck’ or RIB.
Most dive sites east of Cape Town are accessed through the surf and the launches can often be as exciting as the dives themselves.
All of our dive packages include tanks and weights (as stated per package). We recommend that you bring your own mask, fins and computer as a minimum. Additional equipment can be hired along the way at approximately ZAR 80.00 per item per day.
Dive Safely in South Africa
Safety and Diver Qualifications
Unless stated otherwise a minimum of open water certification, or equivalent, is required for all standard diving tours and dive charters.
If you’d like your dives to count towards advancing your certification, ask us about our instructor let dive options.
Diver safety is our top priority. When diving offshore reefs all divers are issued with a delayed surface marker buoy (safety sausage). Oxygen is always on board and all staff and guides are medically trained. Oceans
Africa are also agents for DAN dive travel insurance and can arrange additional dive insurance if required.
Dive South Africa Tours & Packages
Book a Scuba Diving South Africa tour!
Oceans Africa specialises in creating scuba diving tours throughout South Africa. Having worked and dived in all the main areas we have a deep knowledge of the seasonal changes – we know where and when to dive each area and the best times to view specific fauna. So let us help you develop the perfect dive itinerary for your dive South Africa tour.
Cape Town Dive Package
Cape Town Dive Package Scuba Diving and Accommodation Cape Town Book Now This scuba diving package in Cape Town includes reef, wreck, seal and kelp forest dives.4 x nights superior accommodation & transfers.From ZAR 12 950 per person sharing (min 2 people) Dive Cape Town and enjoy this exclusive dive package with Oceans Africa. This
Dive package Aliwal Shoal
Aliwal Shoal Dive Package 7 Night Aliwal Shoal Dive Tour Embark on an extraordinary diving adventure with this Aliwal Shoal Dive Tour in South Africa. Relax in the lush sub-tropical coastal towns of KwaZulu Natal and dive some of the top dive sites in South Africa. Oceans Africa is a specialist dive tour and safari
Dive Safari Sodwana Bay
Sodwana Bay Dive Safari 7 Night Safari & Sodwana Bay Dive Package Embark on an extraordinary journey with our Sodwana Bay Safari and dive package. Immerse yourself in the breathtaking beauty and wild places of KwaZulu Natal. Dive the most southern tropical reefs in the world and learn some of the secrets of the African
Sardine Run Tours
Sardine Run Tours & Packages 2026 WhatsApp Now! Let us help you find the right sardine run package! Finding the right sardine run tour package to suit your dates and needs can be very confusing so why not schedule a call with us for unbiased information on the sardine run and the different tour options.