27th September - 25th October, 1999

Diving Update and Log ¦ Tsitsikamma ¦ Knysna ¦ Truck and Travel Update

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Knysna and environs offers a wide range of dive sites (see below), all of which Piet Joubert knew like his back garden. We were taken to all his favorite nooks and crannies and introduced to their inhabitants, some of whom sat quite patiently for their photographer, others were less obliging (the seahorse is very shy and you must know where to look).

Don't expect to dive everyday. Knysna's weather is more than a little changeable, in fact there is a local saying that you get 4 seasons in one day, another favorite is "What comes after two days of rain? Monday!". This is not the sort of place to come if you want four dives a day. If you want to dive here, you will have to be game for all conditions, and adaptable as far as planning your days are concerned because you will get 'blown out'. If you can accept that and are happy to do other things when the diving falls through (bungee jumping, abseiling, horse-riding, windsurfing, sailing, walking and tasting the local brew to name but a few), you will love it here. We found walking along the coastal trails and in the indigenous forests, visiting vinyards and exploring the surrounding mountains a rewarding way to spend our 'spare' time.

But don't let the weather put you off, it is not uncommon to get 10m visibility on a good day. When we got our first taste of diving in clean water it was raining. There are lots of gullies and overhangs where sharks, eels and octopus abound as well as plenty of swim throughs and caves.

For more information for holidays around Knysna:
Contact Knysna tourist information through knysainfo@imaginet.co.za
Accomodation:Plenty of options around the Heads and Knysna. Apartments can be pre-arranged through Knysna Heads Holiday Flats or camping available at Woodbourne Caravan Park nearby - Cost slightly more at 70R per vehicle per night.

Dive Facts from 3 coastal locations on the Garden Route

We're not ignoring Plettenberg Bay on purpose. Just didn't have time to dive there. We have been told that the diving reefs there are very similar to those outside the Knysna heads and at Sedgefield.

Go straight to: Tsitsikamma Dive Facts ¦ Knysna Dive Facts ¦ Sedgefield Dive Facts

Location	Tsitsikamma
Sites dived	Underwater Trail at Storms River Mouth
Dive Centre	None needed - just hire equipment and take it with you.
Best Time to Dive	Whenever you can. Quite a protected bay however the visibility is, as always, weather dependant. Best after a Westerly wind.
Water Temp	15 degrees celcius - ouch.
Visibility	Average 5-6metres.
Exposure Protection	As usual - 7mm two piece or dry suit
Average diving depth	To 15 metres, however we didn't venture deeper than 10 metres as the life was so prolific.
Possible Marine Encounters	As Port Elizabeth and Knysna, Gas Flame NudiBranches, large shoals of Steenbras & Zebra fish, Rays, Pyjama Sharks, resident Ragged Tooth Shark, very curious Red Romans (Rock Cod), colourful sea urchins, Southern Right Whales in Winter, Humpback Whales - summertime.
Comments: We could happily spend hours here simply pootling around looking in crevices at 5 or 6 metres. In fact that's exactly what we did. We spent an entire 15 minutes studying a massive (8cm) Gas Flame Nudibranch and taking shots of it from various angles and it was only when we decided to move off, that we realised we were literally encircled by hundreds of silver steenbras. We simply sat and marvelled while the huge shoal swam around us and 'quizzy'(a South Africanism for 'curious')Red Romans (pictured above) kept and admiring their reflection in the lens.

Location	Knysna Heads
Sites dived	Knopie, The Paquita, Bruce Se Bank, Tapas Jetty, Featherbed
Dive Centre	Shore entries for dives inside the lagoon, but when the weather is good you need a boat to dive outside the Heads. The operation which used to be at the Heads, is no longer. So if you wish to dive the stunning reefs outside the lagoon, contact Glynn Schaper at Scylla Dive Club. Someone there is usually desperate to get wet, whatever the weather. Cost will be to cover boat fuel and air fills.
Best Time to Dive	After Westerly winds in March, April, May.
Water Temp	15 degrees celcius (ouch) up to 23 in summer.
Visibility	Average 5-6metres however we hit 12 - 15 metres when it was raining.
Exposure Protection	7mm two piece or dry suit (Locals wear 5mm two piece)
Average diving depth	Sites vary from 8m - 18m(in the Lagoon) to over 30m (outside the Heads).
Possible Marine Encounters	As Port Elizabeth plus a mass of different types of NudiBranches, large shoals of Steenbras & Zebra fish, Rays, Pyjama Sharks, Puff Adder Shy Sharks, Octopuses (or pii, whichever you are happy with) Ragged Tooth Sharks, Red Romans and as usual along this coastline, soft corals, fans and sponges looking as if they have been purposely painted all colours of the Rainbow.
Comments: Inside the Lagoon - Tapas Jetty (Shore Entry from Thesens Jetty)- invariably a poor visibility dive and without much imagination a diver could miss catching a glimpse of the Knysna Seahorse amongst other animals. This can be a wonderfully satisfying dive by searching through the junk and debris covering the silty bottom. The numerous bottles and tyres scattered about have created artificial reefs for the tiny creatures. Look out for the blennies homes in bottlenecks, camouflaged and very shy seahorses, and the most delightfully colourful nudibranches. The Paquita wreck (Shore entry from the Heads.), lying in the channel just before the Heads, must be dived half an hour before high tide to save you battling against a strong runout tide. While the weather on top was miserable drizzle, the visibility was a good 12 metres below. Easy, relaxing diving. Outside the Heads, the diving is superb but much more dependant on the weather. All sites; Bruce Se Bank, Knopie, East Cape are deeper, more challenging dives which can be hectic for the novice diver on rougher days. Fairground surge shoots the divers through gulleys and around the rocks and can at times yo-yo divers from 10 to 20metres in a second or two. Great fun for the experienced but if diving in these conditions, judge your own limits and don't blindly put yourself into dangerous situations. Frequently engrossed by the reef's goings on, we generally found ourselves having to make decompression stops (not the cleverest thing to do when in Great White territory). For example, this cute baby Puff Adder Shy Shark, pictured here coiled in shock from an clumsy collision with the coral, was no bigger than the palm of my hand.

Location	Sedgefield
Sites dived	Cloud Nine, Gerrickes Point
Dive Centre	Garden Route Divers - A local Dairy Farmer and Vet run this neat operation. As there is no commercial gain there is a real club type atmosphere which focuses on making both clients and students enjoy and continue to enjoy diving. This is the only centre to blend gas (Nitrox) on site from Port Elizabeth to Cape Town.
Best Time to Dive	Whenever you can. Best after a Westerly when the wind flattens and cleans the sea. Our great sense of timing ensured we dived just before an easterly blew. The sea was rocking!
Water Temp	15 - 20 degrees celcius
Visibility	Average 4-5 metres.
Exposure Protection	7mm two piece or dry suit (Locals dive in 5mm two piece)
Average diving depth	25 - 30 metres
Possible Marine Encounters	As Port Elizabeth and Knysna plus a greater chance of seeing Great Whites at close quarters!
Comments: Due to a strong easterly the previous day with more of the same forecast, the visibility was not so great. However, we could gauge how wonderful this dive could be by the topography of the reefs. Alleys and gulleys, walls, pinnacles and swim throughs. Although rough on top, the surge was gentle enough underneath and the rocks were carpeted with all sorts of colourful goodies. The briefing given by Bruce and Howard was thorough, and emphasis was made on several must-dos to decrease the possibility of attracting sharks. These included compulsory negative entries (letting all air out of BCD's and not waiting on surface before descending thus enabling quick descent and no time for sharks to make out silhouetted forms), not letting the buoy line out of sight, making speedy exits and ensuring that our dive is no-decompression without safety stop. Although we had been waiting eagerly to meet a Great White underwater, our nerves more than slightly frayed at the fast approaching reality of it! In fact our hearts only stopped trying to exit our chests when we had descended and were distracted by the life amongst the rocks. Even though we are sure of the fact we are not in his food chain, its incredible how the mind works overtime on 'but what ifs....'!

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