"The Forgotten Dive Destination"
PAGE UPDATED JULY 2000
Travel and Truck Update on Transkei ¦ Dive Log for Port Elizabeth
Port Elizabeth is the gateway to the famous 'Garden Route'. An ideal location for those wanting to combine a diving holiday with a coastal tour along some of the most stunning coastal scenery South Africa has to offer - Read our next update for information on Tsitsikamma National Park and Knysna. The diving at Port Elizabeth was quite a revelation to us. PE dive sites had not really featured in many of the publications we had read and we were unprepared for the colorful soft corals and abundant variety of marine life, including a mass of nudibranches, big schools of dolphins, penguins, whales, ragged tooth, pyjama and leopard sharks. (Great Whites and Hammerheads have also been spotted here).
The diving is split into two regions - 'Inside the Bay' and 'The Wild Side'. There are also a couple of stunning but rarely dived offshore reefs. All areas house some fantastic dive sites. 'The Wild Side' is presently only accessible through the very friendly and welcoming Noordhoek Dive Club or 'WildSide Divers' as they prefer to be known. We were invited by Eric Stone to join the club dives for the weekend on our second visit in July 2000. After the first dive at Gasmic, we excitedly told other divers about our 12 metre visibility, the rare horsefish and a blue ray posing perfectly on sand in Gasmic Gorge. Oddly enough we found that no-one wanted to speak to us for a good while afterwards! It was a top class dive and we were reminded once again as to why our log book last year was brimming with enthusiasm for the colourful diving around Port Elizabeth. The many gulleys and overhangs on most of the reefs inside and outside the bay make the dives an exciting place for the curious. The weather is pretty temperamental here and you must be prepared for low visibility and chilly water. These factors should not deter you however, as your torch will light up the incredible reef colours and you'll be wearing lots of rubber... what more can you possibly need? We came back for more and can guarantee that we will return. We would strongly advise you to give PE a try.
Port Elizabeth Dive Log
| Location | Port Elizabeth |
| Sites dived |
In
the bay: Bell Buoy, Haarlem Wreck. Further offshore: Rie
Banks. |
|
Dive
Centre Recommendation
|
We dived with Pro Dive, a dive centre with a great vibe, run by two young PADI Instructors, Michelle Glass and Louis Van Aardt. Their dedication and enthusiasm for the diving around PE was infectious and the consideration for their clients has won them a loyalty throughout the local area. As the ocean is teeming with very photogenic life, Michelle, herself a keen u/w photographer also runs the u/w photography specialty course for budding enthusiasts. Pro Dive, located at the unmissable Red Windmill, Hobie Beach, has 2 Rigid Inflatable Boats, equipment rental and servicing on site and they dive every day, weather permitting. Other diving options include shark diving in the tank at the local oceanarium. For large groups visiting PE they can arrange accomodation and excursions to nearby game parks. See Prodive's comprehensive website for details on all services. To dive the 'Wild Side' email Eric Stone or Peter '10 Bar' Michaelides of Wild Side Divers. Although they are not a charter operation they will accept guests on board the boats for minimal charge to cover costs of petrol. Club members will naturally take priority. |
| Nearest Launch Sites | Hobie Beach for 'Inside the Bay' and Noordhoek Ski Boat Club for 'The Wild Side'. |
| Best Time to Dive | With the Westerlies in Winter. Locals dive year round but find September through to mid November has the most unpredictable weather. |
| Water Temp | 16-20 degrees celcius in the bay / 8 - 14 degrees on the Wild Side. The water temperature tends to cool in summer time (October - March). |
| Visibility | Average 5-6metres. Up to 15 metres on a good day. |
| Exposure Protection | You'll start shivering after half an hour (unless you're really tough) in several layers of 5mm with hoods and gloves. Although this is the local norm we'd advise that you stick to your drysuit, hood and gloves if you have one. Half an hour is just not enough time to appreciate these beautiful reefs. |
| Average diving depth | Bell Buoy / Haarlem - 18 / 20metres. Most other dives are classed as Advanced Dives. Average depth 30metres with erratic currents and reasonably strong surge. |
| Possible Marine Encounters | Leopard Shy Sharks and Pyjama Shy Sharks (both types of Dogfish), Ragged Tooth Sharks, Red Romans, Juvenille Hammerhead Sharks in December/January. Regular boat-based sightings of Dolphins, Jackass Penguins, Southern Right Whales in Winter, Humpback Whales all summer. |
The
Dive Sites:
Inside The Bay, recommended sites are Phillips Reef, Haarlem Wreck, Devils Reef (Shore Dive) and Bell Buoy. The water is generally cleaner than on the Wild Side and the seas calmer. All the reefs are perfect for macro photography despite low visibility. The Haarlem Wreck is small but full of colourful life. Pyjama sharks can be found in dark corners lazily flopped over each other in a heap. The reefs are bright and colourful, good for night dives. On Bell Buoy (July), Mark was unwittingly 'buzzed' while lining up a shot of a large basket star. Thinking it was Charlie being clumsy, he turned around ready to give her what for and came face to face with a small but very inquisitive Ragged Tooth Shark who also seemed to want to check the composition of his shot through the lens! The outer reefs and those on the Wild Side are for the more advanced diver due to challenging currents and depth. These are pristine reefs with Hard and Soft Corals and once again, lots of 'little' life ie. colourful Nudibranches and Anemones. The Wild Side: Bright red palmate sea fans, purple and orange soft corals, large pink anemones and huge Gas Flame Nudibranches cover the reefs. Dramatic walls, gulleys and overhangs all in full technicolour. Brighter than any tropical hard corals, the colours seemed as if they'd been carefully painted in the torchlight beam. The water was a bit chilly at 14 degrees Celsius and although we suffered after 20minutes in 2 piece 5mm wetsuits, we emerged beaming from ear to ear. The following day, we dived a site called Avalanche, along the same stretch of reef as Gasmic. More interesting rock formations and gulleys carpeted with colourful sponges, fans, anemones. One high vertical wall round the back of the reef held many dark crevices and hidey holes which are apparently a regular hangout for the horsefish. On all of these reefs it is quite likely to find leopard dogfish and pyjama sharks, red romans (rock cod) and large shoals of fish. The surge can get quite strong and visibility averages out at 4/5metres. With so much colour around, you must take a torch to really appreciate it. Rie Banks: A beautiful spot rarely dived due to the reef being 22km from shore. Luckily this time around the weather was in our favour, the seas calm and the sun appeared from ime to time to light up the reef. A wide expanse of deep reef that rises to 17/18metres and drops to 60m in some places. Stunning seascape which seemed to stretch for miles. Visibility is generally good - we saw 15m and were ecstatic. When both owners of the dive centre jump on board with scuba gear and cameras, you get the feeling you're in for a great dive. Highly recommended dive if the seas are calm. |
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