Explore the Free State

Free State is found in the middle of South Africa. The largest population centre is found in the provincial capital of Bloemfontein which also serves as the judicial capital of the country. 

There is one dive centre located here at which you can do all levels of dive courses including IDC. There are no dive resorts to be found here, nor liveaboards, so accommodation will have to be found separately. Beginner divers can take advantage of the plentiful pools in the area to perfect their skills before heading to the coast, as can more experienced divers looking to hone their skills away from the sometimes turbulent waters of South Africa’s coastline. 

There are a couple of local quarries which allow divers to practice their skills in open water, and get their qualifications miles from the coast. Divers here regularly arrange group trips to other diving hotspots on the coast like Durban, Port Elizabeth, Umkomaas, Sodwana Bay and Mozambique.

The whole eastern coast acts as a transition zone for warm warm coming from the north and cold water running across the cape, making this an area of huge diversity. The cold water is very nutritious which brings in the bigger animals. You can see the famous sardine run going up this coast from April to June.