Hopscotch (★4.0)
This is a divesite for advanced divers and is also only accessible via a boat ride. It is a dive site that is known for its sightings of Manta Rays.
Explore Sodwana Bay
Sodwana Bay is located in the KwaZulu Natal region on the northeast coast of South Africa. Sodwana Bay refers to the surrounding National Park as well as the bay itself. It is renowned as one of the best dive sites in the world with over 35,000 divers visiting every year.
The diving here falls into the Indo-Pacific region and as such is full of brightly coloured and healthy coral reefs. The continental shelf here is 4km and most of this is covered in hard and soft coral gardens, with low, sandstone pinnacles, shallow drop offs gullies and swim throughs. They range in depth between 6 and 100m.
Diving is a popular business in this region with plenty of dive centres and dive resorts to dive with. Many dive resorts also offer dive and stay packages, aimed at a mixture of budgets. Almost all of these offer dive courses from beginner to Instructor. Sodwana Bay is not a destination where you can find liveaboards due to the sometimes rough and unpredictable Indian Ocean.
Some of the highlights here are the opportunities to see migrating pelagics like humpback whales and whale sharks as well as mile upon mile of healthy, stunning reefs.
Dive Activity
Diving in Sodwana Bay
The majority of Sodwana Bay diving is reef diving. The reefs are continuous and are savvily named by their distance from the short - 1 mile, 2 mile, 7 mile etc.
Each of these offers slightly different reef diving, with 2 Mile Reef being the most common area for diving as it has many tropical fish. 5 Mile has huge drop offs and coral formations. 7 Mile has mushroom rocks and impressive walls where you can often find turtles. 9 Mile Reef has swim throughs, caves and overhangs galore, perfect for the adventurous diver. Stringer and Bikini Reefs are great locations for macro photography.
All diving in Sodwana Bay is drift diving, with a prevalent north - south current, which is sometimes reversed. When strong, you might see more than one dive site in one dive! It is important to follow a knowledgeable guide in these conditions.
Dive Sites
The best Months to Dive in Sodwana Bay
Diving in Sodwana Bay is a year round hobby but the seasonal changes do mean that some times are more popular. The winter months between June and October have cooler air temperatures around 15°C and water temperatures (21°C). Though chillier, this time is still popular, in part because of the opportunity to see migrating humpback whales. You may get to hear their song as you dive the reef.
The summer months between December and February are warmer, with air temperatures in the high 20s and higher on some days. The water temperatures are also in the high 20s with only a shortie wetsuit usually required. The rain does increase at this time of year but it comes down in short, sharp bursts. At this time of year, you might see ragged tooth sharks and nesting leatherback and loggerhead turtles.
Top Wildlife Sightings in Sodwana Bay
The diversity in Sodwana Bay is astounding, with the reefs hosting over 1,200 species of fish. There are bright and darting reef fish and swarming schools of silvery fish like spanish mackerel. The gamefish here are rife, including kingfish and yellow-fin tuna.
The area is known for its shark encounters. The chances of seeing the ragged tooth shark is high in the summer months. Other common sightings are bull sharks, tiger sharks, whale sharks, black tip sharks, hammerheads and even the famous great white shark.
Other pelagic species are frequently visible too. Humpback whales and southern right whales pass through these waters, sometimes you will see them breach from the dive boat or even hear them while diving. Dolphins often accompany the boat and orcas have been known to visit these waters. Marble rays, eagle rays and manta rays are all visible. The critically endangered loggerhead and leatherback turtles both graze on the reefs and lay their eggs on the beaches.
Some of the shallower and more protected reefs have a great variety of macro life. For photographers, these sites filled with nudibranch, shrimp, octopus, cuttlefish, pipefish and crustaceans cannot be missed.
Wildlife Sightings are Based on User Generated Content
The image shown is a representative illustration and does not depict every individual animal in this category.
Total number of species approx.: 200
Alamy-WaterFrame
Moray Eel
292 Sightings
J
30
F
26
M
17
A
21
M
28
J
6
J
14
A
16
S
19
O
25
N
22
D
68
Shutterstock-Shane Myers Photography
Green Turtle
87 Sightings
J
2
F
11
M
13
A
1
M
12
J
4
J
1
A
6
S
2
O
14
N
2
D
19
The image shown is a representative illustration and does not depict every individual animal in this category.
Total number of species approx.: 600
iStock/ultramarinfoto
Wrasse
67 Sightings
J
6
F
6
M
2
A
8
M
13
J
5
J
0
A
8
S
2
O
2
N
2
D
13
The image shown is a representative illustration and does not depict every individual animal in this category.
Total number of species approx.: 300
Alamy/Reinhard Dirscherl
Octopus
49 Sightings
J
3
F
0
M
3
A
6
M
3
J
5
J
0
A
0
S
0
O
5
N
2
D
22
iStock-ShaneGross
Loggerhead Turtle
29 Sightings
J
2
F
0
M
5
A
2
M
5
J
0
J
3
A
2
S
0
O
3
N
2
D
5
The image shown is a representative illustration and does not depict every individual animal in this category.
Total number of species approx.: 3
iStock/Dimitrios Stefanidis
Sand Tiger Shark
26 Sightings
J
7
F
6
M
0
A
0
M
0
J
0
J
0
A
0
S
0
O
0
N
0
D
13
The image shown is a representative illustration and does not depict every individual animal in this category.
Total number of species approx.: 25
iStock/Juliosanjuan
Eagle Ray
19 Sightings
J
3
F
1
M
2
A
2
M
0
J
0
J
0
A
0
S
0
O
0
N
0
D
11
The image shown is a representative illustration and does not depict every individual animal in this category.
Total number of species approx.: 27
iStock-Global_Pics
Barracuda
10 Sightings
J
2
F
0
M
0
A
2
M
0
J
0
J
0
A
0
S
1
O
0
N
0
D
5
Alamy-National Geographic Creative
Leatherback Turtle
8 Sightings
J
2
F
0
M
0
A
0
M
0
J
0
J
0
A
2
S
2
O
0
N
2
D
0
The image shown is a representative illustration and does not depict every individual animal in this category.
Total number of species approx.: 28
Udo Kefrig
Clownfish
278 Sightings
J
30
F
29
M
17
A
32
M
35
J
8
J
13
A
12
S
14
O
20
N
16
D
52
