Dive sites of False Bay offshore and approaches

This listing of dive sites of False Bay offshore and approaches is part of the regional guide for Diving the Cape Peninsula and False Bay which is intended to provide the already qualified scuba diver with information which will help to plan dives in the waters of the Cape Peninsula and False Bay, whether as a local resident or a visitor. Information is provided without prejudice, and is not guaranteed accurate or complete. Use it at your own risk. Expand or correct it when you can.

The region described is within a day trip by road from any part of greater Cape Town, in the Western Cape province of South Africa and includes over 300 named dive sites for which positions are recorded, which is a lot for any single destination.

Detailed information on individual dive sites is provided in the sub-articles linked from this list. The information in the site descriptions ranges from superficial to highly detailed, depending on what is known about the site. There may be a map. The bathymetric charts by SURGMAP are updated as and when new survey data is collected, and are mapped by swimming the contours towing a GPS buoy. They are reasonably accurate – within a couple of metres usually – and reliable for what is shown, but seldom complete. It is quite possible that some tall pinnacles have been missed. There is no guarantee that you will not discover one by hitting it with your boat. If you do, please let us know. We are working on it. Bathymetric maps and images provided by Wreckless Marine are produced by state of the art multibeam sonar and are generally accurate to within 1 m in position and depth where position and depth are given, and are otherwise metre-scale accurate representations of the underwater topography. Their colour coding for depth may not be consistent.

In some instances a dive site sub-article will include several sites which are in close proximity, as much of the information will be common to them all. In other cases, usually involving wreck sites, two adjacent sites will each have its own sub-article, but if two or more wrecks lie in the same position, or with substantial overlap, they will be described in the same sub-article.

Other dive sites in the Cape Peninsula and False Bay region can be found at:

• Dive sites of Table Bay and approaches,
• Dive sites of the Cape Peninsula west coast,
• Dive sites of the Cape Peninsula east coast, also known as Dive sites of False Bay west coast, and
• Dive sites of False Bay east coast, which includes the fresh water dive site at Sir Lowry's Pass.

The dive sites described in these articles include some which are well known favourites and have been dived frequently and by many divers for decades, and also newly described sites, which may only have been dived a few times, and by a few divers. There are also sites which have been known for years, but seldom dived due to their relative inaccessibility, and a few which are basically not particularly interesting, but have been included in the interests of completeness, as the information is available, and occasionally people want to know what they are like or need to dive there. With a few exceptions, the information provided is based on personal observation at the sites by Wikivoyagers. All photos of marine life and features of interest were taken at the listed site, but seasons and conditions change, and your experience may differ.

Geographical information is provided in as much detail as is available. Sites are geolinked, which allows them to be identified on various internet map systems. Positional accuracy is usually good. The maps provided should be usable, to scale, and accurate, but are not guaranteed either to be correct in all details, or complete. Clicking on the image will open a link to a higher resolution image.

Introduction and some tips on diving the Central False Bay sites.

All the sites in this area are fairly far offshore, and can only be done as boat dives. They are also relatively deep and because of the long boat trip and exposed positions, generally only dived when conditions are expected to be good.

This area is exposed to the same south-westerly swells as the Atlantic coast, but they must travel over a much wider continental shelf, much of which is less than 100 m deep, so there is a significant dissipation of wave energy before it reaches the shoreline.

During summer the strong south-easterly winds have sufficient fetch to produce sea states which are unpleasant and though the wave action may not produce a great deal of surge at the bottom, the surface conditions may be unsuitable for diving, and in winter the north-wester can have a similar effect.

As the area is affected by the winds and wave systems of both winter and summer, there is less seasonal correlation to suitable conditions, and it is simply dived when conditions are good, which is not very often, but may be more often than previously thought, and at some reefs the visibility may be better than inshore.

It is quite common for the surface visibility offshore to be poor, with better visibility at depth, but the reverse effect can also occur. These effects are often associated with a thermocline, which is associated with midsummer to autumn.

Water temperature can differ with depth in summer from 20°C on the surface to 9°C at the bottom at 28 m, sometimes with a distinct thermocline, though usually there is less of a change, and in winter the temperature may be nearly constant at all depths. A dry suit is recommended for any of these dives, but they are also often done in wetsuits.

There is often a surface current associated with wind at the offshore sites, which generally sets to the left of the wind direction.

These sites are not dived as frequently as the inshore reefs, as they are further from the launch sites and therefore take considerably longer to get to. They are also more exposed to the weather from all directions, so the trip is often bumpy. However, as they are relatively deep, and far offshore, the visibility can be very good, and may well be better than inshore areas at any given time, particularly with an onshore wind and swell. Unfortunately this is not reliably predictable.

Local geography: The topography of the reefs differs according to the geology of the area. As a result the character varies considerably.

Seal Island, Whittle Rock and the associated reefs, Anvil Rock and Bellows Rock are granite outcrops, probably all part of the Cape Peninsula pluton, and the exposed granite is heavily weathered in corestone landforms. Steenbras Reef is sedimentary rock, thought to be Tygerberg formation of the Malmesbury series, but looks more like sandstone than shale, East Shoal and York Shoal are also hard sedimentary rock, and Rocky Bank is sandstone, probably of the Table Mountain group. The character of the sedimentary rock reefs is largely determined by dip, the angle of tilt of the strata, and to a lesser degree by strike, the orientation of the strata relative to the cardinal directions.

The sites include:

• -34.137518.58251 Seal Island: S34°08.25’ E018°34.95’

  Cage dive. Boat access only. Depth shallow — the cages are only about 2 m deep.

  These dives are for one purpose only: to see sharks. Other fish may be attracted to the bait, but that is not what you do this dive to see. Cage dives must be done through a licensed Shark Cage Diving charter.

• -34.15611118.5930562 York Shoal: S34°09.367', E018°35.583'

  Reef dive. Boat access only. Depth is between 4 and about 28 m.

  The reef is a hard sedimentary rock. It is near Seal Island where Great White sharks are a tourist attraction.

• Blue Flame Pinnacles

  Reef dives. Boat access only. Depth 25 to 33 m.

  A group of small, fairly deep reefs between the wreck of the Fleur and Simon's Town. Depths between 25 and something over 30 m.

  -34.21166718.5541673 Blue Flame North Pinnacles: S34°12.700’ E018°33.250’. A fairly large area of granite reef with a group of long ridge-pinnacles aligned roughly northwest–southeast.

  -34.2139518.5559174 Blue Flame South Pinnacles: S34°12.837’ E018°33.355’. A small cluster of very steep granite corestone pinnacles which rise from a low profile outcrop a metre or two above the surrounding sand.

This is an extensive region of granite reef east of Miller's Point. It can be considered as being four areas, with the main reef at Whittle Rock as the focus, and Off-Whittle Western Reefs, Eastern Reefs and Southern Reefs as a simple way of distinguishing the general area of the sites. Whittle Rock is the shallowest, most varied, and best known sector There are reefs to the east of similar depth, some of which have been dived and recorded, reefs to the west which are deeper on average due to their lower profile, which are unknown, as no-one has reported diving on them, and deeper reefs to the south, of rather varied profile, some of which have been dived and recorded.

• Whittle Rock

  Reef dive. Boat access only. Depth 4 m to about 42 m.

  This is a large area of granite corestone reefs surrounded by sand. The topography varies considerably as it is such a large area. The top of the shallowest pinnacle is at about 4 m depth, and the surrounding sand is mostly from 30 to 40 m.

  -34.24408318.55045 Ultima Thule: S34°14.645' E018°33.026'. This is the farthest northwest close outlier that is still considered part of Whittle Rock reef. Quite compact, but relatively deep.

  -34.24416718.5520836 Northwest Passage: S34°14.650' E18°33.125'. Right at the northwestern tip of the Whittle Rock reefs. A fairly substantial outcrop projecting into the surrounding sand. Quite high profile, but mostly quite deep.

  -34.24506718.5627177 Shards Cluster, or The Shards: S34°14.704' E18°33.763'. A cluster of huge angular boulders at the northeasternmost extent of the main reef, off the Euphrates Rise, projecting beyond the general line of the perimeter into the surrounding sand.

  -34.24538318.5605838 Cathedral Pinnacle: S34°14.723' E18°33.635', 18 m. A large boulder at the end of a small ridge overlooking a small sandy strip with scattered small boulders on the northern slope of the main reef.

  -34.245718.564059 East Ridge North Pinnacle: S34°14.742' E18°33.843' A massive outcrop with a flattish top split by parallel gullies to form four large parallel ridges running northwest to southeast.

  -34.24583318.55803310 North-west corner pinnacles, or Far Northwest Pinnacles: S34°14.750' E18°33.482'. The northwest part of the main reef has a cluster of small sheer sided high-profile pinnacles with narrow gaps rising from below 24 m to about 18 m, and about 40 m further northwest, a fairly large flat topped area at about 20 m with a steep drop around the sides to below 27 m.

  -34.24583318.55333311 Fractal Zones: S34°14.750' E18°33.200'. A large area of interlocking low reef and sand areas. There are occasional bits of reef in the sand patches and also patches of sand amongst the more broken areas of reef.

  -34.24608318.56036712 Whittle Rock Northwest Pinnacle: S34°14.765’ E018°33.622’. A small, fairly steep and very localised pinnacle area on a generally lower profile area of massive bedrock. It is between the eastern plateau and the northwestern end of the high main reef, toward the top of the northern slope.

  -34.2464518.56316713 Northeastern Pinnacle and Euphrates Gully area: S34°14.787' E18°33.790'. A massive outcrop with steep sides and flattish top, south of a sandy gully with three large wrought-iron anchors thought to be from the English East-Indiaman Euphrates at S34°14.776' E18°33.801' and S34°14.783' E18°33.795'.

  -34.2466718.5526714 Peter's Ridge: S34°14.800' E18°33.160'. A ridge of fairly high reef, separated from the main reef by a sandy area to the south and east, and from another, roughly parallel, ridge by a sandy gully to the north.

  -34.24703318.55516715 Bruce's Reef: S34°14.824' E18°33.310' Also known as Stingray central. A raised area of reef inside the MPA. An area with some large low profile areas and a few high profile pinnacles, ridges and gullies to the north. There are two small 19 m pinnacles on opposite sides of a narrow gully cutting across the west end of the rise.

  -34.24716718.5646516 Criss-cross Cracks: S34°14.830' E18°33.879' A high flattish topped area at the south of the East Ridge, split by several relatively narrow and moderately deep cracks.

  -34.247418.56136717 Whittle Rock West Pinnacle: S34°14.844’ E018°33.682’. The second shallowest point of the reef. A huge boulder wedged into the top of a large gulley, forming a big swim-through.

  -34.24743318.561918 Whittle Rock: S34°14.846’ E018°33.714’ — The main (highest) pinnacle, and the feature known specifically as Whittle Rock, is a huge boulder standing on top of the main outcrop, with a gully to the east. A second pinnacle stands a few metres to the southwest.

  -34.247518.553319 Butt Rocks S34°14.850' E18°33.198' A small area of high reef to the west of Western Reef Pinnacles, across a narrow sand tonge at about 32 m, and inside the MPA. This is a small area area of reef which is mostly moderately high profile, with a large outcrop with a narrow cleft. The pinnacles ere distinctive: the southern has a relatively conical top, ant the northern has a generally lower flatter form with quite a narrow peak ridge alongside the cleft.

  -34.247518.55846720 Whaleback Pinnacles: S34°14.850' E18°33.508'. A group of pinnacles at the northwest end of Whaleback Ridge, with a small sand patch off the northeast end of the ridge, and another at about to the southwest.

  -34.247618.55498321 Whittle Rock Western Reef Pinnacle: S34°14.856' E18°33.269' (inside the MPA) An area of moderate profile reef to the west, marked by a shallower area at 19 m depth on top, and local bottom at a bit below 27 m on sand to the north and west.

  -34.24786718.55756722 Gullies S34°14.872' E18°33.454' (just outside the MPA). A group of north-south aligned ridges, separated by deep gullies, some with sandy bottoms, extending to the large sandy indentation on the south side of the reef.

  -34.24811718.56291723 Whittle Rock Southeastern Pinnacle: S34°14.887’ E018°33.775’. A massive outcrop at the southeastern end of the main reef, with a steep walled gully on the northeastern side, and a flatter slope down to the south, where there is a long and fairly wide sandy gully sloping down to the east.

  -34.24833318.56058324 Whaleback Rock: S34°14.900' E18°33.635'. A compact, blunt topped pinnacle northeast of the Cave Complex, across a sandy patch, and northwest of the Table Top area. The reef to the northwest is a moderate relief broken ridge, with boulders and rubble on the northeast slope.

  -34.24718318.55401725 Far Southwest Pinnacle: S34°14.881' E18°33.241'. A moderate area of deep reef with a large flattish topped pinnacle, a swim-through, and several small sand patches around it.

  -34.2485618.5574526 Aoife's Reef: S34°14.914 E18°33.447'. A patch of reef south of a sandy gap. The western part is high profile with lower reef to the east.

  -34.2488518.56196627 Flash pinnacle: S34°14.931' E18°33.718'. A tall steep sided tapering pinnacle with a triangular section and small flattish top. Lower down it splits into several shards, and there are another two large upright slabs to the north, and a swim-through.

  -34.2490518.5591528 M&M Tower (the Spark plug): S34°14.043’ E018°33.549’. The tower is also known as the Spark plug for the curved overhang at the top with a boulder just under it. It is a narrow ridge-pinnacle.

  -34.2490518.56026729 Caves Complex reef: S34°14.943’ E018°33.616’. An area of high profile reef that is somewhat chaotic in structure, and has several deep overhangs, and at least one fairly large but tight and twisty swim-through under a large corestone ridge. The northeastern entrance to the big swim-through is near the end of a hogsback ridge running northeast–southwest.

  -34.2490818.5595530 Bus-stop overhang (the Gnarly wall): S34°14.945' E18°33.573'. A feature on the Gnarly Wall, which is the north face of the east end of Tower Ridge. The Bus-stop is a large overhang at the top of the rock face, formed by underground weathering of the granite, later exposed by erosion of the saprolith.

  -34.2491518.56178331 Wreckless Rock and the Little Labyrinth: S34°14.949' E18°33.707'. A huge boulder perched on the bedrock of a long flattish northwest-southeast ridge parallel to the main reef outcrop. The northern end of Wreckless Rock has a large overhang almost reaching a lower ridge to the north. The Little Labyrinth is a tight cluster of pinnacles and narrow ridges and gullies at the southeast end of the long, flattish reef, a few metres from Wreckless Rock.

  -34.24946718.56113332 Table Top pinnacle: S34°14.968' E18°33.668'. A massive outcrop with a fairly flat top. The sides are quite steep all the way round, and there is a deep crack towards the east side that extends to the base of the pinnacle on the north side. To the east there is a fairly wide gully with a large slab leaning against the main pinnacle forming a swim-through.

  -34.24953318.55733 Mossie's Cave and pinnacle: S34°14.972' E18°33.420' (South-western pinnacles) A deep overhang or cave is at the sand in a gully at the bottom of a pinnacle which rises to about 19 m.

  -34.2498518.557534 Grant's Spike: S34°14.991' E18°33.450'. The tallest pinnacle at the South-western pinnacles reef, at the eastern end of the reef, and is quite narrow near the top.

  -34.2500518.55741735 Grant's Wall: S34°15.003' E18°33.445' A short stretch of wall, dropping nearly vertically from the pinnacle tops to sand along the southern and southeastern edge of the Southwestern pinnacles reef segment.

  -34.25006718.55966736 Labyrinth: S34°15.004’ E018°33.580’ A compact cluster of ridge pinnacles of similar height on the northern edge of a large lobe of mostly lower reef, separated by deep and fairly narrow gullies in a crossing pattern.

  -34.250818.560137 Labyrinth South Pinnacle: S34°15.048' E18°33.606' (Sponge Gardens). South of the Labyrinth there is a large fairly deep area of reef called the Sponge Gardens. There are two small groups of pinnacles south of the labyrinth area.

  -34.25171718.5600538 Deep South Pinnacles: S34°15.103' E18°33.603'. A cluster of deep pinnacles and an isolated sand patch nearby to the northeast. This is the southernmost part of Whittle Rock reef.

• -34.2518518.5429739 Western Deep: S34°15.111' E18°32.578'. The reef is fairly high profile near the high area, and there is a large rock near the sand on the west side with a big overhang on its east side

• -34.22701518.6098840 GB Reef: S34°13.6209' E18°36.5973', East of Whittle Rock, west of the SATS General Botha wreck. A fairly large but quite low profile granite outcrop, with occasional higher ridges. Much of the reef is criss-crossed by closely spaces joint planes, and there are several low-lying sandy patches within the perimeter of the reef.
• -34.24961718.59068341 Stef's Reef Ridge: S34°14.977' E018°35.441', One of several relatively deep granite reefs east of Whittle Rock. This reef is distinguished by at least one long, high, steep sided, sharp peaked ridge. It appears to run roughly north-south, and there is a second ridge probably parallel to it near the mark.
• -34.2337318.5877242 Bill Liltved's Reef: S34°14.0238' E18°35.2632'. One of the larger patches of granite reef east of Whittle Rock. This fairly extensive area of reef includes some high profile areas. Large boulders and pinnacle outcrops with gullies with smaller boulders and a few small sandy patches.
• -34.239418.58078343 Off-Whittle Ridge: S34°14.364' E18°34.847' Depth 19 m to more than 30 m. An area of granite corestone reef nearly 2 km to the west-north-west of Whittle Rock. The pinnacle is in the form of a ridge running roughly north-south with a cluster of large boulders to the northeast, and is quite small. The topography is rugged in the ridge area, with a wall down to about 25 m on the west side.
• -34.24038318.5865144 Windtoy Reef: S34°14.423', E018°35.191'. A relatively small area of high profile outcrops and large boulders surrounded by lower profile reef and relatively small boulders and rubble.
• -34.24818.58133345 Bruce's Mark: S34°14.880' E18°34.880'. A few kilometers east of Whittle Rock. 44 m on the sand and 17 m at the top of the pinnacle. Massive granite ridges and a large area of lower reef.

  -34.2472518.57683946 Western Pinnacle: S34°14.835' E18°34.610'. A group of large angular boulders scattered over an area of granite outcrop with sandy bottomed gullies, a pinnacle, and a couple of swim-throughs.

• -34.25295518.6082747 South Island Reef: S34°15.1773' E18°36.4963'. East of Whittle Rock, southwest of the SATS General Botha wreck, about halfway across False Bay between Simon's Town and Gordon's Bay. A granite outcrop, rising from about 50 m on the sand to about 31 m at the top of the biggest outcrop ridge

• -34.2519318.571548 Midway Ridge: S34°15.116' E18°34.290'. Southwest of Bruce's Mark, about halfway between Whittle Rock main reef and Bruce's Mark. A compact granite outcrop rising from about 46 m on the sand to about 37 m deep at the rounded top, running northwest-southeast, with several deep transverse cracks and steep sides.
• -34.2525518.57848349 Sandy-top Ridge: S34°15.153' E18°34.709'. South of Bruce's Mark. A smallish granite outcrop rising from about 47 m on the sand to about 32 m deep at the flattish top, which has a sandy depression at the south end of the high reef.
• -34.2539518.5687750 Billy's Reef: S34°15.237' E18°34.126'. Southeast of Whittle Rock. A moderate sized reef for the area, made up of a set of parallel ridges of varying depth, most of the high reef concentrated in the central to northern parts, with lower reef around it, surrounded by sand, with a deep and wide sand-bottommed gully running north south, and crossed by an east-west gully of the same depth and similar width roughly in the centre of the reef.
• -34.25901718.56616751 Wreckless Ridge: S34°15.541' E18°33.970'. A granite ridge south of Whittle Rock reef on the sand at 48 m, rising to 30 m on top, with nice ledges and drop-offs. Surveyed by multibeam.
• -34.2682818.58061752 Southwood's Corner, or Deep Southeast Whittle Ridge: S34°16.097' E018°34.837'. A set of granite ridges south of Whittle Rock reef on the sand at 55 m, rising to 37 m on top, running roughly north to south with quite a steep slope to west and a sharp crest. Surveyed by multibeam from Wreckless II.
• -34.27158318.54538353 Lonehill Reef: S34°16.296' E18°32.723'. A patch of reef southwest of Whittle Rock reef on the sand at about  m, rising to  m on top. Much of the reef is fairly flat and covered with moderate sized boulders with sand between them. Known depths between 39 and 43 m. Surveyed by multibeam in 2022, first dived in 2022.
• -34.27223318.5372554 Josh's Reef: S34°16.334' E18°33.075'. A patch of reef south of Whittle Rock reef on the sand at about 48 m, rising to 32 m on top, with nice ledges to the southwest with a fine display of noble corals. Much of the reef is fairly flat and covered with moderate sized boulders. Surveyed by multibeam in 2022.
• -34.27356718.56681755 Deep South Whittle Reef: S34°16.414' E018°34.009'. Depth 40 m to about 55 m. The reef is a fairly large expanse of Peninsula granite corestone surrounded by sand. The central area around the high point is a large, moderate profile outcrop, split into ridges and gullies, some with sand bottoms up to 45 m depth. Depth at the surrounding sand is reported as 55 m to the north, and 53 m at a sand tongue to the south, with more reef on the other side. Surveyed by multibeam, very little has been dived.

Most of these dive sites are along Steenbras Ridge, a long ridge of hard sedimentary rock extending south from off Strand, to off Kogelbay and Rooi-els, about two thirds of the way across False Bay. There are several named dive sites on this ridge, which has not yet been fully explored, though it has been mapped by metre resolution multibeam sonar. Some of the sites not dived very frequently as it is a long boat trip and visibility is not very predictable, though it can be better than other sites on the east side of the bay. Depth varies considerably, with the northern sites relatively shallow, and the southern sites pushing the limits for recreational diving on air and nitrox. They are all only accessible by boat, and are listed north to south. The ridge is mostly quite low, seldom as much as 10 m above the local bottom.

• -34.13341718.754556 Choirboys Reef: S34°08.005' E18°45.270'

  Reef dive. Boat access only. Depth 20 to about 26 m

  Hard sedimentary rock reef, in moderate to low profile ridges and gullies.

• -34.14833318.64638957 East Shoal: S34°08'54" E18°38'47"

  Reef dive. Boat access only. Depth probably about 2 to 25 m.

  The reef is said to be Table Mountain sandstone. A seldom dived site due to distance from launch sites, with an astonishing density of echinoderms. There is also a deeper shoal area to the south of the main reef, with deep reef between them.

• -34.1426918.7638258 Drop Zone: S34°08.561' E18°45.829'

  Reef dive. Boat access only. Depth probably from about 12 to 25 m.

  The moderate profile but extensive reef is sedimentary rock, either Malmesbury series or Table Mountain sandstone. It was only dived by charter boats beginning in 2014. Colourful invertebrates, including large numbers of gorgonian sea fans.

• -34.152518.827559 Moddergat: S34°09.150' E18°49.650'

  Reef dive. Boat access only. Depth probably from about 13 to 16 m.

  The moderate to low profile but extensive reef is sedimentary rock, either Malmesbury series or Table Mountain sandstone. It was only dived by charter boats beginning in 2014. Colourful invertebrates, including quite large numbers of nudibranchs. Also known as a fishing spot, but not many fish seen of a size worth catching.

• -34.15606718.7506560 Sterretjies Reef: S34°09.364' E18°45.039'

  Reef dive. Boat access only. Depth 16 to about 30 m

  Hard sedimentary rock reef, in moderate to low profile ridges and gullies.

• -34.17681718.77488361 Steenbras Ridge Edge: S34°10.069', E018°46.493'. A long straight north/south step between reef to the west and a large expanse of sandy bottom to the east. Reef sloping gradually upwards to the west at to the south of the step.
• -34.18796718.76333362 Steenbras Ridge Outpost: S34°11.270' E018°45.804'. A small outlier to the east of the ridge, comprising a small area of jagged edged outcrop with steep dip, rising a few metres above a larger are of low reef of rubble.
• -34.18833318.75913363 Steenbras Ridge River Mouth Pinnacle: S34°11.300' E018°45.548'. Small low pinnacle with high dip. The rock is eroded to sharp edges on top, much like some of the dark fine-grained Tygerberg stuff and very much like the pinnacles at Steenbras Koppie a few kilometres further south.
• Steenbras Deep Reef

  Reef dive. Boat access only. Depth 17 to 30 m.

  This site is at the southern end of a long ridge towards the east side of False Bay. The southern pinnacle is irregular in shape, with a large number of cracks, grooves and indentations, mostly not very deep. Sand is coarse and shelly with lots of bryozoan detritus at the edge of the reef. There is also a northern pinnacle, though both are relatively flat.

  -34.202518.759564 Steenbras Deep North Pinnacle: S34°12.15’ E018°45.57’. Irregular shaped reef of hard, fine-grained sedimentary rock, with a large number of cracks, grooves and indentations.

  -34.210718.758365 Steenbras Deep South Pinnacle: S34°12.642’ E018°45.498’. Large area of irregular shape. Perimeter drops off fairly steeply, with several large and fairly deep gullies cutting into the outcrop from several directions. There are sand patches at about scattered around the outcrop, and more reef in other places.

• -34.21721718.76258366 Snake Ridge: S34°13.033 E018°45.755'. Outcrop, south of Steenbras Deep, with a sinuous ridge top running approximately north/south, giving a snake like appearance on the bathymetry image. Relatively low profile reef except for the ridge.
• -34.2241518.76156767 Steenbras Koppie: S34°13.449' E018°45.694'. Small tight cluster of steep sided high profile jagged edged outcrops with shelly sand between.

• Anvil Rock. Depth 3 m to more than 20 m. The reef is Peninsula granite corestone.

  -34.370318.51816768 Anvil Rock 3 m pinnacle: S34°22.218' E18°31.090'. A large, flat-topped shallow pinnacle rising to about 3 m, with a sheer wall on the south side dropping to more than 20 m. The west, north and east sides slope more gradually.

  -34.370418.517869 Anvil Rock caves: S36°22.244' E18°31.068'. A group of boulders and outcrops with some small caves and swim-throughs.

• -34.38965218.49055370 Bellows Rock:S E. Bellows Rock breaks the surface. Depth in the immediate vicinity can exceed 40 m. The south wall may be the highest continuous face wall dive in the Cape Peninsula, and is largely unexplored. The east side of Bellows Rock is the site of the wreck of the SS Lusitania. The reef is Peninsula granite corestone.

  -34.39031718.49141771 Lusi Pinnacle: S34°23.419’ E018°29.485’. Close by to the A pinnacle to the east of the Lusitania with its top at about 26 m with some engine structure leaning against the western side, and a fairly low ridge extends south of this. This ridge separates the main part of the wreckage from the more scattered parts further east.

  -34.39016618.49141772 Lusitania Ridge pinnacle: S34°23.410’ E018°29.485’ South of the Lusi pinnacle, across a small sandy gap there is a large ridge. The high point on this ridge is a steep sided pinnacle. The west side of the ridge is steep.

  -34.3888318.4898373 Wreckless Reef: S34°23.33' E018°29.39'. To the north of the Bellows Rock there is a large area of deep reef sometimes sheltered from the current by the lee of Bellows Rock, that has been named Wreckless Reef by local divers who end up there instead of on the Lusitania when the current over the wreck is strong. There are large outcrops with some fairly narrow gullies between them.

• Rocky Bank. Depth 22 m to more than 50 m on the south side. The reef is said to be Table Mountain sandstone. It is a beautiful site with bright colourful reef invertebrates, but is seldom dived due to the distance from the nearest launch site. Visibility is often better than inside the bay.

  -34.4136718.59121774 22 m drop: S34°24.820’ E018°35.473’

  -34.415118.591375 25 m drop: S34°24.906’ E018°35.478’

  -34.4159518.59121776 30 m drop: S34°24.957’ E018°35.473’

  -34.4097718.5864877 Gully: S34°24.586?’ E018°35.189’, a long shallow east-west depression the runs right across the bank with a minimum depth of about 32 m in the middle, with slightly shallower low profile reef to the north and south. Rather surprisingly there is a fairly large patch of sand in the middle, near the top. The drop mark is at the sand patch.

  -34.4165718.5910578 32 m drop: S34°24.994’ E018°35.463’

  -34.4187718.5959379 36 m Pablo's Steps: S34°25.126’ E018°35.756’. Drop onto about 36 m and travel northwest up a series of low steps.

  -34.4156818.6085380 40 to 50 m Rocky Ridge: S34°24.941’ E018°36.512’, A long east–west gnarly drop-off about 5 to 8 m high, with heavy encrustation of noble corals and sponges on the wall. More a step than a ridge, as it only drops off on one side. About 40 m deep on top of the ridge and about 45 m on the bottom, maximum depth about 50 m.

  -34.4154818.608281 Rocky Bank site 10: Rocky Ridge: S34°24.929' E018°36.496', 37 to 42 m

  -34.423218.5973582 45 m Ahmed's Bluff: S34°25.392’ E018°35.841’, a low bluff structure at about 45 m, dropping off to about 50 m.

  -34.41403318.6138283 50 m Northeast Buttress: S34°23.842' E018°36.829’, a magnificent buttress about 45 m on top dropping off steeply to 60 m Big walls, overhangs and lots of noble coral.

• Hangklip Ridge. Depth varies considerably from fairly shallow inshore to more than 100 m. The reef is said to be Table Mountain sandstone. Deeper areas may be Tygerberg series. Little information is available. The ridge is shown on the bathymetric charts as extending south-west from Cape Hangklip for several kilometers, and is known to affect the water circulation in False Bay.

There are a number of wrecks in central False Bay. Only the ones that are identified and dived are listed here. Exploration of previously undived wrecks occurs sporadically and the list is sure to increase over time. Most of these wrecks are relatively deep, and are all too far offshore to dive from the shore. Some of them are considered among the best dive sites of the Cape Town area, at least partly because of the difficult access and rarity value.

Local geography: The "Lusitania" is on a site where the granite reef is ruggedly spectacular and the boat trip provides a magnificent view of Cape Point. The General Botha, Bloemfontein and Fleur are on the flat sand bottom of the bay and in these cases, only the wreck is of much interest. The Godetia is relatively shallow and on a mixed sand and sedimentary rock reef bottom.

The sites include:

• -34.1008318.7366671 ST Godetia: S34°06.050' E19°44.200. Depth: 15 to 17 m. The SS Godetia was a steam trawler operated by Irvin and Johnson that was sunk for target practice by the SA Air Force. The wreck is very broken up and lies on a bottom of small patches of rocky reef and sand at a maximum depth of about 17 to 18 m. The single scotch boiler and engine block are the most prominent artifacts, and stand on top of a small section of reef, surrounded by fragments of various sizes. The propeller shaft and propeller extend slightly to the west.
• Muizenberg trawler wrecks

  Wreck dive, boat access. Maximum depth about 18 m.

  Three steel trawlers that were scuttled by the SA Navy to form an artificial reef in 1968, 1969, and 1971. They are fairly wasted, but the hull structures are moderately intact and heavily overgrown by invertebrates.

  -34.116618.52272 ST Bulby, or Eastern trawler wreck: S34°06.998' E18°31.363'. (1968)

  -34.11678318.520333 ST Borella: S34°07.007' E018°31.220'. (1971)

  -34.119418.514784 ST Iolite or Western trawler wreck: S34°07.166' E18°30.887'. (1969)

• -34.18053318.5649175 SAS Fleur: S34°10.832' E018°33.895'. Depth: 35 to 41 m. The SAS Fleur was a 'Bar' class boom defence vessel, formerly HMS Barbrake. The wreck lies almost level embedded in the bottom as if floating in sand with the weather deck at about 35 m. Hull structure is collapsing.
• Offshore Barges

  -34.20788318.5158336 North Barge: S34°12.473' E18°30.950'

  -34.20805518.5156117 South Barge: S34°12.483' E18°30.936'

  Depth: about 40 m. This is one of the closest 40 m wreck dives to a convenient launch site in False Bay.

• -34.22798318.6381678 SATS General Botha: S34°13.679’ E018°38.290'. Depth: 47 to 54 m. The River-Class cruiser HMS Thames was built in 1886 and later purchased from the Royal Navy and donated to the South African Government as a training ship for seafarers. The vessel was renamed the "South African Training Ship (SATS) General Botha". The General Botha was scuttled by gunfire from the Scala Battery in Simon’s Town on 13th May 1947. The hull is substantially intact from the ram bow to some metres abaft amidships, approximately level with the aft gun sponsons.
• -34.244318.66599 SAS Bloemfontein: near S34°14.655’ E018°39.952'. Depth: 47 to 55 m. The SAS Bloemfontein M439 was a sister ship to the SAS Pietermaritzburg and has similar dimensions and layout. This Algerine class Minesweeper was built as HMS Rosamund, and was scuttled on 5 June 1967. The ship lies upright on a flat sand bottom and is substantially intact.
• -34.3918.49416710 SS Lusitania: S34°23.40’ E018°29.65'. Depth: 35 to 40 m. Portuguese twin-screw liner of 5557 tons, built in 1906. Wrecked on Bellows Rock off Cape Point on 18 April 1911 in fog while on a voyage from Lourenco Marques (Maputo). The granite reef slopes down from Bellows Rock to the east, and drops off almost vertically from about 15 m to about 33 m, where the broken wreckage lies between the wall and some boulders further east. The wreck is very easy to find, and spread over a fairly large area down to 40 m.

Back to Diving the Cape Peninsula and False Bay#Dive sites

• Dive sites of Table Bay and approaches,
• Dive sites of the Cape Peninsula west coast,
• Dive sites of the Cape Peninsula east coast, also known as Dive sites of False Bay west coast, and
• Dive sites of False Bay east coast, which includes the fresh water dive site at Sir Lowry's Pass.