Diving the Cape Peninsula and False Bay/SS Hypatia

The dive site SS Hypatia is an offshore historical wreck in the Robben Island area on the Atlantic seaboard of the Cape Peninsula, near Cape Town in the Western Cape province of South Africa.

SS Hypatia was wrecked on Whale Rock in Table Bay on 29 October 1929 in fog while on a voyage from Beira to New York with a cargo of blister copper and chrome ore. The steel cargo vessel of 5663 tons was built built in 1902 by Palmers & Co, Newcastle, for the British Houston Line. It had a single 3-cylinder triple expansion steam engine with coal fired scotch boilers, giving a maximum speed if 14 knots. Length was 137.7 m, beam 15.9 m and 8.6 m depth. The ship's bell was recovered in the 1960s and the propeller was salvaged in 1974.

-33.83516718.3791671 Hypatia: S33°50.110’ E018°22.750’ — Engine block This site is in the Robben Island Marine Protected Area (2019). A permit is required.

"SS Hypatia" was the name of the ship wrecked at this site in 1929.

Maximum depth is about 13 m at the boilers. Most of the wreckage is at about 7 to 9 m, and the shallowest parts may be at 6 m.

Visibility is likely to be somewhat less than the general surrounding area due to relatively shallow depth. It will normally be fairly good after a south east wind, and may well exceed 10 m on a good day.

With the notable exception of the boilers, engine and propeller shaft, most of the wreckage is broken up into fairly small pieces, and lies wedged in cracks and on the bottom of shallow gullies in the reef.

Geology: Pre-Cambrian sedimentary rocks probably of the Tygerberg formation. These appear to be resistant sandstone or mudstone, and the gullies have very little sand in them as this is a very high energy area in rough weather. The reef is moderately low profile, not more than 1 or 2 metres local variation in depth, and there is no obvious pattern to the ridges and gullies.

This reef is exposed to the south west swell. There is often a break in the area and the surge can be very powerful. The water is usually cold. The site should be dived when the sea is fairly flat.

The site is usually at its best in summer but there are also occasional opportunities in other seasons.

Only accessible by boat. The site is about 8 km from the Oceana Power Boat Club slipway.

There are day charter boats which can take a diver to any of the dive sites in the region, but most operators only work from a limited number of launch sites, which limits the dive sites they visit. Visits to a dive site also depend on the weather and are generally not predictable or bookable more than two to four days in advance. See the listing for Cape Peninsula and False Bay boat dive charters and the associated services directory for contact details.

Dive on the wreck and explore the wreckage

• 001 Western boiler: about S33°50.110’ E018°22.730’

Try starting at the boilers, then swimming east to the engine and propeller shaft, then view the smaller pieces of wreckage further east and north.east

Notable for heavy growth of large red-bait pods, algal turf understorey, sparse split fan kelp forest, black mussels and sea urchins. The wreckage is largely encrusted with coralline algae, which make it the same colour as the underlying rock. Shoals of Hottentot seabream are frequent.

Wreckage of a steel cargo ship. The structure was riveted plates, and the power was a single triple expansion steam engine, which is the largest remaining piece of wreckage. The engine lies on its port side on top of the reef, and looks very much like the reef from a distance. The large, long and straight propeller shaft protruding from the engine about a metre above the reef is a good landmark. Two boilers lie several metres west of the engine. The rest of the wreckage is mostly small and not easily identifiable, and lies in the low areas between the ridges.

Cold water, strong surge, sharp wreckage.

No special skills recommended. In a suitably low swell the site is appropriate for entry level divers.

Good insulation recommended. 7 mm wet suit or dry suit.

North to south:

• -33.8245518.4710171 MV Seli 1
• -33.83143318.3587332 Robben Island steamer wreck Gilia
• -33.835218.3809673 Whale Rock
• -33.8398618.385564 MV Daeyang Family
• -33.86273318.2694335 T.S. McEwan
• -33.86918318.4863836 MV Winton
• -33.87016718.4875837 Hermes
• -33.873118.3249178 Mooivlei
• -33.873318.316359 Disa
• -33.87473318.34548310 Blomvlei
• -33.8818318.33858311 MV Gemsbok
• -33.88596718.430512 Highfields
• -33.88713318.409713 SS Cape Matapan
• -33.89666718.39666714 SS SA Seafarer
• -33.897518.409515 RMS Athens
• -33.90618.397516 Three Anchor Bay
• -33.90793318.417917 Two Oceans Aquarium
• -33.91508318.35701718 Sea Point Ridge Pinnacles
• -33.92618.377519 Bantry Bay

Back to the Alphabetical list of sites, or list of dive sites in the Robben Island area

Other regional dive sites:

• Dive sites of the Cape Peninsula west coast
• Dive sites of the Cape Peninsula east coast
• Dive sites of False Bay offshore and approaches
• Dive sites of False Bay east coast
• Fresh water dive sites of the Cape Town Metropolitan Area