Diving the Cape Peninsula and False Bay/SS SA Seafarer

The dive site SS South African Seafarer is an inshore recent wreck on a rocky reef in the Green Point area on the Atlantic seaboard of the Cape Peninsula, in Cape Town in the Western Cape province of South Africa.

• -33.89666718.3966671 SA Seafarer: S33°53.80’ E018°23.80’ — (approximate). 50 to 75 m offshore, slightly to the west of the Green Point Lighthouse

The position of the block (presumably an engine block) of the Seafarer is S33°53.965 E18°23.791

This site is not in a Marine Protected Area. A permit is not required.

The 8000 ton Safmarine freighter SS South African Seafarer was wrecked in a north westerly gale on 1st July, 1966, in front of the Green Point Lighthouse. All crew and passengers were rescued on the following day by helicopter. Most of the cargo was lost when the vessel broke up and the sea bed resembled a junkyard. No hull structure is recognisable.

Fairly shallow, probably not more than 8 m

Geology: Pre-Cambrian sedimentary rock, probably Tygerberg formation of the Malmesbury series.

This area is exposed to the south west swell and the reefs are rugged. Be careful in the surf zone. It will generally only be diveable in a fairly flat sea. A north west wind will push up a chop which will make shore entry and exit uncomfortable or even dangerous, so check the weather forecast and don't dive if a front is coming in. South easterly winds will only be a problem if very strong, and this can be forecast fairly reliably.

The site is more likely to be at its best in summer but there are also occasional opportunities in other seasons.

Paved public parking area.

Shore dive: To get there park in the parking lot facing the sea in front of the lighthouse. To get to the sea you will need a rope or a ladder. The reason for this is that there is a drop of several metres from the promenade walkway to the rocks below. There are no steps around anywhere, so the only way to get down is by lowering yourself and your gear down.

Boat dive: This site can also be dived by boat. The site is about 2.3 km from the Oceana Power Boat Club slipway at Granger Bay.

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.

Steel wreck of fairly modern construction, severely broken up.

No special skills recommended.

No special equipment required.

33°53′48″S 18°23′48″E

SA Seafarer wreck and nearby dive sites. The yellow lines are boundaries of the MPAs, and the orange lines are boundaries of restricted zones within the MPAs.

• -33.8818318.3385831 MV Gemsbok
• -33.88596718.43052 Highfields
• -33.88713318.40973 SS Cape Matapan
• -33.897518.40954 RMS Athens
• -33.90618.39755 Three Anchor Bay
• -33.90793318.41796 Two Oceans Aquarium
• -33.91508318.3570177 Sea Point Ridge Pinnacles
• -33.92618.37758 Bantry Bay
• -33.930918.364159 North Lion’s Paw Main Reef

Back to the Alphabetical list of sites, or list of dive sites in the Table Bay 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