Diving the Cape Peninsula and False Bay/Stef's Reef

The dive site Stef's Reef or Stef's Ridge is an offshore rocky reef in the Off-Whittle Eastern Reefs region of False Bay, near Cape Town in the Western Cape province of South Africa.

Stef's Reef was found during the multibeam sonar survey of False Bay during 2022 by Wreckless Marine. Its presence was previously not recorded, probably unknown. It is one of several relatively deep granite reefs in the region of False Bay known as Off-Whittle Eastern Reefs. It was first dived in August 2026, as part of a program of visiting the reefs of False Bay by SURGmap and Wreckless Divers.

-34.24961718.5906831 Stef's Reef: S34°14.977' E018°35.441', a short distance east of Bruce's Mark. This site is not in a Marine Protected Area. A permit is not required.

The name "Stef's Reef" was given in recognition of one of the divers on the first recorded dive at the site.

Maximum depth by multibeam sonar is about 40 m. and the top of the ridge is about 32 m. Average depth of a dive is likely to be about 36 m.

Visibility is likely to be similar to other offshore sites in False Bay with similar depth, distance offshore and recent weather history. Visibility may be better than on the inshore reefs, but as with any False Bay reef, it is not very predictable, and there may be better visibility at the bottom below a dirty surface layer of plankton, which can follow a period of strong sunshine. Visibility can exceed 20 m on rare and unpredictable occasions. The colour of the surface water is not a reliable indicator of the visibility at depth.

The site is an isolated granite outcrop in a group of granite outcrops known as the Off-Whittle Eastern Reefs 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.

Geology: Pre-Cambrian granite, probably of the Peninsula pluton.

The site is exposed to wind and waves from all directions, and swells from the southwest, however it is quite deep, so short period waves will not affect conditions on the bottom greatly. Low short swell and light wind is best. The prevailing long period swell is from the southwest, and if long enough can cause surge even on the deep reef. Other waves are generally short period wind waves and chop, but the reef is far enough offshore for a vicious chop to develop in a strong wind, which can be very uncomfortable on the ride back to shore. The area is protected from north-westerly swell, and to a lesser extent south-westerly swell by the Cape Peninsula, but longer period south-westerly swell will refract round Cape Point, and though attenuated, will reach this area.

This site is only accessible by boat. It is about ? km from Simon's Town Jetty, ? km from Miller's Point slipway and ? km from Gordon's Bay Old Harbour. On a good day in a fast boat it is about a half hour run from Simon's Town Jetty.

Anchoring is not recommended. The holding ground is unreliable, and there is a good chance that the anchor will either drag or foul, possibly both, and a rope rode may chafe through during a dive. This is a site where only the suicidally foolhardy would dive from an unattended boat, and besides dragging or fouling, the anchor tackle will do undesirable and unnecessary ecological damage. Leave the boat in the charge of a competent person who will be able to pick up stray divers and call for help in an emergency.

Explore the reef and let us know what you see.

No known routes recommended. The site needs more exploration and feedback.

Visibility is unpredictable, so macro is most likely to produce good results. Artificial lighting will be necessary. A video light or modeling light will usually be useful, possibly with fill-in flash.

No known site-specific hazards, but most of the site is deeper than generally accepted for recreational diving.

The skills and knowledge to do safe decompression ascents is strongly recommended.

Bailout gas, nitrox, DSMB and a good dive light are recommended.

Other offshore dive sites of False Bay:

• -34.22701518.609881 GB Reef
• -34.22798318.6381672 SATS General Botha
• -34.2337318.587723 Bill Liltved's Reef
• -34.239418.5807834 Off-Whittle Ridge
• -34.24038318.586515 Windtoy Reef
• -34.24743318.56196 Whittle Rock
• -34.24818.5813337 Bruce's Mark
• -34.2518518.5429678 Western Deep
• -34.2519318.57159 Midway Ridge
• -34.2525518.57848310 Sandy-top Ridge
• -34.25295518.6082711 South Island Reef:
• -34.25511618.55188312 Josh's Reef
• -34.25901718.56616713 Wreckless Ridge
• -34.2682818.58061714 Southwood's Corner
• -34.27158318.54538315 Lonehill Reef
• -34.27356718.56681716 Deep South Whittle Reef

Back to the Alphabetical list of sites, or list of reef dive sites in the Whittle Rock and surrounds offshore area

Other regional 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
• Dive sites of False Bay east coast
• Fresh water dive sites of the Cape Town Metropolitan Area