Diving the Cape Peninsula and False Bay/Whale Rock

The dive site Whale Rock is an offshore rocky reef in the Robben Island area on the Atlantic seaboard of the Cape Peninsula, near Cape Town in the Western Cape province of South Africa.

-33.835218.3809671 Whale Rock: S33°50.112’ E018°22.858’ — A shoal area of reef south of Robben Island.

This site is in the Robben Island Marine Protected Area since 2019. A permit is required.

The name "Whale Rock" is the name for the area on SA Navy charts.

Fairly shallow. Mostly less than 10 m.

Large area of shallow reef.

Geology: Pre-Cambrian sedimentary rocks, probably of the Tygerberg formation.

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 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.

Large red bait pods abound in this area.

No particular route recommended.

Surge can be very strong.

No special skills required.

No special equipment recommended

33°50′7″S 18°22′51″E

Whale Rock and nearby dive sites. The yellow lines are boundarie of the MPAs, and the orange lines are boundaries of restricted zones within the MPAs.

• -33.83143318.3587331 Robben Island steamer wreck
• -33.8398618.385562 MV Daeyang Family
• -33.83518.3816673 SS Hypatia
• -33.86918318.4863834 MV Winton
• -33.88596718.43055 Highfields
• -33.90793318.41796 Two Oceans Aquarium
• -33.88713318.40977 SS Cape Matapan
• -33.897518.40958 RMS Athens
• -33.89666718.3966679 SS SA Seafarer
• -33.8818318.33858310 MV Gemsbok
• -33.90618.397511 Three Anchor Bay
• -33.91508318.35701712 Sea Point Ridge Pinnacles
• -33.92618.377513 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