Sodwana Bliss
SODWANA BAY
Sodwana Bay, meaning 'a little one on its own' in Zulu, lies within the Greater St Lucia Wetlands Park, a World Heritage Site, and forms part of a continuous protected area stretching 150 km from the Mozambique border south to Cape Vidal and 3 nautical miles out to sea.
Sodwana Bay is globally renowned for its bio diversity, both on land and below the oceans surface. The spectacular coral reefs are amongst the southern most tropical coral reefs in the world and the shallowest sighting of a living "fossil", the Coelacanth was filmed and documented in the off shore canyons.
While on land, Lake Sibaya which is South Africa's largest natural freshwater lake is situated 20km north of Jesser Point.
Sodwana is also where you will find more colourful corals which form a number of reefs running parallel to the shore rather than one continuous reef. Sodwana Bay also boasts warmer waters brought down from the tropics by the Mozambique Current. There are numerous dive sites such as nine-mile, seven-mile, five-mile and two-mile reefs, and while the names are not terribly imaginative these sites are very beautiful. Amongst these sites you are likely to encounter swim-throughs, overhangs and caves, pristine corals and a huge variety of fish, from 'Smallies' to Whale Sharks.
DIVE SITES:
2 Mile Reef
This is a very popular site measuring almost 2km in length by 900m in width. There is much to catch everyone's interest, with many corals, caves and overhangs. Diving on this reef you will meet up with tropical fish, snappers, potato bass, marbled rays and many more fascinating fish and invertebrate species.
5 Mile Reef
5 Mile is a deeper reef and best dived by advanced divers. Here divers can investigate branching, plate and table corals amongst which reside a diversity of reef fish. You will reach up to 21m at this site, even 24m at some points. 'The Pothole' on the reef provides divers with an opportunity to spot the rare starry moray and red anemone.
7 Mile Reef
Another popular Sodwana Bay dive amongst the more advanced divers. The crest of the reef sits at 15m and leads to a quick drop-off which will take divers down to 24m. This rather sheltered area is the ideal home for a wide selection of sea life. This is a site not to be missed.
9 Mile Reef
This is Sodwana Bays most northerly reef and features an impressive Green Coral Tree. The site is rarely dived and thus remains somewhat untouched. Depths on this reef are from 6m down to 23m.
Quarter Mile Reef
Divers flock to this reef during the months of January and February as this is when the Ragged-tooth sharks gather here.
Stringer Reef
Stringer Reef is a relatively small reef, but is known to have the largest diversity of sea species.
AQUA PLANET offers regular trips to Sodwana Bay. Packages including Sodwana can also be arranged to suit your needs and budget - contact Kym at info@aquaplanet.co.za
Surf Report
Go to yosurfer.com for surf reports & forecasts
