Whale of a time

Deep blue oceans and riveting reefs in Sodwana Bay

With one foot in the Indian Ocean and another in the iSimangaliso Wetland Park, Sodwana Bay offers  divers tropical conditions (thanks to the warm Agulhas current) and pristine protected marine areas. There are no beach houses or developments punctuating the skylines above the dunes, and this absence of human interference translates into magnificent coral reefs when you’re under the water.

If, like me, you cannot quite get your head around an introductory DSD (“discover scuba diving”) course in the swimming pool, then the rock pools just off  the beach and the shallows along Sodwana’s “2 Mile” reefs provide some of the best snorkeling you’re ever likely to experience.

Ideally, however,  you want to be down in the deep blue to fully appreciate the magnificent marine life  Sodwana Bay is famous for. There are numerous  dive operators in the area, but only two of them are situated inside the iSimangaliso Wetland Park. One of these is  the reputable Coral Divers, which is the largest dive operator in Sodwana and boasts   nine boats, a shuttle service to and from the accommodation to the beach and a permanent gazebo on the beach.

Under the capable instruction of a Coral Divers dive master, my partner was in and out of the pool doing a quick refresher course and soon thereafter jetting alongside the breakers in a speed boat destined for Sodwana’s sought-after “7 Mile” reef. Being a fan of choppy boat rides, my decision to tag along was rewarded with a deep sea swim. out of the ordinary.

When the skippers spot dolphins, they usually stop and let the divers have a quick swim among them. While we were paddling among the dolphins, however, our skipper told us to quickly swim to the right and before we knew it we found ourselves swimming right above a big, beautiful whale shark.

It’s hard to top that experience, even 20 metres below the surface, and even and after having ticked  a peaceful lionfish, a blue-spotted  stingray and a slender trumpetfish off your diving bucket list. But 7 Mile is listed as one of the world’s top dive sites and only the sheer variety of fish species that can be spotted  around this reef has the potential to overshadow  an up close and personal whale shark encounter.

Besides the variety of dives available to Coral Divers’s guests (there are over 20 dive spots in and around 2 Mile alone), diving at Sodwana Bay really is an unforgettable experience.Tamar Taylor has a BSc in Marine Environmental Sciences and offers a Marine Ecology Course (three presentations and three guided dives) through Coral Divers.  She explains that part of the reason why Sodwana is such a special dive site is because of the natural conditions in which the reefs find themselves.

The water stays above 20°C degrees Celcius for most of the year, the reefs are very deep and naturally protected from sun damage and none of the boats use anchors, so apart from the odd stray flipper, human-induced damaged is almost non-existent. The biodiversity is also astonishing, with around 130 species of coral and 1 200 species of fish waiting to be discovered by divers descending on Sodwana.

And last but not least, there really is no “bad” month to go diving. The tropical climate keeps it relatively warm all year round, and whether the gestating ragged-tooth sharks attract you in December, or the ghost pipefish in breeding pairs lure you in February, you’re guaranteed an underwater experience that you would be hard-pressed to match anywhere else in the world.

This article first appeared in CitiVibe in The Citizen on Friday 7 October 2011. All photos courtesy Laura-Jean Edeling.

Enjoy Makhasa Game Reserve and Lodge (Hluhluwe) and Coral Divers (Sodwana Bay) for the ultimate bush-beach escape.

• The Bush & Beach full package includes six nights, six meals, five dives and three game drives for only R2 100 per person (save R2 490).
• From Monday to Wednesday, pay only R600 per person for three nights (in tented
• accommodation, upgrades available) and five dives. 
• Coral Divers is a PADI 5 star Gold Palm IDC Centre and offers a scuba training pool and classrooms.  
• For more information contact the central booking office on 033-345-6531, e-mail info@makhasa.co.za or visit www.coraldivers.co.za or www.makhasa.co.za.