Sunday 28/4/2013

We are launching from Millers Point. See to the left for dive details.

See you on the boat :)

Whittle Rock

We are off to Whittle Rock this Sunday 21/4/2013.

It is one of Cape Town's top dive sites and has the ability to produce some big animals, but is seldom dived. Why don't you join us :)

Struisbaai 2013 - Trip Report

From 21 - 24 March 2013 we were up in Struisbaai for some warm, tropical diving. Although the weather can be fickle, upon our arrival we were greeted with flat seas and no wind.... This was only the tip of the iceberg!

We had only scheduled launches for the following day, but as the conditions weerre great we rallied the troops and soon were heading out for some afternoon dives - almost unheard of in these parts. Our first dive was to the wreck of the Wafra and the divers had 21C water and 15m viz, with loads of large fish and rays. What an awesome start! We then decided to move further south and dived the Agulhas Pinnacles. This site is well past the lighthouse and although the reef is stunning, conditions were a little less favourable, although the fish life was just as great.

Day two and more divers had arrived. We then headed out to Growwe Bank, followed by a two tanker to the Oriental Pioneer. To say that these two dives were stunning would be an understatement. On both dives the water was again in the 21-22C range, and the water had taken on an absolute crystal clear blue colour to it, with viz in the 15-20+m range. Simply spectacular!! Most of the divers reported numerous shark sightings (raggies, blue, leopard, pygama etc.) and huge schools of yellowtail. The sheer numbers of many other reef fish was also a sight to be seen. We then had a quick lunch and did a third launch that day to the Wafra. Again, she did not dissapoint us and conditons were still great.

On day three a front had moved in, kicking up the sea, so we took a break and watched the locals attempting to paraglide....

Day 4 dawned and again there was no wind, although it was a little swelly from the passing front. This did not however affect the conditions too much and there was still plenty of warm water and loads of fish around on Growwe Bank and the Oriental Pioneer. A whole host of photos from the weekend has already been posted on the Underwater Explorers Facebook page, so check them all out there. They really are awesome!!!! We did a total of 7 dives over the weekend, which again in itself is a great achievement.

Thank you to all of you that supported us. It is great to be able to share this special area with Cape Town divers. We have been diving Struis for the past six years, but there seems to be a slight hesitation from the Cape Town divers to actually dive up there. Hopefully with the results that the divers got from this trip it will help convince other divers that warm, clean water with loads of pelagic fish and sharks is not that far away from Cape Town.

Here's to our next Struis trip.

Struis 2013

Dive trip dates: Thursday 21 March to Sunday 24 March 2013. Thursday is a public holiday, so you only need one days leave!!

The plan: We aim to launch on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Due to the fairly unpredictable weather and the distance from Cape Town, my approach to boat bookings is fairly simplistic - the divers can provisionally book certain days and times, however once we are all there the sea conditions will finally dictate when and where we dive. I realise that it is not a perfect system and that some divers might feel that they might not get a dive in, however I have found it to work in the past and in any event there is normally enough space on the boat to follow this sort of approach. At the end of the day it must be about having fun and doing it safely, which is why I think this is the best method.

Accommodation: We have rented a big house in Struis which sleeps about 14 people. The cost is R150 per person per night, although there is currently only limited space available. Divers can however book accommodation separately and are not forced to stay in the house. For those of you that want to stay with us, all accommodation bookings must be confirmed with payment in full before the 14th of March 2013. Remember, first come, first served - there is only limited space and the house is already almost full!!

Meals: It will all be self catering, whether you stay at the house or not and is also excluded from the cost of the accommodation. In the past some divers have formed small groups and catered that way, but once again it can de done whichever way you please. We will generally braai every night and we will provide a communual fire.

Directions: To get to the house proceed along the N2 until you reach Caledon and turn off and follow the signs to Bredasdorp. Once in Bredasdorp follow the signs to Struisbaai. As you enter Struisbaai, you will be in Main Road and will pass a Caltex garage on your right hand side. We are staying at 20 Main Road (it is on your left) and the house name is "Tarentaal". We will be there from midday on Thursday, so call me if you get lost.

Launch site: Struisbaai harbour Launch times: 8h00 (all three days) – Although we are planning several dives a day, there may only be one launch per day (if it is a two-tank dive), but this will be dependent on which sites we dive and will be decided the night before. Otherwise we will have two/three launches a day, departing at 8h00 and 10h30 (and if needed 13h00).

What to expect: All dives are weather permitting, however we plan to dive at least twice a day. There will be some exploration dives (generally on reef), but we also plan to dive the wrecks of the Wafra, the Oriental Pioneer and the Sceptre. Some of the reefs that we will be diving on will be Growwe Bank and the Agulhas Pinnacles. Expected viz can range from 5m to 20m with a water temperature of about 20C. If lucky, we will see loads of fish, like yellowtail and possibly even the odd raggie... The depths will range from 10 - 30m, but due to the strong likelihood of strong currents, only Advanced divers will be permitted to dive. In addition thereto, as an absolute minimum, every diver is to have their own reel/spool and delayed surface marker buoy. Computers are also highly recommended.

Post dive: We will head back to the house and wash kit there and generally relax there as well. At night we will braai and all are invited to join in, regardless of whether you stay with us or not.

Equipment / air fills: We will be taking a portable compressor with us, so air will be available at the house. Cost of air fills to be paid for separately, otherwise bring multiple cylinders. No Nitrox will be available on site however, so blend before you go. The air is double filtered however, so your Nitrox cylinders are safe. We have limited cylinders for hire which are available at R60 per cylinder. Call / email me to book them.

Cost: The cost of the dives is R200 per diver per dive. If we do a two tanker, it is R370 per diver. All other costs are excluded and are for your own account, i.e. travel, equipment, air, Nitrox, food, accommodation etc.

Booking: We have already taken several bookings, but in light of the info supplied in this e-mail, can all those that provisionally booked kindly re-confirm exactly which days they wish to dive. Similarly the booking of cylinders will be on a first come first served basis.

Weather: All dives are naturally weather permitting and should the weather not permit us to dive, you will not be charged for the dive/s. The only fixed expense then will be the accommodation. Although the weather on the south coast may be fickle at times, worst case scenario we end up having a lekker weekend away. Don’t delay, book ASAP!

General: As you can see I have taken a very easy approach to the dive trip by not arranging all segments of the holiday. These can be arranged should you so wish but experience has taught me that most divers like to plan most of the details themselves, with the result that we will basically be supplying the boat in Struis and all other costs are excluded and are for your own account, i.e travel, equipment, air, food, accommodation etc. See you all there - it promises to be a bumper weekend like all our previous trips to Struis!!!!

Struisbaai 2013

We will be heading up to Struisbaai between 21-24 March 2013 for our annual trip to the south coast. All the details will be posted here shortly. Come an experience warm water, schools of yellowtail and possibly even the odd raggie....

DASSEN ISLAND 2013


DASSEN ISLAND dive trip dates: The trip is happening over the weekend of the 23rd and 24th of February 2013. We plan to launch on both days if conditions permit, however if needed, we will chose the better of the two days. We will monitor the conditons in the preceeding week and keep all of you informed.  We will not be staying over in Ysterfontein, as it is so close, but rather driving up each day.

Launch site: Ysterfontein slipway (proceed northbound through Table View on the R27. About 30mins later turn left to Ysterfontein and continue for 9 kms to the town. Continue straight through the town and follow the signs to the slipway/harbour).

Launch times: 8h00 (both days) - arrive 30-45 mins before the launch - allow additional time for traveling. There will only be one launch per day, as it will be a two-tank dive.


What to expect: I mentioned that we had something special in mind, and here it is. Whilst in the past we have concentrated on wrecks very close to the island, this year we have decided to extend our search for a group of wrecks a few kilometres of the island. They are in about 30m of water and are virgin wrecks. These we will dive as our first dive, however if we are  succesful in locating them, we will dive a lekker reef close by. For the second dive, we will head over to the island itself and dive either the SS Wallarah or the MFV Southern Author, both with a max depth of 15m.  Also remember that in terms of national legislation, no artifacts may be removed on wrecks older than 60 years, so bring your cameras!! No salvage will be permitted.

Air fills / SIT time: Remember that all the dives are two-tank dives, so your second cylinder must accompany you on the boat. Also bring something to snack on between dives, as well as sun block and a hat.

Post dive: After dives we will probably have a quick bite to eat at a local restaurant, whereafter we will travel back to Cape Town and commence the filling of cylinders for those that will dive again on the following day.

Equipment / air fills: Remember that there are NO COMPRESSOR facilities at Ysterfontein, nor can equipment be rented there, so it is imperative to arrange to take all necessary gear up with you, but more specifically a cylinder for each dive. We have limited cylinders for hire which are available at R80 per cylinder. Call me to book them.

Cost: The cost is R370 per diver for the trip, regardless of the number of dives you actually do. To get your money’s worth, it naturally makes sense to do at least both dives. All other costs are excluded and are for your own account, i.e. travel, equipment, air, food, accommodation etc.

Booking: We have already taken several bookings, but in light of the info supplied in this e-mail, can all those that provisionally booked kindly re-confirm exactly which days they would prefer to dive, and we will see if this fits in with the weather forecast. Similarly the booking of cylinders will be on a first come first served basis.


Weather: All dives are naturally weather permitting, however as we realise that most people will be driving up from Cape Town, we will sms all the divers for the first launch at 6am to confirm (we will be driving through on the mornings regardless). Should we confirm that the dive is on, we expect the divers for the first launch to make their way up there for 7h15 - 7h30. We will however do a final evaluation when we arrive at Ysterfontein prior to launching for the first dive, with the result that if conditions deteriorate on your way up, we may have to call the dive then - it is a chance we take, but we also stand a good chance to get some great exploratory diving in!

Jacobsbaai 2013

We recently had a lekker dive trip to Jacobsbaai. Saturday morning the wind was light, although there was a bit of swell around. We headed up to Soldiers Reef with plans to dive the Lisboa and then the Malmesbury. The swell was cooking at the reef, which meant we could not get shallow enough, so we stayed in the deeper water and kept to some scattered wreckage.

The second dive we had to do much the same for the Malmesbury, but with viz of 5-8m (which is great for the West Coast), it was still easy to have a great dive. Sunday conditions were not good at all - too much wind and swell - so we had a lazy breakfast instead.

As usual the beach launches and retrievals of the boat were effortless, thanks to the electric winch. The house we stayed in was again great (same house as the last trip), and we even saw some unlikley pool players in our midst....

Thanks to all that made the trip a success.

Keep watching for trip details for Dassen Island, as we have a surprise for all of you?????