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Cape Town Nudibranch hunting

by | Jun 27, 2016 | Dive Inn

Cape Town Nudibranch hunting

Cape Town Nudibranch hunting is our speciality and at Dive Inn Cape Town we really love the little critters.

Cape Town Nudibranch hunting

Gasflame Nudibranch

In Cape Town Nudibranch hunting from shore is possible and you have a good chance to spot alot. Nudibranchs do move around and are seasonal. Or this is what I noticed so you are not always guaranteed to spot them. With some they are so well camouflaged and or small so very difficult to spot. And just to make it slightly more difficult our wonderful Cape Town waters can have low viz with a bit of swell and surge. This can make nudibranch hunting and photography quite challenging. And Macro Photography is what nudibranchs are about. The Frilly Nudibranch is the only one I have not spotted from shore yet. Most of the photos in this blog are of all the Nudibranchs I have see in Cape Town.

Cape Town Nudibranch hunting

Crowned Nudibranch

Last year I did do a blog about Nudibranchs but decided to it again this year but this time mention all the Cape Town Nudibranch hunting from shore I have spotted the last 6 months only. This will mostly be from the False Bay coastline but do have some pics from Atlantic side. (Please note False Bay is still Atlantic Ocean but slightly warmer. The oceans meet at Cape Agulhas which is about a 3 hour drive from Cape Town)

The most dived shore dive site probably is our training beach – Long beach Simon’s town. The next beach from here towards Cape Point is Sea forth beach, Windmill, A-frame, Pyramid rock and Castle rocks. There are other beaches or dive sites that can be dived on this stretch. They can be slightly more work or can even be very boring. Before Simons town there is the Clan Stuart wreck, Whale Lookout and Sunny cove. On the Clan Stuart wreck I found the least species but did found my first Indian Nudibranch there. (more…)

Sodwana Bay dive trip 2016

by | May 17, 2016 | Dive Inn

Sodwana Bay

Sodwana Bay on the East coast of South Africa is really a great diving spot. The reefs are mostly full of life and loads of corals are seen on most of the reefs.

Sodwana Bay

Reef

With the stunning corals the fish also show off with schools of snappers, Potato bass checking you up from close, rays and even some shark species.

Our Last Dive Inn Cape Town trip to Sodwana in April 2016 we were even lucky to snorkel with a whale shark and dive with a Manta on stringer reef for over 30 minutes. The Manta we also spotted on the surface once and had another quick observation of it on the chains reef. Dolphins were also kind enough to let us see them on snorkel quickly.

Over our stay we did 2 dives each day with 1 one dive on the last day totalling 13 dives for the trip.

Sodwana Bay

Emperor juvenile

Sodwana Bay reef names run according how far away from Jesser point they are. Thus 2mile is the most dived reef just of the launch site. 2 Mile have sites for all type of divers but the deeper sites do offer more Macro life like Sea Horses and loads of nudibranchs. Roonies is the reef for that but nitrox is a good option on this dive. The other reefs down the coast which is dived is then called 5mile 7 mile and 9 mile. Most of them got more dive sites on the reef itself like 9 mile got coral tree, 5mile Teddy bears picnic etc. Coral bleaching unfortunately can also be observed but for the untrained eye the reefs still looks great. You can view more pics on Dive Inn Cape towns Facebook page as well.

Sodwana bay

The trip crew

The week was perfect, we had good weather, calmish seas making it easier to launch through the surf and of course warm 26 degree water. The warm water for our Cape Tonians a delight and then the clean blue water a bonus on top of that.

Reefteach hosted us in their lodge and took us out on the dives. The Dm’s and beach staff is good and the breakfast on the beach always great for a hungry diver. The bee’s also enjoyed our breakfast most of the days. Every night we went for dinner at a different institution and the consensus was the Elephant water hole was the best. The Light house had a good score and Maak n Jol almost got top scores.

Sodwana bay falls under the iSimangaliso Wetland Park and big plans are there to upgrade parking etc. to the area. Hope the small town will also get a boost. From Durban airport it is a 3.5 – 4 hour drive and if you not staying in the park itself like with Coral divers you would need your own transport to get to and from the beach.

In short Sodwana bay according to me can offer the same as most tropical destinations in the world and much more cost effective compared to the oversea destinations. Sodwana Bay rocks.

Join us on our next adventure to Aliwal Shoal and Protea banks in November 2016.

 

Marico Oog

Marico Oog

by | Nov 23, 2015 | Dive Inn

Marico Oog

On a trip inland where heat wave conditions with temperatures between 36 and 40 degrees was ranging we had had to make a plan to get a dive in. So what is another 200 km to drive to go and experience the cool/warm 20 degree crystal clear waters of Marico oog (Marico eye).

Naomi

Naomi

The Farm Grootfontein where Marico Oog is situated is between Lichtenburg and Ventersdorp and about 3hours drive from Johannesburg. It is in the North West province and Wondergat is also nearby. Mostly tar road with 30km on a gravel road. The website stated the gravel road was good but I would disagree as in some place it was rather bumpy. This is about for 10km on an off.

Once we arrived we stopped at the farm house and paid the entrance fees and headed off to the trees and reeds. The outside temperature was much better close to the water and under the trees. As it was midweek we had the whole area to ourselves and took our time exploring the small area. There are some chalets you can rent and in one corner a small water slide into a pool.

Vippita spring water is also bottled on the one side. The water is pumped out from 30meters out of the fountain, then some micron filtering to get floaty stuff out and through a couple of ultra violet light systems to ensure no bug survives in the water. The water was great but we also drank unfiltered water direct from the source and had the same taste and were nice and cool without being in a fridge.

Diver floating

Diver floating

Back to why we are there: Scuba Diving in Marico oog.

After a quick view to see which of the 2 entries we can do through the reeds we kitted up and got into the crystal clear water via a type of jetty and a ladder. The other entry had a float where you could get on and then pull yourself to the middle and dive of their. As I went barefoot the metal jetty and rubber mats were a challenge so a quick but careful sprint was needed. Once in we enjoyed the refreshing water and the flowering water lilies trying to get up and under shots.

Howzit

Howzit

Reeds covers the outer edges and water lilies the inner edge at about 3-5 meters with a type of water lettuce t root level. Then it drops down to the 12-15 meters into the eye where you could see water pumping out with lot of water movement. At 5-6 meters a grid is also hanging from a couple of drums so instructors can get students to get some skills done.

Silt can be a problem as we saw loads on the leaves and if you fin too hard everything ends up in the water but luckily it settles fast again. The viz was really great and to be at 5-8 meters of water seeing the lily stems and leaves, followed by reeds on the bank and clouds in the sky are unbelievable.

Some places the reeds makes a floating platform and you can swim underneath it making it look like you are in cave. We saw 2 big koi, some silver fishies, probably some type of tilapia, couple of freshwater shrimps, 1 snail and loads of crabs. Looking up we saw a small water bird treading and in the reeds another getting deeper into the reeds.

Water lily forest

Water lily forest

Swimming carefully between the lily stems and finning carefully we explored the small diving area and enjoyed the coolness. Normally we in Cape Town would say the warm water but after the hectic temperatures it is seen as cool. Now I can understand why the inland guys get so easily cold in Cape Town.

Marico Oog

Marico Oog

We did 2 dives and really enjoyed the experience of Marico oog diving in Crystal clear fresh water. Picnic in between the dives under the trees was great and very relaxing so a good break away I would say for Johannesburg divers who need to get away from their low viz lakes and practice and perfect Buoyance skills. Also note it is at altitude so you need to check or adjust your dive computer and review your dive tables. Just note only thing you buy at Marico oog is Springwater, all the rest you need to bring with. All food, dive gear, cylinders filled up and perhaps white gold as we had none on our visit. Best would be to phone ahead just to confirm that you can dive and Conrad from all about scuba in Klerksdorp can also provide some good info of where to dive at Marico oog.

Happy diving.

Sodwana 2013

Sodwana 2013

by | Jul 6, 2013 | Dive Inn

Sodwana 2013

This year Sodwana 2013 trip was a prize that I won through a local magazine called “The Dive Site” with a photo of a pink klipfish eye. With the competition I also learned a valuable lesson, DO NOT delete your RAW/ Original files to safe space as this is needed for print. Now I do have a 2 TB drive for all my pics and backups. (more…)

West Coast Wandering

West Coast Wandering

by | Apr 22, 2012 | Dive Inn

West Coast Wandering. The West Coast of South Africa has many an unpolished beauty to share. The coastline is rough and rugged and its people, mostly fishermen, are just as tough. With a long archaeological history, it can make for some pleasurable wanderings so with this in mind, we set off for a weekend of shipwrecks. (more…)