Dive site
Protea Banks
KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
- Typical depth
- 35 m
- Type
- Shark
- Level
- Advanced
Marine life
- Rays
- eagle ray, manta (occasional), devil ray
- Sharks
- bull/Zambezi shark (resident), ragged-tooth shark (Jun–Oct, Northern Pinnacle), tiger shark (Jan–Jun, baited), scalloped hammerhead (schools Nov–May), blacktip, dusky, occasional great white, bronze whaler (Sardine Run)
- Turtles
- loggerhead, green
- Pelagics
- giant trevally, yellowfin tuna, wahoo, king mackerel, sailfish (rare)
- Whales & dolphins
- bottlenose dolphin, common dolphin (Sardine Run), humpback whale (Jun–Nov passing)
- Reef fish
- potato bass, grouper, snapper, goldies
Site features
- Offshore Pinnacles
- Shark Aggregation
- Drift
- Surf Launch
- Sardine Run
- Baited Dives Offered
- Deep Reef
When to dive
- Best
- Apr–Oct
- Avoid
- Dec–Feb
Protea Banks is a deep offshore reef ~7–8 km off Shelly Beach, KZN — two pinnacles (Northern and Southern) rising to ~27 m from a 40 m base. Surf launch through the back-line; winter (Apr–Oct) brings the calmest seas and best viz. Shark soup year-round: bull/Zambezi sharks resident, ragged-tooth aggregation Jun–Oct on the Northern Pinnacle, hammerhead schools Nov–May, tigers Jan–Jun. Sardine Run runs the coast May–Jul (peak late Jun) with bait balls, dolphins, gannets, and bronze whalers offshore.
Conditions & access
- Visibility
- 10–30 m
- Water temp
- 19–26 °C
- Current
- Strong
- Access
- Open access
- Min cert
- Advanced Open Water + 30 logged dives recommended; Nitrox useful for the 30+ m profile; surf-launch briefing mandatory
Location
30.8500° S, 30.5167° E
Sources
Curated from 1 source
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