- Type
- Shark
- Typical depth
- 35 m
- Level
- Advanced
- Visibility
- 10–30 m
- Water temp
- 19–26 °C
- Current
- Strong
- Access
- Open access
- Min cert
- Advanced Open Water
- Offshore Pinnacles
- Shark Aggregation
- Drift
- Surf Launch
- Sardine Run
- Baited Dives Offered
- Deep Reef
When to dive
BestAvoidOK
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.
30.8500° S, 30.5167° E
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
Dive clubs that visit this site
- African Dive Adventuressource
Margate / Shelly Beach, KZN, South Africa · Dive centre
- Dive In Adventure Tourssource
Shelly Beach, KZN, South Africa · Dive centre
Sources
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