The waters around Cape Town and the Cape Peninsula are a true ship graveyard due to the large number of ships and vessels that sank in the area; either by accident, or deliberately.

Cape Town and its Cape Peninsula are one of the best locations for wreck diving in South Africa.

Take for instance the five wrecks near Smitswinkel Bay on the Cape Peninsula. In the 1970's, the navy decided to sank off five of their vessels. Over the years the ship wrecks, that formed a reef, were covered by soft corals and multi-coloured sponges. The wrecks lie to rest at a depth of 20 to 7 meters and are now the home of hundreds of fish, crabs, shellfish and other underwater creatures. Excellent for wreck dives.

The oldest shipwreck along the South African coast is 'Huis te Kraaiestein', a 17th century ship from the Dutch East India Company (VOC). The ship sank on the Camps Bay coast in 1698 and its remains, including old canons with the VOC logo, lie hidden in between the kelp forests waiting for to explore them.

Wreck diving in the oceans surrounding Cape Town and Cape of Good Hope is for everyone, from starters to experienced divers.

For more information on wreck diving around Cape Town, Cape of Good Hope and the Cape Peninsula contact Scuba Shack Dive Center in Cape Town.

Article written in cooperation with Scuba Shack Dive Centre in Cape Town. For more info: Scuba Shack: +27(0) 21 785 6742


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