Diving the Cape Peninsula and False Bay/Bikini Beach

The dive site Bikini Beach is a sandy shoreline with a few boulders in the Gordon's Bay area on the east side of False Bay, near Cape Town in the Western Cape province of South Africa.

Understand
A popular swimming beach at Gordon’s Bay, not generally considered a dive site, but suitable for training exercises if the waves are not too big.

Position
This site is not in a Marine Protected Area. A permit is not required.
 * S34°09.923 E18°51.492 Just to the south of Gordon’s Bay harbour.

Name
The name "Bikini Beach" is derived from the name of the popular bathing beach just south of the Old Harbour at Gordon's Bay

Depth
Maximum depth is about 3 m.

Visibility
Visibility is affected by surf which lifts fine sand into suspension.

Topography
The sandy beach slopes fairly steeply in the surf zone, then flat sand bottom with reef of small scattered rounded boulders about 300 mm high, and a rocky shore to the south of the beach. The northern boundary of the site is the concrete blocks of the harbour breakwater.

Geology: Pre-Cambrian sedimentary rock of the Tygerberg formation, with rounded sandstone boulders from the overlying Table Mountain series. Most of the site is on fine quartz sand bottom.

Conditions
Best during or after south easterly winds. Reasonably sheltered from south westerly swells.

Facilities
Parking in the harbour or at the side of the road behind the beach. There are public toilets in the harbour and at the end of the beach.

Get in
Normally a shore dive. Park at Gordon’s Bay harbour or at the side of the road behind the beach. There is access over the wall at the harbour next to the yacht club. Entry is from any convenient place on the beach.

Marine life
Not very much to see, and mostly around the scattered small boulders somewhat to the south of the beach. Otters have been seen at night playing in the waves and on the rocks to the south of the beach. A few whelks on the sand. At the reef, black mussels, chitons, octopus, small sole, klipfish, small crabs.

Photography
There is not much to photograph, but if you want to try, macro is more likely to produce usable results.

Suggested Routes
No routes recommended. If conditions are very quiet it may be worth investigating the harbour breakwater.

Hazards
Strong offshore winds may develop over a short time. Surge and breaking waves along the harbour wall. Boat traffic

Skills
No special skills required. The site is suitable for training exercises including night dives.

Equipment
No special equipment recommended. If your buoyancy is normally fine tuned, a bit of extra weight may be useful here.

Nearby


Back to the Alphabetical list of sites, or list of dive sites in the Gordon's Bay area

Other regional dive sites:
 * Dive sites of Table Bay and approaches,
 * Dive sites of the Cape Peninsula west coast
 * Dive sites of the Cape Peninsula east coast
 * Dive sites of False Bay offshore and approaches


 * Fresh water dive sites of the Cape Town Metropolitan Area