Diving the Cape Peninsula and False Bay/Buffels Bay

The dive site Buffels Bay is a shoreline rocky reef in the Buffels Bay area on the Cape Peninsula, near Cape Town in the Western Cape province of South Africa.

Position
S34°19.217' E018°27.73' Between the slipway at Buffels Bay and the small sandy beach just to the north.

This site is in a Marine Protected Area (2004). A permit is required.



Name
"Buffels Bay" is the name of the small bay of which the dive site is a part.

Depth
Fairly shallow, less than 10 m.

Visibility
Visibility is affected by any waves which break at the beach to the north of the reef, as the water is shallow and the sand is fine.

Topography
Geology: Ordovician sandstones of the Table Mountain group, probably of the Graafwater formation.

Conditions
The site is exposed to wind and waves from the south east, and is very near to Cape Point, so some south west swell will make it round the corner. The site should be dived in fairly flat conditions. The site is reasonably protected from north westerly wind and waves.

Facilities
Off road parking in reasonable security (lock your car, the baboons know how to open the doors), Toilet facilities, slipway, beach, tidal pool and picnic area. Fires may be made in designated fireplaces.

Get in
This site is usually dived from the shore, as the access is easy, though there is a slipway at the site.

There is adequate paved off road parking at the site.

Entry and exit is usually at the small sandy beach just to the north of the rocky shoreline of the dive site. This is easy walking distance from the parking and the path is obvious. There may be surf at the entry point, which can make access difficult or hazardous.

Marine life
The reef is shallow, and is dominated by kelp forests and algal turf understorey, but there are areas with sponges, feather stars, Rock lobster and Abalone.

Photography
The site is shallow, and the surf at the beach picks up a lot of fine sand, which reduces the visibility and caused backscatter, so macro photography is most likely to produce acceptable results. On a very quiet day wide angle with natural light may also work.

Routes
Enter at the beach to the north of the picnic area or at the slipway and swim around over the reef. There are no specific recommended routes.

Hazards
Surf entry and exit may be a problem if the swell is high. There is a slipway where skiboats can be launched, so there is a possibility of boat traffic. If you dive near the slipway be aware of the possibility of boats being launched and recovered.

Skills
No special skills required.

Equipment
No special equipment required. If boats are operating from the slipway a surface marker buoy may be prudent.

Nearby


Back to the Alphabetical list of sites, or list of dive sites in the Buffels Bay area

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


 * Dive sites of False Bay offshore and approaches
 * Dive sites of False Bay east coast
 * Fresh water dive sites of the Cape Town Metropolitan Area