Diving the Cape Peninsula and False Bay/False Bay Yacht Club moorings

The dive site False Bay Yacht Club moorings is a shoreline structure on a sandy bottom in the Simon's Bay area of False Bay in Cape Town in the Western Cape Province of South Africa.

Understand
This is not a popular dive site, but it is the base for the biennial Cape Town Dive Festival, and the water is suitable for testing equipment and buoyancy before a boat dive. Access is easy, using the concrete stairways to the north-east of the clubhouse garden at the braai (barbecue) area or the main slipway. Some years there is a coastal cleanup dive on the moorings, and volunteers pick up the junk that has been dropped from the boats at the marina. In the late 2010s, there has not been much to collect, and other venues have been more productive. The yacht club moorings can be an area of heavy boat traffic, and the marina area is off-limits to recreational divers except by permission from the club. Boat owners and crews can get permission to dive in the vicinity of their boats for reasonable purposes such as maintenance, repair, inspection, and recovery of dropped items.

Position

 * : S34&deg;11.527' E18&deg;26.048'

The FBYC moorings include a marina of floating jetties held in place by chains to mooring blocks. There is a small amount of natural granite reef and some shoreline riprap.

This site is in the Table Mountain National Park Marine Protected Area since 2004. A permit is required.

Name
The name is a simple description of the structure at the site.

Depth
Maximum depth is about 8 m near the harbour wall to the north-east. Average depth of a dive is likely to be about 4 m.

Visibility
Visibility is variable, but usually more than 3 m. It is often possible to see the bottom while standing on the marina.

Topography
To be added.

Geology: Sand bottom, with occasional granite boulders and outcrops of the Peninsula pluton in the vicinity.

Conditions
Very well protected in most sea conditions. It is exposed to north westerly winds, but the fetch is small. The site is reasonably protected from most waves, and is a safe harbour for small vessels in almost any weather, and at all times of the year.

Facilities
During dive festivals and coastal cleanups the yacht club bathrooms and restaurant are open to participants, but wetsuits are not welcome in the restaurant area, and the outside door should be used when wet. The restaurant is generally open to the public most days. There are several quite reasonable restaurants near to the parking area, and a toilet above Bertha's restaurant.

Get in
Approach from the north along the main road, and turn left into ?? street. Park at the bottom of the hill in the demarcated zones. It is usually permissible for a vehicle to stop at the gates or enter the yard to load and unload. Do not leave the vehicle parked inside without permission. It may be clamped or towed. Parking is good and relatively secure, but limited. During festivals the naval base Cole Point parking area is usually available for divers, and the western pedestrian gate is unlocked for the occasion.

Entry and exit can be at the stairs at the east side of the garden area of the jetty, or from yacht slipway just outside the clubhouse main entrance. Entries are also possible from the marina floating jetties, but they are difficult places to get out. Do not climb out onto someone else's yacht except in an emergency or with their express permission. Boat owners can be extremely territorial.

See
There is not much to see. Some Caulerpa beds, and a bit of reef life on the mooring blocks, chains and the bottom of the floating jetties and some of the less well-maintained boats. The harbour wall may be more interesting. The SS Cable Restorer is permanently moored as a restaurant, and there is a retired submarine nearby.

Suggested routes
Keep clear of boats when they are operating. The best way to do this is to stay underneath the marina pontoons and moored boats where the moving boats cannot go.

Hazards
Boat traffic can be expected at any time. The marina is primarily there for boats to tie up alongside. At low tide the water may be too shallow to be at a safe depth under some boats.

Skills
Enough common sense to stay clear of boat operations is essential.

Equipment
No special equipment needed or recommended.

Nearby


Back to the Alphabetical list of sites, or list of dive sites in the Simon's Town 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