Diving, South African Break Aways

ROAD TRIP – Sodwana Bay (6)

Sodwana Bay @ Coral Divers (under the sea)

Welcome to our road trip of December 2021. We are travelling by car across South Africa (from the west coast → north coast → KZN south coast → back to the west coast). The distance we will cover, will be around 5,000km (3,106 miles).

Our main purpose for this trip, besides seeing places we have not seen before, is for Berto to scuba dive in Sodwana Bay and then to be a little more adventurous … diving with sharks in the ocean in Umkomaas on the south coast of KwaZulu-Natal. We hope to share lots of pictures to show you our beautiful country.

Accommodation – Day 4 to Day 10:

Coral Divers at Sodwana Bay

We are going diving! It’s time to enjoy some of the best tropical reef diving in Southern Africa … here at Sodwana Bay!

The dive sites include: 2 Mile Reef, 5 Mile Reef, 7 Mile Reef and 9 Mile Reef (the names come from the distance you’ll travel from shore, to reach the dive sites on the reefs).

The warm tropical water creates average sea temperatures from around 21 degrees C to 28 degrees C. Visibility is normally the best South Africa has to offer (it averages from 15 – 20m … sometimes even more).

This post will almost be like a photo album – not much talking/writing is necessary to describe the beauty under the sea. Therefore, without further ado, here are some of the most beautiful sites Berto experienced on his dives at Sodwana Bay.

Day 2 – Dive 1:

Day 2 – Dive 2:

Day 3 – Dive 1:

Day 3 – Dive 2:

Day 4 – Dive 1:

An unexpected visit on the last day of diving:

Always save the best for last – that’s so true on this occasion! On the way to the last dive of the week, Berto’s boat was surprised by a school of dolphins appearing close to them. The divers jumped in the ocean and enjoyed a swim with the dolphins for a while – what an amazing experience.

The dolphins saying goodbye – what a wonderful surprise visit!

We hope you enjoyed the beauty and diversity of the Sodwana Bay reef systems with us!

In our next post, we will travel a bit further south … on our way to Umkomaas, where Berto wants to fulfill a life-long dream – to dive with sharks in the open sea.

But first … another pit stop in Ballito – a beautiful coastal town where we will spend just one night. See you there!

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57 thoughts on “ROAD TRIP – Sodwana Bay (6)”

    1. That’s what impressed me the most – the colour under the water! Berto used his GoPro 6 Black (and GoPro underwater housing). He uses a red filter to make colour correction (that’s what bring the colour out) and no light.
      I made the correction in your comment … I thought it was “dolphins” 😉.

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      1. Oh wow! Time to update our GoPro! And we had a red filter but it didn’t help. But I think we bought it in Asia so maybe it was a knock-off Just old technology I guess. We’re dying for a diving vacation.

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      2. Technology changes so quickly … Berto bought this GoPro already in 2018, but fortunately it’s still doing the job. Oh, and I forgot to mention, he’s got two red filters on his GoPro – one is used for up to 15m and the other one for deeper dives. It’s called FLIP 7 and he bought it from Backscatter.com … I hope that diving vacation of yours is not too far in the future 😊.

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  6. Your photos are spectacular! I especially like the sea turtle and dolphin photos. I’ve never seen dolphins or turtles when diving or snorkeling. I’m not a certified scuba diver but have done tourist dives several times over the years. Your photos bring back a memory of a tourist dive on the Great Barrier reef. A large grouper named Big Wally was a regular visitor at the dive site and followed the divers around. A few years later I saw a photo of a big fish in the travel section of my hometown newspaper. I immediately said “I know that fish.” Upon examination, it was in fact Big Wally that was being featured in a story about the GBR!🤣

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    1. Thank you so much for your lovely comment John! Oh, Berto would love to dive at the Great Barrier reef … hopefully one day! What an interesting story about Big Wally – amazing that you could recognise him from a photo 😲!

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  9. The visibility is amazing. Lovely captures of all the colourful coral and fish under the sea. How fun to swim with the dolphins. We had a similar experience when we went diving in Honduras, except I found it incredibly terrifying, largely because I couldn’t see the bottom but only blue water for as far as the eye can see.

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    1. Thank you for your lovely comment. Oh yes, the visibility is the best here at Sodwana Bay (just a spoiler alert … this was definitely not the case when Berto dived with the sharks at Umkomaas a week later 👀)! Well, at least you could say you swam with dolphins – I don’t think a lot of divers can say that!

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    1. Thank you so much Sarah! Oh yes, I love the photo’s of the rays – Berto’s been diving for 27 years and it was the first time ever he saw a manta ray in the ocean (the same goes for swimming with the dolphins). As for the sharks … that was probably THE highlight of this holiday 🙂!

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    1. Thank you Leighton! Yes, this must be THE prime diving location in South Africa should you want to see colourful coral and fish! According to Berto, those dolphins are pretty quick in the water … but they do “hang around” for a while to swim with humans before they “take off” again 😉. Amazing!

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  13. These pictures make me wish I could have had the experience of diving. I always so much enjoy videos of the ocean and the vast diversity of life down there. I always loved being out at sea too. How nice of the dolphins to pay a visit. Wonderful creatures. Thank you!

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    1. Absolutely Carolyn! There’s so much (colourful) life in the ocean – it’s almost hard to believe! The dolphins’ pictures were my favourite … and surely a highlight for Berto as well. I’m glad you could join us under water … I loved it just as much to watch the footage that Berto brought back from his diving trips!

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    1. The wonder of the world under water 🌟. Yes, it was quite THE road trip … maybe we’ll take the plane next time 😉. While Berto is diving, I’m enjoying long walks on the beach, chatting to other people or just chilling out … people always ask me whether I get bored and the answer is always no – there’s so much to enjoy in nature, whether it’s on land or in the sea!
      Thanks for reading Lisa, take care 🌸.

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  16. Wow, just look at your wonderful photos. Diving into the ocean and discovering the mesmerising underwater world all while swimming amongst colourful sea creatures sounds like a fun adventure. Thanks for sharing. Warmest thoughts and best wishes for a wonderful Christmas. May peace, love, prosperity follow you always 🙂 Aiva xx

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    1. Thanks for reading and your lovely comments Aiva! Scuba diving in Sodwana must be one of the best spots in South Africa and Berto certainly enjoyed this colourful underwater world! Thank you for your beautiful wishes for Christmas … I do hope the same for you and your family. Enjoy this special time together and take care 🌸.

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    1. I’m really glad you liked the under water pictures Henrietta (it’s the pride and joy of Berto’s dive time in Sodwana) 💙. Thank you once again for following our road trip – it’s much appreciated. Happy holidays to you too!

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    1. Thank you so much! Oh yes, the colourful coral reefs are truly magnificent – probably the best place to see them in South Africa! As for the dolphins, Berto couldn’t ask for a better ending to his diving at Sodwana Bay!

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    1. Dit is ne … al daardie kleure onder die water en verskillende visse! Baie dankie, Berto geniet dit vreeslik om video’s en foto’s onder die water te neem – ek wil net altyd sien wanneer hy terugkom van sy duike af 😁. O ja, daardie dolfyne was nou die spreekwoordelike kersie op die koek wat die Sodwana duike betref. Natuurlik het ons hier min geweet van wat nog voorle in Umkomaas …

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    1. Thank you so much Diane! Must be one of the highlights of the year for Berto … well, that was until we got to Umkomaas where he dived with the sharks 😬. But the colour and visibility in Sodwana is just absolutely amazing – a diver’s paradise!

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  25. The photos are absolutely fabulous and I’m sure the experience was as well! What a world exists under the sea that we live our lives unaware of. In that deep, dark place the shining colors of the fish provide light.

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    1. Thank you so much! Yes, Berto always enjoys his dives at Sodwana Bay – the colourful fish and coral reefs are quite astoninshing, so are the visibility … but best of all, must be the warm temperature of the ocean! You’re absolutely right, there is a wonder-world under the sea!

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    1. Ek dink dis juis daardie kleurvolle koraalriwwe en visse wat Sodwana so ‘n lekker duikplek maak (o ja, en natuurlik die sig onder water … Berto is altyd verbaas oor hoe ver hy onder water kan sien, want hier in die Kaap is dit ‘n luukse)!

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  27. Pingback: ROAD TRIP – Sodwana Bay (5) – Wet and Dusty Roads

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