Sodwana Bay Diving Review

Danie's Sodwana Bay Diving Excursion Diving operator Accommodation & food The boat and the weather The diving experience Tips and advice Disappointments Rating

Which company did you dive with, and where?

I went with Pisces Diving Charters, whom I heard about from my Scuba Diving Instructor, Kevin Maclean from Scuba World.

They gave comprehensive security and safety briefings before the dives, as well as information about the sharks themselves.

There was nothing I didn't like about them... I just didn't want to dive into a Zambezi or Tiger.

I stayed at Sodwana Bay Camp site and would definitely recommend it. Great getaway from the day to day city life, especially for nature lovers.

No meals were provided; it was self catering.

The boat we used was a ± 8 metre long rubber duck with 6 divers.

How was the weather?

Sunny and warm. The water at 12 to 15 metres was 27°C.

Visibility was ± 6 metres.

I am one of the fortunate ones that don't get seasick.

We all met on the beach at 5:30 am and started the dive briefing while taking in those necessary fluids because it was going to be a long dive. Thereafter we launched the boat and of we went, full of excitement..

Some of the divers were a bit heavy on air and had to abort the dive before us. I was one of the divers who dived for 72 minutes (duration of the dive) and by the time we surfaced there were two guys who were really "tapping diesel" on the boat, if you know what I mean. We were not very popular with them for staying down for so long, but they had to take one for the team!

We went to see Ragged tooth sharks on quarter mile reef that day but didn't see any that day. At that stage, with ± 75 dives beneath my belt, I have never seen a shark while diving and I started to think that there were no sharks left in the ocean, or in Sodwana for that matter.

I must admit, I was a bit nervous before and during the dive, but as the dive progressed I got more and more anxious to see a shark.

It was about ten minutes before we had to surface that we saw a White Tip Reef Shark (± 1 metre) swimming towards us. I was so excited to eventually to see a shark, but the thrill of the moment was very short lived. The shark circled us once and then disappeared of into the blue abyss.

Despite the moment only lasting for a minute or two, I would never forget my first sight of a shark under water, the real thing. It was totally awesome!

On arrival back at the beach, a "lekka" beach breakfast awaited us. Surely a day to remember.

Don't be nervous and don't make any sudden moves.

Unlike with cage diving, they did not attract the sharks at all. We don't believe in it. We go looking for them in their environment.

For scuba diving you need to be qualified, just like a drivers licence. I am a National Association of Underwater Instructors' qualified Master diver.

What was the most useful item that you took on your Sodwana Bay diving trip?

Mosquito repellent.

Only that the encounter with the shark was so short.

9 out of 10. Just get your dive butt in the waters of Sodwana! You will not regret it!