Sodwana Bay

Hartley's Oceans & Islands South Africa

Renowned for its sport fishing, scuba diving and snorkeling, Sodwana is situated on the coast within the Greater St Lucia Wetland Park. The reserve lies adjacent to Africa’s southern-most coral reefs. The Maputoland and St Lucia Marine Reserves are linked to each other to form a continuous protected area stretching 150 km from the Mozambique border southwards to Cape Vidal and 3 nautical miles out to sea. Sodwana Bay provides the travelling diver with a vast array of unspoilt coral reefs, populated with a huge diversity of Indo-Pacific fish & invertebrates.

Sodwana Bay is considered to be the premier dive site in South Africa and is the only tropical dive site in this part of the world. It is also one of the few places worldwide where dive sites are reached by weaving a path through breaking waves. The reefs are believed to be the southern most coral reefs in the world and offer a wide diversity of attractions. 

The KwaZulu Natal coastline is best known for mantas, rays, sharks, wrecks, whales, dolphins, turtles, pelagic fish and hard and soft coral reefs. Best Time to Travel : Conditions are good throughout the year, but the best diving is from April through to September. On a good day visibility can reach up to 30 metres. The weather is typically subtropical. The water temperature is usually above 20°C and can reach 29°C in summer.