What would scuba diving and snorkeling be without the breathtaking marine life that awaits a diver or snorkeler upon entering the ocean’s waters? The breathtaking diversity of tropical fish and coral reefs that are wrapped along the Umhlanga coastline makes it a dream-come-true destination for any scuba diver and snorkeler. With just you and the majesty of the Indian Ocean and its high level of visibility makes it the perfect place to get away from the hustle and bustle of the city and savour the greatness of the underworld life and all the beauty it has to offer.
The Dolphin Coast of Kwazulu-Natal boasts fantastic dive sites for both scuba diving and snorkeling and caters for both the amateur and experienced divers. Scuba divers can expect to dive a depth between 4 meters and 12 meters. Some of the diving sites in Kwazulu-Natal and within a two hour’s drive from Umhlanga here is listed some of the Indian Ocean’s top scuba diving and snorkeling sites:
Dolphin Reef
The Dolphin Reef is situated just off Umdloti, is about 2 km long with a depth ranging between 16 to 27 meters. The Reef mainly consists of soft corals, sponges, nudibranches and gorgonians.
Frame Wreck
This site can be found just offshore of Balito (Umhlanga’s neighbour beach) and is an excellent training site for beginner divers as it provides lots of air, time and light penetration, and some fish sightings. The wreck lies a mere 19 meters under water.
Lighthouse Reef
The closest site to Umhlanga, the Lighthouse Reef can be found just south of the Umhlanga Lighthouse.
T-Barge Wreck
Rated by Divestyle magazine amongst the top 15 South African warm water dive sites; this barge sunk in 1990 between Durban and Umhlanga and lies 27 meter under water.
If you are planning to go dive at any one of Umhlanga’s fantastic scuba diving sites, contact Casa Playa to book your accommodation. It is a luxurious self catering apartment ideally situated right on Umhlanga’s main beach.