False Bay

False Bay, located just outside Cape Town, offers some of the world's most unique temperate water diving. It is famed for its enchanting kelp forests, which create a cathedral-like underwater environment teeming with life. This area is a critical habitat for a wide range of species, most notably the prehistoric Broadnose sevengill shark, which can be reliably encountered. The bay's numerous sites, from rocky reefs to colourful wrecks, provide a diverse playground for underwater explorers seeking an experience vastly different from tropical coral reefs, with a raw and wild beauty that is quintessentially South African.

Diving conditions are accessible year-round, with most sites being a short boat ride from shore. The bay is sheltered from the Atlantic's full force, offering relatively calm waters, though temperatures are cool, requiring a thick wetsuit or drysuit. Visibility varies seasonally, often being best during the winter months. Divers should visit False Bay for the chance to swim with playful Cape fur seals, navigate mystical kelp forests, and encounter shark species found almost nowhere else on scuba, making it a truly world-class cold-water diving destination.