Diving at Good Hope Reef

The dive site Good Hope Reef is an offshore rocky reef in the Smitswinkel Bay area on the Cape Peninsula, near Cape Town in the Western Cape province of South Africa.

Understand

Map of the dive sites of Smitswinkel Bay including the Good Hope Reef

See also: Diving the Cape Peninsula and False Bay#Understand

This is a small granite reef on a sandy bottom with lots of gorgonian sea fans.

Position

• S34°16.049 E018°28.893 1 Good Hope Reef About 50 m at 090° magnetic from the transom of the SAS Good Hope wreck.

This site is in a Marine Protected Area (2004). A permit is required

Name

The name "Good Hope Reef" is derived from the nearby wreck of SAS Good Hope.

Depth

Maximum depth is about 35 m on the sand. and the top of the reef is about 30 m.

Topography

The reef is a small area of granite corestone outcrops, about 33 m in diameter, comprising two main outcrops, both about 5 m high at most, and a few smaller boulders or outcrops on the perimeter. The reef area is split by a sand bottomed gully running roughly NE to SW.

Geology: Pre-Cambrian granite of the Peninsula pluton, surrounded by fine quartz sand.

Get in

See also: Diving the Cape Peninsula and False Bay#Boat dives

This is a boat dive, as it is too far from the coast to swim.

This site is only accessible by boat. It is about 5.2 km from the slipway at Miller's Point and 12.5 km from Simon's Town jetty.

See

Marine life

See also: Diving the Cape Peninsula and False Bay#The marine ecology

Photography

The reef will usually be quite dark due to the depth, and photography will mostly rely on artificial lighting. There are plenty of subjects for macro and close-up wide angle shots.

Suggested Routes

The site is small and the whole reef may be comprehensively visited on a single dive. The sea fans are almost all on the steep side slopes of the reef, and a circuit of the perimeter will take you past these. If you have time left, take a look over the top of the reef.

Stay safe

See also: Diving the Cape Peninsula and False Bay#Stay safe

Hazards

There are no known site-specific hazards.

Skills

No special skills are required, but it is useful to be able to deploy a DSMB in case you surface away from the shot line.

Certification appropriate to the depth will be expected.

Equipment

See also: Diving the Cape Peninsula and False Bay#Equipment

Nitrox is recommended to extend no-stop time. A light may be useful to display the true colours of the reef life.

Nearby

• 1 SAS Transvaal
• 2 MFV Orotava
• 3 MFV Princess Elizabeth
• 4 SAS Good Hope
• 5 MV Rockeater
• 6 Smits Cliff
• 7 Smits Reef
• 8 Batsata Rock

Back to the Alphabetical list of sites, or list of dive sites in the Smitswinkel Bay area

Other regional dive sites:

• Dive sites of Table Bay and approaches,
• Dive sites of the Cape Peninsula west coast
• Dive sites of False Bay offshore and approaches
• Dive sites of False Bay east coast
• Fresh water dive sites of the Cape Town Metropolitan Area