Diving the SS ''Winton''
The dive site MV Winton is an inshore recent wreck in the Milnerton beach area of Table Bay, near Cape Town in the Western Cape province of South Africa.
Understand
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A shallow wreck site on a sand bottom, within swimming distance of the beach.
Position
edit1 SS Winton: S33°52.1514' E18°29.1828'
This site is not in a Marine Protected Area. A permit is not required.
Name
editThe name "Winton" is the name of the ship wrecked at the site.
Depth
editMaximum depth is about 6 m, and the top of the engine block is about 3 m. Average depth of a dive is likely to be about 5 m.
Visibility
editThe wreck is close inshore on a fine sand bottom, and visibility is seldom more than 3 to 5 m, as there is almost always some surge, even on very flat days
Topography
editThe wreck is very broken up, and quite a lot may be buried in the sand. There are occasional bits of structure and heavy machinery that still project above the sand and can be visited by divers. The bottom is flat and except for the wreckage, virtually featureless. Small sand ripples indicate the swell direction, and help with navigating between the pieces of wreckage, which are generally too far apart to see from one to the other. The wreck lies parallel to the shoreline, so the sand ripples are often in line with the long axis of the wreck.
Geology: Fine sand bottom, level and featureless, approximately constant depth but with slight scour depressions at large bits of wreckage.
Conditions
editThe site is exposed to winds from any direction, and waves from the west and north-west, so should be dived in easterly winds or a calm, with no westerly swell, and is most likely to be diveable in summer, during or after south easterly winds. The site is reasonably protected from south-westerly swell.
Get in
editUsual access: Boat dive from Oceana Power Boat Club slipway or the V&A Waterfront or shore dive from Milnerton beach.
There are day charter boats which can take a diver to any of the dive sites in the region, but most operators only work from a limited number of launch sites, which limits the dive sites they visit. Visits to a dive site also depend on the weather and are generally not predictable or bookable more than two to four days in advance. See the listing for Cape Peninsula and False Bay boat dive charters and the associated services directory for contact details.
See
editMarine life
editThe wreck is in quite a high energy zone in winter, and will be pounded by winter storms. That does not stop considerable biodiversity on the equivalent rocky reefs, but for some reason the wreckage has very low biodiversity. Sme barnacles, a small amount of seaweeds, anemones, the occasional klipfish, and some orange-clubbed nudibranchs have been recorded.
Features
editScattered fragments of wreckage of a steel ship, including the engine block and some associated machinery, and a couple of winches.
Photography
editNot a good site for photography due to the generally poor visibility and low biodiversity.
Suggested routes
editStart at the engine block, which is the most interesting feature, then swim north or south and if lucky you will find other fragments. The map may be helpful to plan a route.
Stay safe
editHazards
editThere are some large, sharp pieces of steel plating and frames projecting out from the sand which could injure a diver it the surge is strong.
Skills
editNo special skills needed, but good compass navigation will help if you want to visit all the bits.
Equipment
editNo special equipment needed.
Nearby
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- 1 MV Afrikaner
- 2 Highfields
- 3 Two Oceans Aquarium
- 4 SS Cape Matapan
- 5 RMS Athens
- 6 SS SA Seafarer
- 7 Three Anchor Bay
- 8 Sea Point Ridge Pinnacles
Back to the Alphabetical list of sites, or list of dive sites in the Table Bay area
Other regional dive sites:
- Dive sites of the Cape Peninsula west coast
- Dive sites of the Cape Peninsula east 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