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offshore dive site in Table Bay north of Cape Town
Africa > Southern Africa > South Africa > Diving in South Africa > Diving the west coast of South Africa > Diving the Cape Peninsula and False Bay > Diving the Cape Peninsula and False Bay/Whale Rock

The dive site Whale Rock is an offshore rocky reef in the Robben Island area on the Atlantic seaboard of the Cape Peninsula, near Cape Town in the Western Cape province of South Africa.

Understand

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

Position

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1 Whale Rock: S33°50.112’ E018°22.858’ — A shoal area of reef south of Robben Island.

This site is in the Robben Island Marine Protected Area since 2019. A permit is required.

Name

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The name "Whale Rock" is the name for the area on SA Navy charts.

Depth

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Fairly shallow. Mostly less than 10 m.


Topography

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Large area of shallow reef.

Geology: Pre-Cambrian sedimentary rocks, probably of the Tygerberg formation.

Conditions

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This reef is exposed to the south west swell. There is often a break in the area and the surge can be very powerful. The water is usually cold. The site should be dived when the sea is fairly flat.

The site is usually at it's best in summer but there are also occasional opportunities in other seasons.

Get in

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

Only accessible by boat. The site is about 8 km from Oceana Power Boat Club slipway.

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.

Marine life

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

Large red bait pods abound in this area.

Photography

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Routes

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No particular route recommended.

Stay safe

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

Hazards

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Surge can be very strong.

Skills

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No special skills required.

Equipment

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

No special equipment recommended

Nearby

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Map
Whale Rock and nearby dive sites. The yellow lines are boundarie of the MPAs, and the orange lines are boundaries of restricted zones within the MPAs.

Back to the Alphabetical list of sites, or list of dive sites in the Robben Island area

Other regional dive sites:

This dive guide to Whale Rock is a usable article. It has information on location and equipment as well as some complete entries on what to see. An adventurous person could use this article, but please feel free to improve it by editing the page.
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