The difference in sea temperatures created by the cold Benguela and the warm Agulhas currents has promoted an amazing diversity of marine life making the South Western Cape unique and fascinating for shore diving and wreck diving. The keen snorkeller and scuba diver may expect sharks, whales, seals, dolphins and penguins which are to be found amongst reefs ranging from 6 metres to 40 metres and more.

Only a few minutes outside the city of Cape Town and right under the shadow of Table Mountain you will be 'flying' through forests of kelp that reach 12m to the surface. The kelp provides a protective mantle for many species of fish, rock lobster, small beautifully marked cat sharks, octopus, abalone and much more.

Diving with seals is an experience not to be missed while you are here in Cape Town. Seals are naturally inquisitive and are often found performing their underwater acrobatics and swimming up to you for a closer look! For the more adventurous, cage diving with the Great White Shark is an option. Click here for more.

Off Cape Point, there is an abundance of big sea life. There are huge shoals of longfin and bluefin tuna, as well as mako and blue sharks. Larger sharks, including the broadnose seven gill shark (cow shark) and the huge but harmless basking shark can also be found off the Cape coast at various times of the year. Birdlife includes albatrosses, shearwaters and petrels.

The Cape of Storms is a graveyard of shipwrecks. True to its name this stretch of coast offers the modern diver a great number of wrecks that can be dived from the shore or boat. They range from historical wrecks that date from 1694 to modern day navy frigates. For more experienced divers, full wreck penetrations can be done on wrecks that lie at depths between 18m and 30m.

'The walls of the reefs were packed with life as tightly as supermarket shelves' is how National Geographic recently described the immense diversity and shear volume of life in the waters around the beautiful Cape Peninsula. A must for SCUBA enthusiasts of all levels.