Scuba diving

kullture · Post by **kullture** » 06 Oct 2004, 14:07

Any divers on the forum?

Thug4life · Post by **Thug4life** » 06 Oct 2004, 14:20

I havbe dived a few times. Got my liscence in Australia but there is not much worth diving for here

so I havn't done it in a while.

kullture · Post by **kullture** » 06 Oct 2004, 14:22

Hey, must admit I can't comment on Namibian diving

But great diving in SA, some of the best sites in the world, Aliwal Shoal as an example

Post by **Y0da** » 06 Oct 2004, 14:28

I'm not a diver per say but I have wet my feet before. Ah the magnitude of it all. The bright colours. The blackness. The feeling of weightlesness. The freedom.

Or was that just the ecstacy?...

I loved swimming with da fishes!

Thug4life · Post by **Thug4life** » 06 Oct 2004, 14:30

well you can dive for diamonds off Luderitz but you need special licenses and I can't be bothered to get 1

Thug4life · Post by **Thug4life** » 06 Oct 2004, 14:32

Y0da wrote:I'm not a diver per say but I have wet my feet before. Ah the magnitude of it all. The bright colours. The blackness. The feeling of weightlesness. The freedom.

Or was that just the ecstacy?...

I loved swimming with da fishes!

What bout the wetness?

Demoraliser · Post by **Demoraliser** » 06 Oct 2004, 14:40

my wife got her license with divetek in durban. we are in CT now, so she wont be doing much diving here, water is freezing! Besides its a whole different technique using a dry suit, no?

kullture · Post by **kullture** » 06 Oct 2004, 14:41

Yes you will have to go through some training to use a dry suit correctly.

A 7mm is ok in CT though, not warm and toasty, but comfortable enough

Maplassie_GTR · Post by **Maplassie_GTR** » 08 Oct 2004, 15:10

You knoiw I am!!!!!!!

Dakes · Post by **Dakes** » 08 Oct 2004, 15:15

Demoraliser wrote:my wife got her license with divetek in durban. we are in CT now, so she wont be doing much diving here, water is freezing! Besides its a whole different technique using a dry suit, no?

Dry suit not necesary, I dive with a 7mm. Normally dive near Simonstown.

jee · Post by **jee** » 10 Oct 2004, 09:30

kulture, my house overlook Alival Shoal

have you dived with the Raggies there? thats the most incredible feeling anyone can ever get!

DJT · Post by **DJT** » 10 Oct 2004, 09:48

I wouldn't mind trying diving some time. Does anyone know a good place to learn how to dive???

jee · Post by **jee** » 10 Oct 2004, 09:56

It all depends on where you live. Upcountry has diving schools, (even in Bloemfontein

) but here on the Coast you will find many good places to learn to dive, or down in Sudwana. But that area is so commercialised.... There is Durbs off course, but its much better with the smaller groups.

cheesy · Post by **cheesy** » 10 Oct 2004, 09:59

have anyone gone skuba diving i gaansbaai yet, it's pretty cool.

cheesy · Post by **cheesy** » 10 Oct 2004, 10:07

rid1, i believe u went diving along the west coast that must have been a great experience.

Screeper · Post by **Screeper** » 10 Oct 2004, 12:00

Thug4life, trust me there are definately places worth diving in SA.
Sodwana is a great place, can get busy during holidays tho. Best place to go in SA for coral and reef fishies

A section of 2 mile reef called Antons, is superb in terms of colour and numbers of fish, one of my fave spots.

Aliwal is fantastic as well tho, not so much in the way of corals but the fish certainly make up for it. Can have some ripping currents tho if you get a rough day.
and of course the raggies will nearly always greet you at Cathedral.
I must say i really don't like the raggie diving, it has become so commercial and the divers i've been with ONLY want to see the big sharks and nothing else. Such an ego thing, oooo look here's a pic of me under the water with a huge shark, how cool am i? It really disappoints me, cos there is so much more on aliwal than those figgin raggies. They're vastly boring compared with some of the other creatures.
A visit by a school of dolphins (something i've never experienced on Scuba

) must be amazing.

I'd love to try some Cape diving (maybe round Seal Island

LOL, ok maybe not) for those of you who don't know it Seal island is the only place in the world where great whites breach themselves catching seals 8O
Still i'd love to dive in the kelp fields or something like that. Although i'm a bit of a pansy when it comes to cold water

DJT, on the coast your first scuba course will cost you from about R1100 - R1800 depending on sho you do it through. If you've got the cahs give it a try you will never forget it. It really is quite an experience.
Buying your own equipment can be HUGELY costly tho (most dive schools hire out equip tho)

kullture · Post by **kullture** » 11 Oct 2004, 06:53

jee wrote:kulture, my house overlook Alival Shoal have you dived with the Raggies there? thats the most incredible feeling anyone can ever get!

Hey jee

Yes Aliwal Shoal is my favourite local dive spot, had great dives there this year, lots of raggies and mantas

kullture · Post by **kullture** » 11 Oct 2004, 06:54

DJT wrote:I wouldn't mind trying diving some time. Does anyone know a good place to learn how to dive???

Where are you based?

kullture · Post by **kullture** » 11 Oct 2004, 06:57

Screeper: good point about the raggies on the shoal, so many of the divers I know who have dived there have never even dived the Produce, there is much more to Aliwal than Raggies

Cape Diving is a complete different story, very different marine life. Diving in the kelp fields is quite an experience though.

Good to see there are quite a few divers here

jee · Post by **jee** » 11 Oct 2004, 07:05

Is the Produce not a bit deep for open water 1 divers? The one thing that is a bonus living by the sea is that you don't have to dive on long weekends or holidays when the place is packed.

But I remember the Shoal (and my snorkel places) well from 10 years ago. There were so much more corals and other fish and you could find morays and the most incredible large living cowries in knee deep water. I must admit that I cannot remember when last I picked up a cowrie shell on the beach, when I first moved down here 17 years ago, you could choose which you wanted to pick up. *sigh* Humans cannot take care of anything can they?

kullture · Post by **kullture** » 11 Oct 2004, 07:23

Yeah produce is not for open water divers, you will need an advanced and deep cert to dive it the way it should be. Nitrox would be good as well.

jee · Post by **jee** » 11 Oct 2004, 07:40

I have never dived the Procduce (only have OW!) but went with a tv team when they took off the props many moons ago... Was great fun!

Demoraliser · Post by **Demoraliser** » 11 Oct 2004, 08:15

Dakes wrote:
Demoraliser wrote:my wife got her license with divetek in durban. we are in CT now, so she wont be doing much diving here, water is freezing! Besides its a whole different technique using a dry suit, no?
Dry suit not necesary, I dive with a 7mm. Normally dive near Simonstown.

If thats the case, could you guys recommend a diving club? My wife is dying to go diving here, but the cold ocean is scaring her. How is the dive at simonstown? Lots to see? The last she went diving at aliwal she saw a small shark and a turtle. She went on about that for weeks...

Dakes · Post by **Dakes** » 14 Oct 2004, 14:01

I dived with Iain Roberts who works at the Aquarium. He taught me how to dive. He offers PADI diving courses. You (Demoraliser) and your wife should go and chat with him or check out his website. I know he and some of the other guys go diving every weekend. He's a very friendly Scottish fellow.