Sodwana
Bay is a marine sanctuary run by the Natal Parks Board of
SA, situated 40km from the Mozambique border. It beats the
worlds most southern most coral reefs & is renowned for
its marine life. The sea temperature along this stretch of
coast seldom drops below 20’C making it the perfect
place to explore beneath the sea surface.
Sodwana is home to 95 identified species of hard & soft
corals, sponge & many other incredible invertebrates packed
into a 5m-50km reef complex, unaffected by bleaching. There
are over 1200 species of fish, not to mention a wide variety
of larger marine life namely: humpback whales, ragged tooth
shark, whale shark, tiger shark, manta rays & giant morays.
The largest sea turtle, the leatherback, also nests in this
part of the world as well as the logger head. Once were almost
extinct but thanks to conservation efforts their numbers are
increasing.
The diving sites are two, three, five, seven & nine miles
along the coast from Jesser Point, plus other sides which
each dive operator knows personally. There are about four
or five different dives on each reef.
A much closer reef is Quarter-Mile where pregnant ragged tooth
sharks can be viewed in the summer months. All this makes
Sodwana one of the most compelling dive locations in the world.
