Cape Town area Diving/Snorkeling
 

Hello,
I was curious whether anyone had any experience with diving and snorkeling in Cape Town / False Bay.

My trip won't be very long, and the person I'm going with doesn't particularly like the water, so I will likely only be able to dedicate a day or so to such things.

How much can be seen snorkeling? Would I be able to get a fair impression of what lies beneath the waves there? Would it be at all possible to witness the diversity of the reefs?
Or is diving necessary to do this?

I know that if I do dive, I will need to get a license for scuba (such an open water course with ssi or padi), which I can do before I go.
Any recommended companies to go with / for equipment rental?
Do you have any preferred sites for scuba or snorkeling? And what were some of your best sights/moments?

Thanks for any input.

Ok, never mind, I may as well go on and get the diving certification to be sure to make the most of things.

You do know how cold the water is around there, right?

yes

I am a kee diver and spent a fair amount of time in and around Cape Town but didn't bother with the diving. Cold water is not the main issue as any dive centre will rent you the appropriate thickness wetsuit to cope with the conditions. Though I have to say it is more pleasant diving in 27c water than 17c! There is always something to see under the waves but dont expect stunning coral reefs being cold water , think any cold water coral will be deeper than the permitted depth of a OW dive certification.

If you happen to be heading to the rparts of South Africa I would look toward Kwazulu Natal near the Mozambique border where you will find warm water and reefs.

An Open Water certification is great if you plan on doing lots of diving in the future but it does tae 2-4 days and involves quite a lot of study. If you only want to dive once or twice for the experience ask the dive shops about try out dives. rather than commit the time and cash to a full OW course, hey will do some basic training and then take you out on a nice easy dive and you can see how it goes and whether you want to take it further

Thank you for your reply. I wasn't sure why someone bothered to comment about the cool temperature and nothing else, so I appreciate getting an actual response. I saw that the area offers reef dives and wondered about people's experiences. I may skip the diving and see what I can with just snorkeling. So long as I see a few nudibranchs or something I will probably be happy really. I just wanted to be sure I was making the best choice. I saw that Kwazulu Natal is better for reef diving, but it's a bit far to go when I'm the only one interested. Thanks.