Diving the Cape Peninsula and False Bay/Josh's Reef

城市概覽

First dived in 2021 by Wreckless Divers.

Position 1 Josh's Reef pinnacle: S34°15.307' E18°33.113'. The shallowest point known on the reef, and nominal position. Josh's Reef is a fairly large patch of reef south of Whittle Rock reef surrounded by sand at about 48 m, rising to 32 m on top, with nice ledges to the southwest with a fine display of noble corals. Much of the reef is fairly flat and covered with moderate sized boulders. The reef was surveyed by multibeam sonar in 2022. This site is in the controlled zone of the Table Mountain National Park Marine Protected Area, proclaimed in 2004. A permit is required.

Name The name "Josh's Reef" was given by the group from Wreckless Divers who reported the site, and were probably the first to dive it.

Depth Maximum depth is about 48 m on the surrounding sand, and the shallowest known point is about 32 m. Average depth of a dive is likely to be about 36 m.

Visibility Visibility is likely to be similar to the deeper parts of Whittle Rock reef, and may be better than on the inshore reefs on any given day, but as with any False Bay reef, it is not very predictable, and there may be better visibility at the bottom below a dirty surface layer of plankton, which can follow a period of strong sunshine. The colour of the surface water is not a reliable indicator of the visibility at depth.

Topography The reef lies a few hundred metres south of Whittle Rock reef. It is relatively deep, and the profile is flatter than Whittle Rock, with a fairly large area between 33 and 36 metres, covered by moderate to fairly large boulders and some small sand patches. To the southwest of the shallower area there is a relatively high profile area known as Noble Point, for the fine display of noble corals seen there. This area has some fairly vertical rock faces a few metres high, with the local shallow point at about 34 m depth. Geology: Pre-Cambrian granite batholith of the Peninsula formation.

Conditions The site is exposed to

如何抵達

The site is only accessible by boat. It is about 8.5 km from the slipway at Miller's Point, but boats may also leave from Simon's Town jetty. On a good day in a fast boat it is a bit less than a half hour run from Simon's Town Jetty, a distance of about 14.5 km. Occasionally boats may leave from Gordon's Bay Old Harbour or Harbour Island marina, which are both about 29.5 km away.

必看景點

Marine life

A fine display of noble corals has been reported from the mark known as Noble Coral Point.

Photography Not much is known about the site yet, so macro with a modelling light and flash is a fairly safe choice, as it may be quite dark.

Suggested routes No routes known. You could start at Noble Coral Point, but where you go from there is up to you.

體驗活動

Dive at one of the listed drop points and explore the reef. Let us know what you find. 1 Josh's Reef pinnacle: S34°15.307' E18°33.113'. The shallowest point known on the reef. 2 Noble Coral Point pinnacle: S34°15.334' E18°33.075'. To the southwest of the shallowest area there is a relatively high profile area known as Noble Point, for the fine display of noble corals seen there. This area has some fairly vertical rock faces a few metres high, with the local shallow point at about 34 m depth.