Here’s the SS Clan Stuart, courtesy of Google maps…
[googlemaps http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Cape+Town,+Western+Cape,+South+Africa&layer=c&cbll=-34.171068,18.429159&panoid=pMgwf2qD2JFXxmT-C_8KFg&cbp=12,132.18,,0,5&ll=-34.200448,18.455383&spn=0.001105,0.001749&t=h&z=19&source=embed&output=svembed&w=425&h=350]
Then
The entry used to be across the beach – you parked outside the cemetery, kitted up and walked across the road. One climbed over the low brick wall, walked carefully across the railway line and onto the sand. It’s necessary to take care going through the breakers – while they may look small, they’re often strong enough to knock you off your feet.
Now
I’m not sure how to get in at this dive site any more. The repairs to the Simon’s Town railway line have entailed the dumping of hundreds of very large rocks into the ocean, from just below the railway line all the way across the beach. At high tide, the water comes all the way up to the edge of the rocks. Tony and I checked out the site last weekend, and getting over the boulders is almost impossible, let alone fully kitted out.
I’m not sure who to complain about this to… The Clan Stuart was one of the only shore-entry wreck dives in Cape Town, and suddenly it’s a shore entry no more. I can’t see dive charters bringing their boats here – it almost seems like a waste, since the site is so familiar. I’d like it if some of our MPA permit money was spent to make a pathway for divers down to the sand. Maybe Underwater Africa can get on the case!
Update: You can read about how to get in at the Clan Stuart dive site here. Rest assured, when the railway repairs were completed a way was made to access the beach in front of the wreck!
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