I’ve posted a couple of times about the Seli 1, a recent shipwreck off Blouberg that I am sure is hated by the owners of expensive homes overlooking the beach. The wreck is, however, loved by local divers (it’s only been dived a couple of times to my knowledge), surfers and kite surfers – the latter because it has caused sand to build up in a way that is extremely favourable to wave generation in front of the wreck!
A storm in early September caused the wreck to break into three pieces, and along with that a minor oil spill which was fairly quickly dealt with. SANCCOB received a couple of oiled seabirds. Why the oil wasn’t removed from the wreck during the initial salvage efforts is a mystery.
These photos were taken on 11 September 2011.
If you’re interested in visible shipwrecks, check out my ebook Cape Town’s Visible Shipwrecks: A Guide for Explorers!
Is this safe to dive? from Shore or a boat? Can we go? 🙂
Not from shore I think – beeeeg waves and surfers in the way… But Underwater Explorers have done it from a boat once or twice – I think they stop behind the wreck where it’s calmer. Am also very keen to check it out. I WISH it was a suitable shore entry 🙂
I own a flat directly in front of the wrech and was sitting on the balcony Wednesday afternoon when I saw a seal get thrown about 4 times and malled by what must have been a 4-6 meter shark. This went on for 15 min. There was nobody on the water and just some people on the beach. Some fellow SUPpers saw a great white here a couple of months ago, have you or ant divers witnessed our friend making a home on the new reef?
Hi Jacques – what an experience – I always want to cheer for the seal! The wreck is not dived often – maybe once or twice a year, because you have to come by boat and it isn’t really near any other dive sites. Also conditions aren’t often good. That said, I haven’t heard of anyone seeing a shark around the wreck, but I bet the kite surfers have stories… Great whites are highly migratory and don’t really stay anywhere for very long periods, so any that have been seen around the wreck were most likely just passing by as they patrol the coast. Thanks for the visit and the info – very interesting!