With the rain comes cooler daytime temperatures and slightly colder water. The plus side is the visibility is very decent at this time of year. The weekend looks really good for diving and I think Sunday will be the better day.
I am out on the boat tomorrow, so I will have a better idea whether we launch or shore dive. Get in touch if either of these activities tickles your fancy.
Both days this weekend have swell, and wind blowing from the wrong direction, and the current dark colour of False Bay means we are definitely staying dry. The weather does look better on Monday and Tuesday for those that have a flexible work schedule – if you’re one such, get in touch.
The Shark Spotters centre at Muizenberg
Binoculars for Shark Spotters
The Shark Spotters team are running a crowd funding campaign to raise money for new, high powered binoculars for the spotters. I can tell you that the right pair of binoculars makes all the difference. Cape Town’s Shark Spotters program is an international model for a beach safety solution that protects both sharks and people. They are very deserving of your support – please consider contributing to the campaign at this link.
Citizen Science Day
I promised to remind you again about the SANBI Citizen Science day, and it’s rolling around this weekend. There’s a full program of short lectures from representatives of various projects on Saturday, free of charge, in the conference venue at Kirstenbosch Gardens. There’s more detail at this facebook event link, and a list of the talks here.
The last week has been interesting in False Bay with the huge patches of red tide that seemed to drift around aimlessly. There is still much of it around although it has diminished somewhat. The surface layer today at Outer Photographers Reef was a little dark, yet deeper than 16 metres it was clear.
Red tide near Simon’s Town
Tomorrow looks much like it did today as pertains to wind, with a touch more swell. The swell builds during the day tomorrow so I think Saturday will most likely be a shore dive day. Text me if you want to join in. Sunday, much windier, looks like a good day to mow the lawn… Wait… What lawn?
There is little doubt that both Saturday and Sunday will be good for diving. It may be better in the cold Atlantic on Saturday and the warmer, green False Bay on Sunday. At a guess I would say Saturday is likely to be the better of the two but both days should deliver some nice visibility.
I have a bunch of Open Water and Advanced students to qualify so sites will be chosen based on who can dive, and when. Let me know if you are keen to join us.
Desalination plant site at Strandfontein
Water!
This week’s Wednesday Water File is extremely interesting: all about desalination. Read it here.
I reckon the better option for diving this weekend will be on Sunday morning in False Bay. The tide is against us but I still think the visibility will be better than in the Atlantic. We will meet in the False Bay Yacht Club parking lot at 8.30 am with the aim of launching by 9.00 am. It will be a double tanker (that means your options are two dives, or none) as the wind speed grows by lunchtime. Let me know if you’re keen to come along.
Sunny Kalk Bay
Water
The latest Wednesday Water File from the WWF is about the power of community. Read it here. On that subject, here’s something on starting a water committee (at your apartment block, office, or kids’ school, for example). Community could be the eleventh good thing about the drought, if one were to extend this excellent list from WESSA.
We have had more diving days this summer than is usual, and 2018 has started well with pretty good conditions and warm water… There have also been a few darker days. On Monday we were in Smitswinkel Bay with 1 metre visibility, but it looks good for the weekend. We had 19 degree water with 5 metre visibility at Ark Rock today, and I hope for the same thing tomorrow.
Saturday will be a bit windy, so we will plan for Sunday in False Bay. The most likely sites will be Roman Rock and Shark Alley, I would like to see a bit more of the sevengills after their long vacation. If you want to dive, let me know.
As per normal for this time of year, most people are on vacation and on most days, diving is ruled out by the conditions. Despite my hopes of more diving than during a regular week, the rest of this week and weekend don’t look all that rosy.
View of False Bay from Red Hill in the wind
The Atlantic is patchy, False Bay is brownish-green… So wait we must. I think that Sunday will be a decent day for launching out of Hout Bay, and Monday, late morning, will be better in False Bay. Give me a shout if you want to be on the list.
Just in time for Christmas, we have been granted a few days of almost flat seas and very little wind. To top it off the wind direction is also great for False Bay. Friday, Saturday and Sunday all look like good days for False Bay.
I am keen to launch in False Bay tomorrow, Saturday and Sunday so if diving is in your plans for the next day let me know as soon as possible and I’ll keep you informed of the schedule.
We were at Tafelberg Reef today, then the wreck of the Maori, and then Duiker Island. Although (or rather, because) the visibility was good, the water was cold…. Seven degrees below the thermocline. We had the wind change direction at midday and by late afternoon Hout Bay was starting to darken so I doubt the Atlantic visibility will hold for too long.
This will be the last newsletter before Christmas so I would like to wish those of you that celebrate it a good one, and to everyone without exception a safe and happy time with family over the upcoming crop of public holidays and (hopefully) time off from work.
This isn’t the most exciting video, but I hope it reminds you of how blue and clear the water is off the coast of KwaZulu Natal, and what it’s like to dive in Sodwana on a good day. It was filmed at the end of a dive on Pinnacles on Two Mile Reef, as the divers approached the boat and waited to hand up their gear. Watch out for Laurine, Esther and Christo!
If you aren’t familiar with diving off a RIB (rubber duck), I hope this is a helpful bit of information about how things work at the end of a dive. I’ll share a backward roll video from our most recent Sodwana trip soon, but in the mean time, check out this one to see what it’s like at the start of a dive!
Things are looking good for a weekend of decent diving without too much swell or wind. Based on the forecast I think Saturday will be better for shore dives and Sunday (which has a longer period swell) will be the best day for the boat.
On Saturday we will be at Long Beach at 9.00 am. On Sunday we will meet in the car park at False Bay Yacht Club at 9.00 am. I am out on the boat tomorrow so I will have a better idea of the visibility and will choose Sunday’s sites accordingly. There are students on the boat so the depth will not be greater 18 metres.
Olifantsbos on a calm evening
Diversnight organisers reported a total of 1,780 participating divers from around the world. Thanks again to all who were part of this event in Cape Town two weekends ago!
