Aliwal Shoal · South Africa · Wreck

SS Nebo

The propeller and boiler are still identifiable in the broken stern.

Area photo: Georgina Jones · CC BY-SA 4.0

The SS Nebo was a 2,000-ton steam freighter lost off the Mkomazi River in 1884 on her maiden voyage, carrying materials for a railway bridge near Durban. She lies upside down in sand at 27 metres, her hull broken up and scattered by surge, with cardinals and sweepers massed in the shelter of the plating.

Where it is and how deep

Depths on a shared scale to 40 m (130 ft); dashed lines mark common certification limits.

30.2409° S, 30.8211° EApproximate position — the dashed circle shows where the site lies; your operator's briefing has the mooring.

The dive

The site is about 3 kilometres from the launch at the mouth of the Mkomazi River and can only be reached by boat. The top of the upside-down hull comes up to about 20 metres and the sand around it is at 27. Most of the ship has broken up, collapsed and dispersed under heavy surge, so what you follow is a low field of wreckage rather than a hull, but parts of the stern can still be identified, the propeller and the boiler among them, and the wooden cross-members of the bridge lie scattered underneath and around the wreck.

The life on it is dense and small. Cardinals, sweepers and sea goldies hold in the shelter of the plating in large numbers, with game fish moving through to feed on them, and the metal carries shrimps and multicoloured nudibranchs for anyone working it slowly. Visibility is highly variable because the Mkomazi River runs into the sea close by; on a good day it reaches 15 metres. Water sits around 22°C. Currents run to the north or the south and can be strong enough to take divers off the wreck, so the dive is planned for weak-current days.

The wreck

Vessel: SS Nebo
Type: Single-propeller steam freighter, 2,000 tons
Sunk: 1884
Cause: Struck an unknown rock pinnacle on her maiden voyage
Lies: Upside down in the sand at 27 m, hull largely broken up and dispersed

The Nebo was on her maiden voyage from Sunderland to Durban with 4,500 tons of materials for the Amanzimtoti railway bridge when she was lost on 20 May 1884. Official reports state that she struck an unknown rock pinnacle; another explanation holds that a large wave overturned her under the weight of the deck cargo, which fits the way she lies upside down in the sand. No lives were lost, and the wreck stayed undiscovered until scuba divers found it in the 1960s.

Marine life and season

Reef fish swarms
Nudibranchs
Macro critters

Month-by-month season rating for SS Nebo
Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Good	Good	Good	Good	Good	Good	Prime	Prime	Prime	Prime	Prime	Good

Season follows Aliwal Shoal: The reef is dived all year round; ragged-tooth sharks congregate from July to November, bull sharks gather from December to April.

Know before you go

Strong currents run to the north or the south over the wreck and divers can easily be washed off it, so dives should be conducted in weak current conditions.
On some days there is a significant surge that can push divers into the sharp metal edges of the broken hull; keep a margin off the structure rather than holding on.

Dive videos

SS Nebo Wreck - 26/11/2022 · South Africa Underwater on YouTube

Questions divers ask

How deep is the SS Nebo?+

The top of the upside-down hull is at about 20 metres and the sand around her at 27 metres. That depth, together with the currents and surge, makes it a site more suited to advanced divers.

What is left of the SS Nebo?+

The hull has largely broken up, collapsed and dispersed, mainly due to heavy surge, but parts of the stern can be identified including the propeller and boiler, and the wooden cross-members of the bridge lie around the wreck.