Cape Peninsula Kelp Forests · South Africa · Reef · Kelp forest · Pinnacle
Partridge Point
Air-trap overhangs and swim-throughs on a granite boulder reef
Photo: Peter Southwood · CC BY-SA 3.0
Partridge Point is a boat dive off the last point on the peninsula's False Bay shoreline north of Smitswinkel Bay, second only to Castle Rocks for the variety and numbers of fish to be seen at a Cape Peninsula site. Cape fur seals often visit divers here, kelp covers the shallower reef, and the maximum is about 26 m on the sand east of Seal Rock.
Where it is and how deep
34.2548° S, 18.4775° EPublished position for this site.
The dive
Boats run in from the Miller's Point slipway, about 4 km away, or from the Simon's Town jetty at roughly 11.5 km, and put you on an extensive granite boulder and outcrop reef with sand at its boundaries. The structure is the appeal here: air-trap overhangs, swim-throughs, pinnacles and gullies, spread across named pieces of ground that the skipper chooses between on the day, among them Big Rock, Seal Rock, Peter's Pinnacles and Dave's Caves.
Depth builds outward rather than downward, reaching about 26 m on the sand east of Seal Rock but nearer 17 m at Big Rock, and visibility is typically 5 to 10 m in diveable conditions, up to 20 m on excellent days. Kelp forest covers the reef and shoals of Roman, galjoen and blacktail move through it, with nudibranchs, sea fans, brittle stars, sea cucumbers, anemones, octopus, crabs and feather stars on the rock and Cape fur seals working the same water.
Marine life and season
- Seals & sea lions
- Reef fish swarms
- Nudibranchs
- Octopus & cuttlefish
- Macro critters
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Fair | Fair | Fair | Fair | Good | Good |
Season follows Cape Peninsula Kelp Forests: The Atlantic side is mainly a summer dive, the western shore of False Bay a winter one, when the South-Easter drops; shifting spring winds (Sep-Oct) can blow out both coasts.
Know before you go
- Surge is strong in the shallow areas and waves break over the exposed rocks, so stay off the shallowest ground whenever there is swell running.
- It is easy to surface on the far side of the rocks from the boat: fix the boat's position before you drop and agree where you intend to come up.
- Cold water makes hypothermia the real limit on a long dive here, so let thermal protection rather than remaining gas set the turnaround.
Photos from Partridge Point
(c) Peter Southwood, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA) · CC BY-SA 4.0
derekkeats · CC BY-SA 2.0
Dive videos
Scuba diving at Partridge Point, Cape Town South Africa · ShaunDG on YouTube
Questions divers ask
How deep is Partridge Point?+
The maximum is about 26 m, on the sand east of Seal Rock; the boulder reef itself is shallower. Visibility is typically 5 to 10 m in diveable conditions and reaches 20 m on excellent days.
Can you dive Partridge Point from the shore?+
In practice no. Access is primarily by boat from the Miller's Point slipway or the Simon's Town jetty; shore access is difficult, requiring a crossing of private land and a long walk.
Sources
Photo credits
- Kelp fronds hang over a swim-through beneath an overhang, with fish silhouetted against blue water by Peter Southwood, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Diagram of the Partridge Point reef complex with depth contours around Big Rock, Cave Rock and South Rock by Peter Southwood, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- A Cape rock lobster tucked among reef growth near Seal Rock at Partridge Point by (c) Peter Southwood, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- A puffadder shyshark rests camouflaged against a reddish reef by derekkeats, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
In The Logbook
- Kelp forest diving, and where it still growsCold water · 13 min read
- Where to dive with seals and sea lionsBig animals · 17 min read
- What is surge in diving, and how deep it goesOcean science · 8 min read
- Cold-water diving: is it worth the drysuit?Cold water · 8 min read
More dive sites in Cape Peninsula Kelp Forests
Reef
Ridges of medium height running out to a seaward pinnacle
Granite ridges and gullies in about 18 m
Sevengill sharks in the cove, kelp over granite
Marked as Photographer's reef on the SAN charts
Protected water and an easy walk-in for first sea dives
Similar dives elsewhere
Three sponge-covered pinnacles off the Rooi-els shore
Manta cleaning stations on an amphitheatre of rock at 21-26 m
A surface-breaking rock pinnacle above reef with unusually varied invertebrates
Two pinnacles on a narrow ledge where surge bubbles between the rocks