Cape Peninsula Kelp Forests · South Africa · Reef
Windmill Beach
Protected water and an easy walk-in for first sea dives
Photo: Peter Southwood · CC BY-SA 3.0
Windmill Beach is a sheltered beach entry on the False Bay side of the Cape Peninsula, often used for entry-level training. The bottom is sand with large granite outcrops and boulders standing out of it, some of them with very high relief, and the maximum is about 8 m on the sand near the inshore reefs.
Where it is and how deep
34.2010° S, 18.4567° EPublished position for this site.
The dive
This is a short, shallow dive and it begins easily: the water here is protected and entry and exit are straightforward. Once you are past the shallows the ground is sand with large granite outcrops and boulders rising out of it, some of them with very high relief, so the dive becomes a matter of moving from rock to rock rather than following one continuous reef line.
Depth is never the point. Maximum depth is about 8 m on the sand bottom near the inshore reefs, and the 10 m contour lies about 300 m offshore, well beyond where a training dive from this beach goes. Spend the time on the boulders instead: a wide variety of invertebrate and fish species may be found at this site, and the high-relief rock gives them ledges and undercuts to work along at a depth where the light is still good.
Marine life and season
The sources we used don't single out particular species here.
| 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.
Photos from Windmill Beach
Peter Southwood · CC BY-SA 3.0
Dive videos
Windmill Beach Scuba 2024/08/20 · Cape Town Kelp on YouTube
Windmill Beach Just Grew Bigger! · Cape Town Kelp on YouTube
Questions divers ask
Is Windmill Beach good for beginners?+
Yes. It is often used for entry-level training because the water is protected and entry and exit are easy, and the maximum is about 8 m on the sand near the inshore reefs.
Sources
- Windmill Beach Dive Site — PADI
- Windmill Beach — Wikipedia
- Dive sites of the Cape Peninsula east coast — Wikivoyage
Photo credits
- A sandy cove with large granite boulders standing out of the water at Windmill Beach by Peter Southwood, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Aerial view of the Windmill Beach coastline showing its rocky coves near Seaforth and Froggy Pond by Chief Directorate of Surveys and Mapping, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Rocky outcrops rising from calm shallow water in the east cove at Windmill Beach by Peter Southwood, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
In The Logbook
- The best shore dives in the worldShore diving · 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
Air-trap overhangs and swim-throughs on a granite boulder reef
Marked as Photographer's reef on the SAN charts
Similar dives elsewhere
Big smooth boulders scattered over sand patches
Marbled electric rays on a 10 to 14 m reef
Long nose pipefish and shovel nose crayfish in 4 to 8 m
Coral bommies off the resort's own water entrance