Durban · South Africa · Wreck
Ovington Court
The boilers of a 1940 sugar ship, reached from Addington Beach.
Area photo: Peter Southwood · CC BY-SA 4.0
The boilers of a British cargo ship driven ashore by a south-easterly gale in November 1940, lying in 7 m at the backline off Addington Beach. The rest was blown up as unsightly the same year. A shore or boat dive that only works when the swell is small, best in winter at high tide.
Also known as The Ovington Court, Ovington Court wreck.
Where it is and how deep
29.8583° S, 31.0450° EApproximate position — the dashed circle shows where the site lies; your operator's briefing has the mooring.
The dive
All that remains of the Ovington Court are her boilers, lying at the backline about 50 m out from Addington Beach in 7 m of water. Divers enter from the beach or come in by boat. At low tide the boilers show above the surface.
Fish and lobster have been reported around the boilers. The rest of the ship was blown up in 1940, so the boilers are the whole site. It is undiveable when a big swell is running, and the surge eases at high tide, so winter high tides give the calmest water.
The wreck
- Vessel
- Ovington Court
- Type
- British steel cargo vessel
- Sunk
- 1940
- Cause
- Anchors dragged in a south-easterly gale and the ship ran ashore
- Lies
- Only the boilers remain, in 7 m at the backline off Addington Beach
The Ovington Court was a British-flag steel cargo vessel of 6095 tons carrying sugar from Mauritius. On 25 November 1940, while she waited for a berth in Durban harbour, a severe south-easterly gale dragged her anchors and drove her ashore. The wreck was blown up the same year because beach-goers found it unsightly, and only the boilers remain.
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 | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Good | Fair | Fair | Fair | Fair |
Season follows Durban: March to July is best: low rainfall and south-westerlies bring clear water. Spring rain (September to December) clouds the water near the harbour and Umlaas canal mouths.
Know before you go
- The wreck lies at the backline and is undiveable in a big swell; dive it at high tide in winter when the surge is less.
Questions divers ask
Can the Ovington Court be dived from the beach?+
Yes. The boilers lie about 50 m out from Addington Beach in 7 m, and can be reached from the shore or by boat when the swell is small.
Sources
- Diving in Durban — Wikivoyage
- Durban Dive Sites – Wrecks — Durban Undersea Club
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