Gordon's Bay & Rooi-Els · South Africa · Reef

Rocky Bay

Ridges and gullies below the Rocky Bay resort cliffs

Rocky Bay is an inshore rocky reef just north of the Steenbras River mouth, named for the resort on the cliffs above. Sandstone ridges and gullies run parallel to the shore before the bottom flattens into gravel and boulders, with sea fans, sponges and a long list of nudibranchs on the reef.

Where it is and how deep

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

34.1931° S, 18.8173° EApproximate position — the dashed circle shows where the site lies; your operator's briefing has the mooring.

The dive

Boats anchor off the cliffs in front of the resort houses, far enough out to avoid the worst of the reflected waves from the steep shoreline. The reef is a series of sandstone ridges and gullies running parallel to the shore, getting deep quickly and then sloping gradually down, with outcrops growing lower and sparser away from the shore. Boat dives usually stay within 18 m, while the bottom reaches about 21 m at 200 m offshore and 27 m about 600 m out.

Further out the bottom flattens into coarse gravel, small boulders and shingle, encrusted with peacock fanworms, feather stars, sponges and false corals. Basket stars are often seen on the deeper reefs and galjoen in the inshore gullies, along with klipfish, shysharks, rock suckers and red roman. Nudibranchs include red-spotted dorids and candy nudibranchs, and seals visit the divers.

Visibility is usually poor, and 5 m counts as good here, because surge keeps the bottom stirred up. Divers who descend into murky water can try swimming west a few hundred metres, where it may be clearer. In a strong surge, staying in deeper water is the better plan; on a very quiet day the shallower coastal areas are worth exploring.

Marine life and season

Nudibranchs
Seals & sea lions
Macro critters

Month-by-month season rating for Rocky Bay
Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Prime	Prime	Fair	Fair	Fair	Fair	Fair	Fair	Fair	Fair	Fair	Prime

Season follows Gordon's Bay & Rooi-Els: Diving runs mostly in summer, when the weather permits, with some good days in other seasons and an occasional winter dive.

Know before you go

Long-period south westerly swell brings strong surge and can make shore diving hazardous; check the gully from the road first.
Visibility is often very low, at times a metre or less; stay close to a buddy.
Red tides in summer and rain run-off in winter can spoil the water.