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

Troglodyte's Cove

Sheltered cove entry below a shoreline cave

Troglodyte's Cove is a small cove in the steep rocky shoreline south west of Gordon's Bay, named for the cave at the head of its inlet. Reef ridges run parallel to the shore down to fine sand, with big outcrops, overhangs and a rock used by a small group of seals.

Also known as Cave Gully.

Where it is and how deep

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

34.1805° S, 18.8252° EApproximate position — the dashed circle shows where the site lies; your operator's briefing has the mooring.

The dive

Divers climb down a boulder slope from the cave mouth to the water's edge, where it is usually deep enough to jump in; entry and exit are very sheltered from south westerly swell. The gully below the cave has steep rock sides and a pebble and boulder bottom. One route keeps the rock face on the left out of the inlet, then heads straight out over coarse gravel to the fine sand at the maximum depth of about 14 m.

From the sand the route turns back towards the shore over pebbles, small boulders and larger outcrops, then rocky reef with pebble-bottomed gullies, reaching the shoreline near the seal reef. Outcrops and boulders stand well above the bottom, with overhangs near the shoreline, especially in the inlet. A small group of seals frequents a rock north east of the gully. West towards Lorry Bay the reef grows more rugged.

Marine life and season

Seals & sea lions

Month-by-month season rating for Troglodyte's Cove
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

Dive it only when the south westerly swell is short and low.
The descent to the water is steep over the last stretch; carry kit carefully over the boulders.