Robberg & Plettenberg Bay · South Africa · Reef · Cave & cavern
Grootbank
A maze of caves and swim-throughs with ragged-tooth sharks
Area photo: Theo Crazzolara · CC BY 2.0
Grootbank is a deep offshore reef in Plettenberg Bay and one of the bay's Advanced dives. Its draw is the ragged-tooth sharks, often sighted there year round, and a reef left unspoiled under a thick cover of soft corals, sponges and fans.
Also known as Groot Bank.
Where it is and how deep
No published position for this site — the map shows Robberg & Plettenberg Bay and its other sites; operators know the mooring.
The dive
The dive works through numerous caves, swim-throughs and drop-offs between 20 and 30 m, which together form a maze. Red roman, yellowbelly rockcod, pyjama sharks and shysharks are the fish seen most often along the way, and ragged-tooth sharks are the larger visitors to the maze.
Marine life and season
- Sand tiger sharks
- Groupers
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fair | Fair | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Prime | Prime | Good | Fair |
Season follows Robberg & Plettenberg Bay: September and October are the best months; onshore south-easterlies churn the sea up in summer, while winter westerlies clear the water.
Questions divers ask
When are ragged-tooth sharks seen at Grootbank?+
They are often sighted year round among the reef's caves, swim-throughs and drop-offs.
Sources
- Top Dive Sites along the Garden Route – Plettenberg Bay — ProDive Plettenberg Bay
More dive sites in Robberg & Plettenberg Bay
Wreck
A Greek trawler's hull lying a short swim off Robberg
Wall
Sea fans draped in basket stars on a soft-coral wall
Reef
Huge reef terraces with the odd big mako shark passing
Reef
Juvenile reef fish and cuttlefish among anemones in the shallows
Sand slope
Cape fur seals blowing bubbles at divers on the sand
Pinnacle
Three pinnacles reached on a short swim from the beach
Big caves among round boulders off Robberg's island
Pinnacle
Ragged-tooth sharks around a pinnacle that breaks off Robberg Point
Similar dives elsewhere
Sandstone ledges and caves where raggies rest on migration.
A 600 m reef cut by caves, gullies and drop-offs
Linked bowls joined by caves, overhangs and gullies
Two kilometres of ledges, pinnacles and gullies, diveable in most weather