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A wooden boardwalk runs through low coastal scrub above a turquoise bay with white surf, backed by two green headlands — Robberg & Plettenberg Bay

Robberg & Plettenberg Bay · South Africa · Wall · Pinnacle

Jacob's Reef

Sea fans draped in basket stars on a soft-coral wall

Area photo: Theo Crazzolara · CC BY 2.0

Jacob's Reef is a wall dive on a large pinnacle a short boat ride from the Beacon Island Hotel in Plettenberg Bay. Soft coral covers the wall, and the reef stays within Open Water limits, which makes it one of the easier boat dives in the bay.

Also known as Jacobs Reef, Jacob's Poort, Jacobspoort.

Where it is and how deep

Depth profile of Jacob's Reef: typical dive 10–16 m (33–52 ft) 18 m · Open Water30 m · Advanced40 m · Recreational limit10 m16 mtypical dive
Depths on a shared scale to 40 m (130 ft); dashed lines mark common certification limits.

34.0725° S, 23.3678° EApproximate position — the dashed circle shows where the site lies; your operator's briefing has the mooring.

The dive

The dive follows the wall of the pinnacle between 10 and 16 m. Sea fans along it are draped in basket stars, and groups of shysharks rest in the rocky crevices.

Marine life and season

The sources we used don't single out particular species here.

Month-by-month season rating for Jacob's Reef
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
FairFairGoodGoodGoodGoodGoodGoodPrimePrimeGoodFair

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.

Dive videos

Great White on Jacobs Reef in Plettenberg Bay · ProDive South Africa on YouTube

Sources

  1. Top Dive Sites along the Garden Route – Plettenberg Bay — ProDive Plettenberg Bay
  2. OpenStreetMap — OpenStreetMap contributors

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Whale Rock

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