Sodwana Bay · South Africa · Reef · Coral garden

Five-Mile Reef

Deeper outer system of branching, table and plate corals

Five-Mile Reef lies north of Two-Mile, about 8 km out from Jesser Point, and is dived as a system of smaller reefs rather than one body — Ribbon, Pothole and Uniform are the most popular of its four main sites. It runs deeper than the inshore ground, to 35 m, and carries branching, table and plate corals.

Also known as 5 Mile Reef.

Where it is and how deep

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

27.4847° S, 32.7027° EPublished position for this site.

The dive

The 5 Mile system sits north of 2 Mile and is dived as four main sites rather than as one reef. Ribbon, Pothole and Uniform are the most popular of them. Ribbon is really two separate reefs joined by a line of stepping stones, so a dive there works one section, crosses the gap and picks up the next. PADI gives 35 m as the maximum for the system, deeper than any of the inshore reefs at Sodwana Bay.

Coral is what separates this reef from the inshore ground: branching, table and plate corals across the system. The extra depth is also why PADI describes it as home to more elusive marine species than the shallower reefs, with sharks, whales, dolphins and turtles all listed for the site. Everything here is boat work about 8 km out from Jesser Point.

Marine life and season

Sea turtles
Reef sharks
Dolphins
Whales

Month-by-month season rating for Five-Mile Reef
Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Prime	Prime	Good	Prime	Prime	Prime	Prime	Prime	Prime	Good	Good	Good

Season follows Sodwana Bay: Conditions are good all year; ragged-tooth sharks peak in January and February, and the clearest water runs from April to September.

Dive videos

Sodwana Bay - 5-Mile Reef - Filmed with GoPro Hero 3 · Dylan Koen on YouTube

Diving in South Africa: Ribbon, Five-Mile Reef, Sodwana Bay · Michal Jerabek on YouTube

Questions divers ask

How deep is Five-Mile Reef?+

PADI gives a maximum of 35 m for the system. No shallow figure is published for it, but it runs deeper than the inshore reefs at Sodwana Bay, which is why it is treated as an advanced dive.