Sodwana Bay · South Africa · Reef · Pinnacle · Cave & cavern

Two-Mile Reef

Two kilometres of ledges, pinnacles and gullies, diveable in most weather

Photo: (c) Georgina Jones, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA) · CC BY-SA 4.0

Two-Mile Reef is the largest and most dived of the Sodwana Bay reefs, roughly 2 km long and about 1 km wide, and it sits close enough to the protected bay to be dived in most weather. The ground is a run of ledges, pinnacles, gullies and caves rather than one continuous slope, with the reef top at 9 m and the outer edge dropping past 30 m.

Also known as 2 Mile Reef.

Where it is and how deep

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

27.5287° S, 32.6835° EPublished position for this site.

The dive

Boats drop onto a reef roughly 2 km long and about 1 km wide, so the same reef carries a long list of separate dive plans. PADI gives 18 m as the working maximum, and most profiles run between the 9 m reef top and that depth, tracking along ledges and through the gullies cut into the coral. Pinnacles and small caves break up the structure, and at the outer edge the reef falls away past 30 m.

Smaller outlying sites sit just off the main body — Stringer Reef, Bikini, Mellow Yellow and Roonies among them — and dive as separate spots with their own briefings. Sharks, whales, dolphins and turtles are the animals PADI lists for the reef. Because it is placed close to the protected bay it can be dived in most weather conditions, and it holds the most popular dive sites in Sodwana Bay.

Marine life and season

Sea turtles
Reef sharks
Dolphins
Whales

Month-by-month season rating for Two-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.

Photos from Two-Mile Reef

Dive videos

Sodwana Bay - South Africa amazing diving on 2 mile reef with GoPro · Udiuds on YouTube

Questions divers ask

How deep is Two-Mile Reef?+

PADI gives a maximum of 18 m for the site, and most dives run between the 9 m reef top and that depth. The reef itself carries on past 30 m at its outer edge, so deeper profiles exist for divers with the training for them.

Can beginners dive Two-Mile Reef?+

PADI rates the reef for all levels of diver, and the shallow sections start at 9 m. Entry is by boat, launched through the surf at Sodwana Bay, which is the part newcomers tend to find demanding rather than the reef.