Sodwana Bay is in the KwaZulu Natal Province of South Africa. It is renowned for its popular diving and beautiful reefs. Sodwana is in the Maputaland Marine Protected Area and is the only recreational scuba diving area along the iSimangaliso Wetlands Park (formerly Greater St Lucia Park) coastline. It is classified as one of the top dive sites in the world.

Understand

Only 4x4 vehicles is allowed onto the beach, and very rarely a 2x4 vehicle. To drive past the 1-km mark on the beach one must obtain a permit, otherwise it is for free.

Sodwana Bay National Park is a narrow strip of forested sand dunes along the east coast. It is frequented by anglers and divers. The bay is near the southern end of the tropical western Indo-Pacific marine ecoregion, and reef-building corals are present. The 50-km reef complex is the habitat of a wide diversity of resident and migratory species. Several submarine canyons cut into the edge of the continental shelf, which is very close to the shoreline. It was in one of these in 2000 that a resident population of coelacanths was discovered.

Sailfish, king mackerel, kingfish and other pelagic species of game fish migrate south down the east coast of Africa and since the activities of sea pirates off the coast of northeast Africa healthy populations of pelagic game fish again reach all the way south off the coast of South Africa which has re-established Sodwana as a sport fishing destination for pelagic species. The marine protected area is known for endangered marine megafauna including whale sharks, great white sharks, zambezi sharks, hammerhead sharks, blacktip sharks, manta rays, orange-spotted groupers, potato cod, critically endangered leatherback turtles loggerhead sea turtles, and coelacanths.

Whale watching targeting migratory or resident cetaceans is a local tourist industry. Bottlenose dolphins live in the vicinity and have been observed to swim with whale sharks. Humpback whales migrate through the bay during winter to spring seasons while southern right whales and other species are less common. Orcas may also visit the bay waters.

The land areas of the iSimangaliso Wetland Park are home to species of large land animals such as lions, giraffes, elephants, hippos and rhinos.

See

Jabu's Hut: Get a delicious door stop for ten bucks. A must if you want to feed the fish at 5 mile, when descending to 20 m in a dive.

Do

• Scuba Dive, ☏ +27 82 339-6920, info@reefteach.co.za. From R270 per dive. 

Drink

• Jan maak n Jol: a restaurant at day and bar/club at night.

Stay safe

Tent looting: beware of occasional tent and equipment theft at the camping spots.

Go next

• ISimangaliso Wetland Park