Best time to go to South Africa

[elbuzo]

I´m planing to go to South Africa ,on a diving safari for 2-3 weeks . My main interest is u/w photography combined with some land safari and some nice places to stay (my wife will go with me ) .

Which time of the year is better in terms of calm seas and good vis. . I know that SA is big and conditions are different from one place to another and also most of the interesting species ( sharks ) are seasonal . But overall which month is the best.

I will appreciate any tip

Regards

El buzo

 

[AndyT]

If you plan to be in Cape Town for any period April to October is usually good for diving & photography.

 

[elbuzo]

Thanks AndyT.

I will be in a dive safari all around SA and even a couple of days at Mozambique .

The itinerary will be :

Aliwal Shoal and Protea Banks
Ponta Malongane - Mozambique
Gansbaai or Mosselbaai ( not sure yet )
Cape Town

So what do you think is the best month , if really exist a best one for all the places.

 

[spankey]

I would suggest June/July for Aliwal as you will catch the raggies and possiably the sardine run. This time would suit all the areas, but the water will be a bit colder the further south you go. But Mozambique will be warm all year round. I would also stongly suggest you visit Sodwana Bay it is only about 4 hours south of ponta and if you are driving yourself around you will drive right past it. The diving there is very similar to ponta, so even say it is better.

Cape town is best in summer (nov to feb), in winter cape town can get cold, wet and windy.

 

[rob_za]

General consesnus among the guys I dive with is that Sodwana is better for diving, but Ponta is less crowded and more relaxed. I'm leaving for Ponta in about 14 hours or so. According to some we're likely to see quite a few whale sharks at the moment.

As for sharks, I hear through the grapevine that they're seeing them on Aliwal on a daily basis. Off course, the guys going out are chumming/baiting, so they're pretty much guaranteed a sight. Heard they see quite a few blacktips and a few Zambezis also pop around on occasion.

 

[AndyT]

Cape Town in summer is a nightmare for divers - the South Easter blows hard enough for diving to be cancelled, the water temp gets to around 8 deg C. Sure it rains in winter (not all of the time) but the viz is generally better and the water is a little warmer.

 

[elbuzo]

Thanks guys

I will go between june - july

 

[AndyT]

I see you plan to go to Gansbaai or Mosselbaai - if it's Great Whites you're looking for definitely go to Gansbaai - no choice there !!!