Sodwana bay in August?

[nufc]

Hi all,

how would a trip to sodwana bay in august sound to you?

both diving wise, but also in terms of general weather/comfort

I hope you can help!

Cheers,
Thomas

 

[travel girl]

August is great bit of wind but do go in July or December no fun too busy

 

[henno777]

One of the best dives youll ever do

 

[kosmonooit]

And mild weather, still the dry season just avoid local school holidays!

 

[Deefstes]

It's a no-brainer. Do it!

August would have comfortable weather and pleasant sea conditions plus you'd stand a good chance of seeing Ragged-toothed Sharks (Carcharias taurus).

There are plenty of dive operators but I'd recommend Triton Dive Lodge

 

[deslain]

Absolutely, if the raggies are about, be prepared for one of the best dive experiences you will have off the South African Coast. If you are looking for somebody to sort your trip out from start to finish, I can highly recomend Craig Warner, drop him an email on craigw@aquaventure.co.za with the details of what you are looking for.


All the best

Brad

 

[mjgoodman]

Hi,

Is the average dive price about $50US with gear? Can anyone recommend a good dive shop for a budget traveler? Thanks

 

[Deefstes]

Is the average dive price about $50US with gear?

Yes pretty much, perhaps a bit cheaper though. If you did one dive with full gear rental that's more or less what you'd pay but most operators offer packages where 3 dives or 5 dives work out cheaper plus your gear rental is per dive and not per day.

If, for instance, you were to do 3 dives which would typically be spaced over two days, it would cost you around $45 per dive. If you were to do 5 dives over 3 days, you're looking at something closer to $40 per dive.

This does not include accommodation of course. Most of the charters in Sodwana are dive lodges and provide accommodation with the diving. They also provide packages for a certain number of nights combined with a certain number of dives. A 3 night, 5 dive package (including gear rental) for instance would work out at around $280.

Can anyone recommend a good dive shop for a budget traveler?

Have a look at Triton Dive Lodge. At first I dived with them because they were one of the more affordable options in Sodwana (if not the most affordable) but these days I dive with them because I honestly believe that they have more expertise than any of the other dive operators. You'll have the privilege of getting to meet and dive with the likes of Peter Timm, a true legend in the South African diving scene.

Let me put it this way, if ever I were to surface after a diving incident, I wouldn't want to be on any other boat that Peter Timms'. I also think it's accurate to say that no-one knows Sodwana bay and the reefs like Timm.

 

[henno777]

Just to add:

Ive probably done weell over 150 dives at Sodwana alone. I try to go there every month. Every two weeks Im in Ponta (mozambique) and the other two weeks in Sodwana (Weekends only i need to work!!). We have a trip in August (been there last week) September, October and November. (Its a private trip - not via a tour operator or a tourist rip off place.) So if you interested maybe Private message me and we can arrange something. I love to show our beutifull country to foreigners. We can maybe arrange a shark weekend in Aliwal and shoot up to Sodwana for 5-6 days or so. We can also go and do the white shark diving without the cages if you up to it.

Sodwana bay is very rich in diversity. Things Ive seen on my last trip include: frogfixh, weedy scorpion, leaf fish, a number of ray species, guitar shark, a number of shrimp species including the whip coral shrimp, cuttle fish, sea horse and list just go on. To see these things you need to dive with charters that is passionate about the sea. We always dive with Gypsea charters, theyve been there for 17 years, second choice will be rRefteach (they have accomodation as well).

Unfortunately most of the raggies moved on and they still can be seen at Aliwal Shoal.

If you tell me your availability I can arrange a kick as@ week or two for you with myself and friends where you will have a good change to dive with Whale shark, Zambezi shark, raggies, black tip sharks, Tigers, Manta ray 5% chance, and many micro species.

Regards
Never ever dive with Coral, they cheap but bad. Coral is basicly a school for Divemasters and OWSIs and they have no knowledge about the reefs and species.

 

[Deefstes]

Never ever dive with Coral, they cheap but bad. Coral is basicly a school for Divemasters and OWSIs and they have no knowledge about the reefs and species.

I'm glad someone else said this because I didn't want to They're not particularly cheap either. I'm not familiar with ReefTeach and Gypsea's prices but Coral Divers are no cheaper than Triton.

Henno, you sound like a lekker ou, maybe we'll bump into you on one of our Sodwana or Ponta dive trips. Sounds like a fantastic trip your last one with all those sightings!