Diving the Cape Peninsula and False Bay/Balcony

The dive site Balcony is a rocky shoreline reef in the Rooi-els area on the east side of False Bay, near Cape Town in the Western Cape province of South Africa.

Diving the Cape Peninsula and False Bay/Balcony Halal Travel Guide

Ankers_and_Balcony_Aerial - Aerial view of the dive site at Balcony. (Photo CDS&M)

This site is mostly used as a training site or when conditions are marginal. It is not very deep and the reef is not very spectacular, but it is better protected from the swells than most sites in the area.

Position

• S34°18.454’ E018°48.911’ Balcony GPS -34.307567,18.815183

This site is NOT in a Marine Protected Area. A permit is not required.

Name

Derivation of the name "Balcony" is not known.

Depth

Fairly shallow, mostly less than 10 m.

Topography

Low to moderate sandstone reef quite steeply sloping down to sand bottom.

Geology: Ordovician sandstone of the Table Mountain group, probably ‘’Peninsula’’ formation.

Conditions

Usually best during or after south easterly winds. The site is fairly sheltered from south west swell, but exposed to north west wind and waves. Usually considered a summer dive, but there may be opportunities at other times of the year. Thit is a very sheltered cove which may be diveable when not much else in the area is accessible.

Facilities

None. Security is probably better than most roadside parking, but be sure to lock up. There are baboons which may try to steal any food, and may vandalise in their efforts to find some.

Muslim Friendly Travel TO Diving the Cape Peninsula and False Bay/Balcony

-34.29|18.82|width=|align=Balcony and nearby dive sites}} This site is almost exclusively dived from the shore. Turn off the R44 into Porter street and then turn right into Oceanview street. Right again into Reggia street and then left where it becomes Rockland road. Park near the wooden railings on the right hand side in Rockland road. Path to the CT dive site Balcony - Start of the path

View of Balcony dive site from the road. The path is unmistakeable as it starts between the wood railings in the right foreground. The path goes over sand to a pebble and boulder beach. Entry area at CT dive site Balcony - Entry points

This view shows the entry points from the North side of the cove. One is a scramble over the boulder beach to the left, and the other is on the ridge to right of centre, where a ledge is convenient if the tide is right. Exit at the same places. Alternative emergency exit at Ankers which may be more sheltered in case of sudden deterioration of conditions.

What to See

Marine life

Kelp forest over most of the reef. It is shallow, so there is other seaweed, and various invertebrates, but the site is not very colourful, as it is a bit too shallow.

Photography

Not recommended for photography. There are better sites all around, and if you dive here it is for another reason, or conditions are bad.

Routes

Swim along the edge of sand and reef in a westerly direction (to seaward).

Stay Safe

Hazards

Shore access is over a small boulder beach or requires a short scramble over rocks.

Skills

No special skills required. Suitable for novices and training exercises, snorkelling and night dives.

Equipment

No special equipment recommended.

Nearby

• Diving the Cape Peninsula and False Bay/Blouklip|Blouklip GPS -34.273983,18.836050
• Diving the Cape Peninsula and False Bay/Blousteen Ridge|Blousteen Ridge GPS -34.274950,18.832067
• Diving the Cape Peninsula and False Bay/Whirlpool cove|Whirlpool Cove GPS -34.282833,18.825833
• Diving the Cape Peninsula and False Bay/Percy's Hole|Percy’s Hole GPS -34.289167,18.822950
• Diving the Cape Peninsula and False Bay/Kruis|Kruis GPS -34.290517,18.821733
• Diving the Cape Peninsula and False Bay/Rooi-els Point|Rooi-els Point GPS -34.296667,18.813333
• Diving the Cape Peninsula and False Bay/Coral Gardens (Rooi-els) | Coral Gardens GPS -34.302400,18.813250
• Diving the Cape Peninsula and False Bay/Andre se Gat|Andre se Gat GPS -34.304167,18.812667
• Diving the Cape Peninsula and False Bay/Ankers|Ankers GPS -34.308767,18.813583
• Diving the Cape Peninsula and False Bay/Mike’s Point|Mike's Point GPS -34.312500,18.812000
• Diving the Cape Peninsula and False Bay/Container Bay|Container Bay GPS -34.312500,18.817500

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