Diving the Cape Peninsula and False Bay/Drop Zone

The dive site Drop Zone is an offshore rocky reef in the north western False Bay, near Strand in the Western Cape province of South Africa.

Diving the Cape Peninsula and False Bay/Drop Zone Halal Travel Guide

Drop Zone Reef Map - Map of the False Bay offshore dive site Drop Zone This site has a comfortable range of depths for recreational diving, and is reasonably close to the slipways at Gordon's Bay, while being far enough offshore to have a fair chance of better visibility when visibility is poor at the shoreline sites of eastern False Bay. Biodiversity is fairly high and the site is large.

Position

S34°08.561' E18°45.829' Drop Zone GPS -34.142683,18.763817About 8.6 km west (276°true) of Harbour Island. This site is not in a Marine Protected Area. A permit is not required.

Name

The name "Drop Zone" was given to the site by Indigo Divers of Gordons Bay.

Depth

Maximum depth is about 26 m, and the top of the reef is about 12 m according to the official charts. Average depth is likely to be about 18 m.

Visibility

Visibility on the east side of False Bay is generally worse than on the Cape Peninsula, but Drop Zone is sufficiently offshore to be unaffected by most rain runoff and deep enough to be relatively unaffected by swell, particularly as it is quite a large area without much sand or silt. On the other hand, it will not have the advantage of upwelling clear water in an offshore wind. Plankton blooms may reduce visibility in the upper layers while visibility at depth remains relatively good, though fairly dark. This can only be determined by diving. Visibility has been recorded at about 10 m, but may often be less.

Topography

Moderate and low profile high rugosity rocky reef. The very steep dip results in many ridges and gullies, mostly mot very deep. There are few monuments of note.

Geology: Hard, resistant, sedimentary rock, possibly of the Precambrian Tygerberg formation. Strike NW-SE, Dip nearly vertical.

Conditions

The site is exposed to wind from all directions and swell from most, so should be dived in low swell and light winds. The site is reasonably protected from south easterly swell, but if strong south easterly winds develop then the ride back to Gordon's Bay will be wet and bumpy

There is no preferred season for diving this site: local weather and ocean swell conditions will have the most influence. Avoid big southerly or south westerly swell.

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

-34.27|18.6|width=|align=* Drop Zone and other offshore dive sites of False Bay}} Boat access only, The site is a considerable distance offshore.

The site is about 8.6 km from Harbour Island slipway, or 9.2 km from Gordon's Bay Old Harbour

What to See

Marine life

Large numbers of gorgonian sea fans, shoals of juvenile fish, and the usual variety of echinoderms, sponges and anemones. Not much seaweed, which suggests that the reef is not exposed to much light, which means that the visibility is not often very good. In 2014, it was free of the massive brittlestar populations common on the Cape Peninsula sites.

Alcyonium fauri PB300057 - Soft coral Alcyonium fauri
Anthothoe chilensis PB300140 - Striped anemone Anthothoe chilensis
Clinus superciliosus PB300074 - Highfin klipfish on Palmate sea fan
Astrocladus euryale PB300148 - Basket star Astrocladus euryale
Burnupena cf papyracea PB300183 - Papery burnupena on lacy false coral
Melithaea rubra PB300042 - Multicolour sea fan
Pseudocnella insolens and Pentacta doliolum PB300023 - Red chested and Mauve sea cucumbers
Tambja capensis PB300054 - Black nudibranch
Thyone aurea PB300138 - Golden sea cucumbers
Scrolled false corals PB300194 - Scrolled false corals

Photography

As a general rule, visibility is unlikely to be great, with fairly large particulates, natural light will be relatively poor, and there are no major features, so macro photography and close-up wide angle with external flash are likely to produce the best results.

Suggested routes

The site is very large, and no one area is greatly different from the others. Explore if it suits you, but there is no particular reason to go very far from the shotline.

Stay Safe

Hazards

No known site-specific hazards, though if the south-easterly wind comes up strongly it may be difficult for the boat crew to spot divers at the surface, and imfeasible to follow bubbles.

Skills

Competence at buoyancy control to avoid impacting the fragile bryozoan colonies.

Equipment

A DSMB is recommended to show the boat where you are while ascending, and after surfacing if the wind comes up. There are few monuments, so if you want to navigate with any reliability, take a compass.

Nearby

Diving the Cape Peninsula and False Bay/Seal Island|Seal Island GPS -34.137500,18.582500
Diving the Cape Peninsula and False Bay/East Shoal|East Shoal GPS -34.148333,18.646389
Diving the Cape Peninsula and False Bay/Moddergat|Moddergat GPS -34.1525,18.8275
Diving the Cape Peninsula and False Bay/York Shoal|York Shoal GPS -34.156111,18.593056
Diving the Cape Peninsula and False Bay/SAS Fleur|SAS Fleur GPS -34.180533,18.564917
Diving the Cape Peninsula and False Bay/Steenbras Deep|Steenbras Deep - North Pinnacles GPS -34.2025,18.7595
Diving the Cape Peninsula and False Bay/Steenbras Deep|Steenbras Deep - South Pinnacles GPS -34.2107,18.7583
Diving the Cape Peninsula and False Bay/SATS General Botha|SATS General Botha GPS -34.227983,18.638167
Diving the Cape Peninsula and False Bay/SAS Bloemfontein|SAS Bloemfontein GPS -34.2443,18.6659
Diving the Cape Peninsula and False Bay/Whittle Rock|Whittle Rock GPS -34.24743,18.56190
Diving the Cape Peninsula and False Bay/SS Lusitania|Bellows Rock GPS -34.389652,18.490553
Diving the Cape Peninsula and False Bay/SS Lusitania|SS Lusitania GPS -34.390000,18.494167
Diving the Cape Peninsula and False Bay/Rocky Bank|Rocky Bank GPS -34.415500,18.591667

Back to Diving the Cape Peninsula and False Bay#Reefs

Diving the Cape Peninsula and False Bay/Drop Zone

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