Diving the Cape Peninsula and False Bay/Steps

Steps dive site banner Orange cup corals - 1200px

The dive site Steps is an offshore rocky reef in the Karbonkelberg headland area on the Atlantic seaboard of the Cape Peninsula, near Cape Town in the Western Cape province of South Africa.

Steps Halal Explorer

Position

S34°01.330’ E018°18.600’ Steps GPS -34.022167,18.31|zoom=15, about 600 m north of the Oude Schip headland

This site is in a Marine Protected Area (2004). A permit is required. The site is within the Karbonkelberg restricted area.

Name

Derivation of the name "Steps" is not known, but may refer to some topographical feature of the site.

Depth

Maximum is about 20 m, average depth on a dive is likely to be about 15 m

Visibility

Visibility will be similar to other reefs in this area. It will usually be best in summer after a few days of south easterly winds cause an upwelling of clear water from the depths. On a good day visibility may exceed 10 m, with 20 m an infrequent possibility.

Topography

The reef is separated from the Oude Schip headland by a relatively deep area. The site is a large reef of granite corestones comprising high ridges and deep gullies, some quite narrow. The major jointing is at roughly 200° magnetic, and most of the ridges and gullies are in this direction.

Geology: Late Pre-Cambrian granite of the Peninsula pluton.

Conditions

Often at its best after a south easterly wind. The site is exposed to the south west swell which will produce a strong surge along the gullies and over the top of the ridges. A south easterly wind will tend to reduce the swell and cause upwelling of clear water from the depths. This water is cold, so good visibility will usually be associated with cold water. Temperatures from 8°C to 14°C are feasible, averaging around 11°C in summer. The site is fairly well sheltered from the direct force of the south Easter, and can be dived even in a brisk blow, but the boat ride back to Hout Bay will be into the teeth of the wind.

The site is usually at its best in summer but there may also be occasional opportunities in autumn and early winter.

This is an area which sometimes has upwellings, caused by the south easterly winds, resulting in cold clear water, sometimes followed by a plankton bloom which will then reduce the visibility.

Some of the ridges and gullies are aligned more or less with the direction of the south westerly swell, so the surge can be quite strong both on top of the ridges, and in the gullies, as they provide little protection.

Muslim Friendly Travel TO Steps

This site is only accessible by boat. It is about 9 km from the Diving the Cape Peninsula and False Bay/Hout Bay harbour|Hout Bay harbour.

What to see in Steps

Marine life

Not a site where you would expect to see a great number of fish, but quite colorful gully walls with ridge tops either covered in red-bait if fairly shallow, or urchins, if deeper. There are red seaweeds and corallines.

A variety of encrusting, tubular, ball, fan, and wall sponges, anemones and soft corals, sea fans and noble corals, hydroids, colonial ascidians, starfish, sea cucumbers, mussels, whelks and nudibranchs, false corals, fanworms, crabs, rock lobster, amphipods, barnacles and swimming shrimps can be seen

Fan Sponges at steps DSC07435 - Fan sponge
Green moon sponge at Steps DSC07415 - Green Moon sponge
Orange cup corals at StepsDSC07408 - Orange cup corals
Soft corals at Steps DSC07445 - Soft corals
Sponge and Urcins at Steps DSC07401 - Sponge and urchins

Photography

Macro photography will usually produce good results, and if the visibility is good, a wide angle lens may provide some interesting shots. Macro will require flash, but wide angle may be OK with natural light, or external flash to reduce backscatter.

Routes

No specific routes recommended.

Stay safe as a Muslim in Steps

Hazards

Cold water, strong surge.

Skills

No special skills required.

Equipment

No special equipment recommended.

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