Dive Review of Dive the Big 5 in
Africa/South Africa

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Dive the Big 5, Sep, 2002, by Joseph Puglia, Fl, USA . Report 721.
No photos available at this time
Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Accommodations		Food
Service and Attitude		Environmental Sensitivity	N/A
Dive Operation		Shore Diving
Snorkeling	N/A
Overall Rating
Value for $$	N/A
Beginners
Advanced
Comments	This trip was a diving/safari trip combined. Dive the Big 5 handled all the arrangements. We booked through Reef and Rainforest and Kisten was a big help. We dove at the Cape of Good Hope with a local dive shop. We encountered seals, pajama sharks and beautiful colors. The water was cool 55F. We rented wet suits and I would not do that again. They fit poorly; we got cold quickly. The diving was fun. That same day we saw Penguins and toured the cape. A great experience. We then moved to Grootbos and Gansbaii for Great White Shark diving. Our first dive day was a chamber of commerce day, sun shining a nice 78-80F air temp. We dove with Great White Shark Company. The Great Whites were an experience of a life time. I not sure which was better; in the cage or on the boat. We had sharks all day! Nancy, my wife and dive buddy, was jumping with exitement! Our second day of shark diving had significantly worse conditions but the sharks were just as exciting. The diving is done with hookas and you are in a cage. The water was 64F and we used their wet suits (7MM farmer John/Jane). Grootbos is a gorgeous resort just east of Gansbaii. Next stop Umkomaas at 2 hour flight north. This is home to the Raggies (Sand Tigers. We stayed the Ocean View Guest House not as fancy as Grootbos but clean and well kept. John Mugambo, the owner makes you stay quite pleasant. We dove with Sea Fever, the operation was not note worthy. We enjoyed the Raggies even though viz was low. Water was in the 60'sF We then moved on to a safari camp called Phinda. From there we dove at Sodwana Bay at the very north corner of South Africa. Phinda provides a same day Cessna plane ride, diving and lunch. The diving was beautiful. The dive, 2 mile reef, started with an eagle ray, schools of moorish idols, colorful anthias, and a four foot marble eel. Other sightings included pipefish, three frog fish(on one dive), purple parrot fish, tons of nudibrands. A beautiful place to dive. I understand it gets crowded on weekends. All dives are surf launches; not for the faint harded. The remainder of the trip was spent at another safari camp, Ngala tented camp, in Kruger National Park. Both safari camps were beautiful and the animals were amazing. This the best land/sea trip we have ever been on. I was truly a trip of a life time!
Reporter and Travel
Dive Experience	251-500 dives
Where else diving	Carribean, Red Sea, Micornesia, Solomons
Closest Airport		Getting There
Dive Conditions
Weather	sunny,rainy	Seas	choppy
Water Temp	55-72°F / 13-22°C	Wetsuit Thickness	7
Water Visibility	20-50 Ft/ 6-15 M
Dive Policy
Dive own profile	yes
Enforced diving restrictions	Recreational limits
Liveaboard?	no	Nitrox Available?	N/A
What I Saw
Sharks	Lots	Mantas	None
Dolphins	None	Whale Sharks	None
Turtles	> 2	Whales	None
Ratings 1(worst) - 5 (best):
Corals		Tropical Fish
Small Critters		Large Fish
Large Pelagics
Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Subject Matter		Boat Facilities
Overall rating for UWP's		Shore Facilities
UW Photo Comments	[None]

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Dive Review of Dive the Big 5 in Africa/South Africa

Dive the Big 5, Sep, 2002,

Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):

Overall Rating

Reporter and Travel

Dive Conditions

Dive Policy

What I Saw

Ratings 1(worst) - 5 (best):

Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best):

Dive Review of Dive the Big 5 in
Africa/South Africa