Dive Review of SEAL/mboyti river lodge in
Africa/Eastern Cape, Wild Coast

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SEAL/mboyti river lodge: "Sardine Run with Seal at Mbotyi", Jul, 2017, by Wellington Lee, DC, US ( Sr. Reviewer 7 reports with 1 Helpful vote). Report 9655.
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	N/A	Shore Diving	N/A
Snorkeling
Overall Rating
Value for $$
Beginners
Advanced
Comments	Well let me just say that this is completely different than any other "dive" trip. 1.)It's 95%+ snorkeling. All of the action is close to the surface, the bait balls are often fast and fleeting (minutes), and visibility low. In addition there is only one tank of air per person per day on the boat anyway. 2.) GEAR: If I go again I am not bringing a BCD/REG. I did 2 dives in 8 days. One was a checkout and the other was a brief baitball encounter. Just rent BCD/REG. You can use full foot fins. There is a boat launch in the morning off a sandy beach that you can do barefoot no problem at all. You need good fins as there is a lot of hard surface swimming chasing action. 3.) Temps are 65 in the water. I had full sun everyday so I was not cold in a 5mm plus 3mm hood, though a 7mm is not a bad idea because if it stormy it would get cold fast. Your going to need to pee in the suit, or pee off the back of the boat. 4.) Luck. It's all luck. You need Gannet birds to find the ball so you can see them and find the ball. You need Dolphins to corral the ball so it doesn't run away. You need other stuff to show up to make it awesome (sharks, whales, pelagics). I hit the jackpot. A Bryde's whale passed me within arms reach 6 times, world class experience. Also saw lots of humpbacks on the surface and one underwater. 80% of the time you jump in "GO GO GO" you might see stuff for a minute or two, or often nothing at all. The other 20% you might be on a sustained baitball with dolphins, birds and sharks + other bonus animals. 5.) The Boats. It's a 24 foot RIB "zodiac". boat launches are intense - off the beach into the crashing surf. Spartan boats, sit on the pontoons all day. Good catering on board. The boat is also beached going full speed. It's something I imagine a Navy SEAL boat driver would practice. 5.)The topside is breathtaking. Rugged coastline. The lodge has a vintage africa feel, food particularly fish is well prepared. Great Bar with Karaoke! 6.) SEAL - probably the most premium operator for the event, however they are highly skilled, courteous, and professional. SEAL knows how to show everyone a good time. Microlight flight, BBQs, hikes, shots of tequila.
Websites	SEAL mboyti river lodge
Reporter and Travel
Dive Experience	251-500 dives
Where else diving	Sipadan, Cocos Island, Maldives, Honduras, Belize, Bahamas, Cozumel, Florida Keys, Bonaire, Hawaii
Closest Airport	Durban DUR	Getting There	Arrival Ethiopian through ADD Return Turkish through Istanbul IST
Dive Conditions
Weather	sunny	Seas	calm, choppy
Water Temp	65-65°F / 18-18°C	Wetsuit Thickness	5
Water Visibility	15-40 Ft/ 5-12 M
Dive Policy
Dive own profile	no
Enforced diving restrictions	SCUBA very limited to non-existent. I did 2 dives in the whole week, one was checkout. Boat only carries one tank per diver per day. Speed of bait ball action and poor visibility limits opportunities. Steel 80s
Liveaboard?	no	Nitrox Available?	N/A
What I Saw
Sharks	Lots	Mantas	None
Dolphins	Schools	Whale Sharks	None
Turtles	1 or 2	Whales	> 2
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	N/A
UW Photo Comments	RIB boats have tables on which you can store a camera. Crew is cognizant. No rinse buckets. There is a large chlorinated pool to rinse your camera after the dive on shore.

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Dive Review of SEAL/mboyti river lodge in Africa/Eastern Cape, Wild Coast

SEAL/mboyti river lodge: "Sardine Run with Seal at Mbotyi", Jul, 2017,

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 SEAL/mboyti river lodge in
Africa/Eastern Cape, Wild Coast