Barrack Rock

Best months: Mar

Protected Area

Marcus Island Marine Protected Area

Why dive here

With 269+ marine species recorded in the area - including blue sharks, blue whales, dolphins, dwarf minke whales and great white sharks - Barrack Rock offers some of Cape Town & Western Cape's richest pinnacle diving. Water ranges 14-16°C, warmest February, March, April.

Best timeMar

WetsuitA 7mm wetsuit with a hood

Marine lifeBlue Sharks, Blue Whales, Dolphins, Dwarf Minke Whales and Great White Sharks · 269+ species recorded

Water14-16°C · warmest February, March, April

CharacterPinnacle dive

StandoutExceptional marine biodiversity

Barrack Rock is one of those sites we always make time for when we're in Cape Town. It's a proper pinnacle, rising from 24m, sometimes even deeper on the south side, all the way up to three metres below the surface at low tide. That dramatic profile means you're almost guaranteed action. We love dropping down into the kelp forest at the base, it's a dense, swaying world where shy sharks usually lurk. Then you slowly spiral upwards, and the reef structure just keeps revealing new things. Visibility averages around five metres, which sounds low, but it lends a real atmospheric feel to the dive, especially with the shafts of light pushing through the kelp canopy. We've seen fat schools of mackerel here, sometimes an escolar cruises past, and the common cuttlefish are always putting on a show. Keep an eye out for the small stuff too, the Japanese Pinecone-fish is a real treat if you can spot one tucked away. This site suits divers comfortable with colder water and a bit of a current, but the rewards are always worth it.