OTORI MARU NO 8

Best months: Mar

Protected Area

Dyer Island Nature Reserve Complex

Why dive here

With 269+ marine species recorded in the area - including blue sharks, blue whales, dolphins, dwarf minke whales and great white sharks - OTORI MARU NO 8 offers some of Cape Town & Western Cape's richest wreck 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

CharacterWreck dive · max 30m

StandoutExceptional marine biodiversity

The Otori Maru No. 8 is one of those wrecks that just keeps giving, especially if you love a good story with your dive. She went down in a thick fog back in ‘84, making her way to the fishing grounds, and now she’s settled nice and deep at 30 metres. We love how intact she is, still looking like a fishing vessel rather than just a pile of scrap. Dropping down, the first thing you notice is the sheer scale – that big stern section still sits proud, often draped in kelp. We’ve found the wheelhouse is always a highlight; it’s largely intact and you can still poke your head in, imagining the final moments before she started taking on water. Visibility can be a bit variable here, so pick a calm day with minimal swell for the best experience. When it’s good, though, the light filtering through the kelp onto the deck makes for some dramatic photos. Keep an eye out for the shy reef fish that have made the wreck their home. We’ve seen a lot of hottentot and strepies darting in and out of the holds, and the odd shy shark tucked away in a shadowy corner. It’s a dive that rewards slow exploration, letting you piece together the vessel’s history as you go. Definitely one for the wreck hounds and anyone who appreciates a bit of maritime history beneath the waves.