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SAS Transvaal (Wreck)

The SAS Transvaal is a wreck dive that really earns its stripes, even with Cape Town's notoriously fickle visibility. We love how she’s settled on the sand, canted over, giving the whole dive a dramatic feel from the moment you drop down. You’re looking at a vessel mostly intact, a ghostly form emerging from the green gloom, particularly if you’re lucky enough to catch it on a good day. Yes, the water can be green, and visibility averages six metres, but that’s part of the Cape Town experience; it forces you to slow down, to really look. The mast has toppled to port, creating this fantastic broken lattice for schooling salema and blackedged blaasop. We always take our time poking around the superstructure, keeping a respectful distance from the collapsing hull sections, which we’d advise against entering anyway. It’s the resident fish that really make it for us – the clever wrasse darting in and out, the occasional escolar lurking in the shadows, and we’ve even spotted a triggerfish or two. Dive this one in winter for your best shot at decent conditions, or on a calm summer day when the south-easter isn't kicking up a fuss. It's a dive for those who appreciate the quiet mystery of a sunken ship, and don't mind working a little for their reward.