Protea Banks
Protected Area
Protea Banks Marine Protected Area
Why dive here
With 490+ marine species recorded in the area - including barracuda, blue sharks, bull sharks, eagle rays and great white sharks - Protea Banks offers some of KwaZulu-Natal's richest reef diving. Water ranges 21-26°C, warmest January, February, March.
Protea Banks, off KwaZulu-Natal, is where you go for sharks. We're talking ragged-tooth sharks in their hundreds during winter, hammerheads in summer, and occasional bull sharks or tigers passing through. It's an open-ocean, drift dive, often with strong currents, so you need to be comfortable with advanced conditions and proficient with an SMB. This is a site for experienced divers who prioritize pelagics over reef scenery.
Typical Protea Banks Dive Profile
Illustrative profile based on site depth and type. Actual dive profiles vary - always follow your dive computer and training.
Safety Notes
Depth of 25m - Advanced Open Water certification recommended.
Always perform a 3-minute safety stop at 5m before surfacing.
Nearest Dive Centres to Protea Banks
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Conditions
Ocean conditions, forecast and tides for Protea Banks
Protea Banks Ocean Conditions
Monthly averages for Protea Banks, sourced from Open-Meteo marine data - nearest station: Open-Meteo marine grid (-30.31, 30.76) (42km away)
October Averages
Sea Temperature
22°C
71°F · Range: 21–22.7°C
Air Temperature
20°C
68°F
Wind Speed
7.64 m/s
14.9 knots
Atmospheric Pressure
1017.9 hPa
Based on 4 years of monitoring data · Data sources: Open-Meteo marine data
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