Protea banks

Best months: Jan–Mar

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.

Best timeJan–Mar

WetsuitA 3mm full wetsuit

Marine lifeBarracuda, Blue Sharks, Bull Sharks, Eagle Rays and Great White Sharks · 490+ species recorded

Water21-26°C · warmest January, February, March

CharacterReef dive

StandoutExceptional marine biodiversity

Protea Banks. Just saying the name makes us want to pack our gear. This isn't a gentle drift over pretty corals. This is big animal territory, a deep-water hunt for pelagics that will test your current diving skills. We usually drop onto the southern pinnacle, the current immediately pushing us along. You'll feel the water cool slightly, a sign of the deeper upwellings. What makes Protea a standout for us? It’s the sharks, pure and simple. Specifically, the ragged-tooth sharks in winter, sometimes hundreds of them, just hanging in the current, looking sleepy but always impressive. Then there are the hammerheads, especially during summer, ghosting past in large schools if you hit it right. We've seen everything from massive Zambezis (bull sharks) cruising through to the occasional oceanic blacktip. Visibility can be a bit variable, sometimes 10 metres, sometimes 30, but when it's good, seeing a massive school of great hammerheads melt into view is an experience that stays with you. This site suits experienced divers comfortable with strong currents and deeper profiles, divers who chase the thrill of the open ocean and its apex predators.