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Hotels, dive operators, gear, and how to get here are on the Sodwana Bay location page.
Overview
The shallowest of the Sodwana reefs sits just off Jesser Point, topping out around 8 m and bottoming near 12 to 13 m on a base of sponges, soft corals, and low ledges. From December through March pregnant ragged tooth sharks gestate here in numbers, hanging motionless above the sand while divers approach on the reef. Outside raggie season the reef carries dense schools of kingfish and rubberlip, ribbontail and honeycomb rays, guitarfish, potato bass in the cracks, and the occasional manta or transiting whale shark. Surface swell can shut the site down on bigger days, but on settled summer mornings vis runs 15 to 25 m.
Briefing note
Sodwana boat launches are surf entries — sit on the pontoon, feet hooked under straps. The site closes intermittently during peak raggie season when pregnant females are settled, to limit disturbance. A surface marker buoy is recommended on every dive. iSimangaliso park entry fee applies daily.
What you'll see
9 species curated- seasonalRagged tooth sharkPeak: Dec · Jan · Feb · Mar
- year-roundBigeye kingfish
- year-roundTwo-bar bream
- year-roundPotato bass
- year-roundHoneycomb stingray
- year-roundGiant guitarfish
- rareWhale sharkPeak: Nov · Dec · Jan · Feb
- rareReef manta ray
- seasonalLoggerhead turtlePeak: Nov · Dec · Jan · Feb
Conditions
| Month | Water | Visibility | Current |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 26–28 °C | 15–25 m | mild |
| Feb | 26–28 °C | 15–25 m | mild |
| Mar | 25–27 °C | 15–22 m | mild |
| Apr | 23–26 °C | 15–20 m | mild |
| May | 22–24 °C | 12–20 m | mild |
| Jun | 20–22 °C | 10–18 m | moderate |
| Jul | 19–21 °C | 10–18 m | moderate |
| Aug | 19–22 °C | 10–18 m | moderate |
| Sep | 20–23 °C | 12–20 m | mild |
| Oct | 22–24 °C | 15–22 m | mild |
| Nov | 24–26 °C | 15–25 m | mild |
| Dec | 25–27 °C | 15–25 m | mild |
Season calendar
Peak season highlighted · current month outlined
Next step
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