Protea Banks

Ambiance Big Fishes Reef Sharks Drift

Swimming with huge schools of sharks is the main attraction. Due to depth restraints, the reef is largely unexplored with divers tending to concentrate on a small stretch that is 4 km and 200m wide. Starting at the Northern Pinnacles, a site only for the experienced, divers move south, following the inside ledge which connects the northern part of the reef to the southern part. The Southern Pinnacles has an average depth of 30m and its varied topography includes caves and gullies, each favoured by different species of fish, both large and small. For divers, the attraction of Protea Banks changes according to the season. Ragged Tooth sharks arrive with the cooler counter currents that flow over the bank during the late winter months and early spring. They congregate on the reef as part of their mating ritual. Scores of hungry predators invade the area during the August sardine run, while vast shoals of game fish - including barracuda, sailfish, wahoo, kingfish and jobfish, are brought to the banks by the easterly winds that cause thermoclines.

Similar Dive Sites to Protea Banks

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  Aliwal Shoal

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  Landers Reef

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  Produce Wreck

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  The Nebo Wreck