Protea Banks is a fossilised sandbank reef system sitting roughly seven and a half kilometres offshore from Shelly Beach on the KwaZulu-Natal south coast. All four sites are advanced boat dives conducted as drifts in strong currents, with depths running from the low twenties down to forty metres. The reef is best known for high-density shark encounters: bronze whalers, grey nurse sharks, and mako sharks appear in our species data alongside whale sharks and gorgonians. Visibility ranges from poor to excellent depending on conditions, and thermoclines can be encountered at depth.
Monthly water temperature across Protea Banks's sites, from satellite sea-surface data corrected for depth. The band shows the site-to-site spread.
Water is warmest from December through April and cools to its lowest in the mid-winter months of July through September, though it remains mild compared to the Cape coast. Currents are persistent across all sites and vary in direction and strength, so drift conditions should be assessed before each dive.
4 operators
Water temperature around Protea Banks ranges from about 22°C in July to 26°C in February, based on satellite sea-temperature data for its dive sites.
With water around 22–26°C, a 3mm full suit works in Protea Banks year-round.
Fin maps 4 sites in Protea Banks (4 scuba diving sites).
Across Protea Banks's dive sites, May are most often reported as the best months to visit.
1 more site to explore
