ABOUT SODWANA BAY
Sodwana Bay is located on the east coast of South Africa and is one of the best spots in the world for diving, adventure, and thrill-seeking.
Sodwana bay has vast biodiversity under its depths - the real beauty lies in the finer detail of the reefs & is admired by divers around the world.
The coastline is home to over 1000 recorded species of fish & continues to surprise each day! One of Sodwana's many secrets includes the ancient living fossil - the Coelacanth, in deep water just 800m from shore.
The reefs are home to a wide variety of hard & soft corals, sponges & many other incredible invertebrates guaranteed to provide you with memories that will last a lifetime.
From turtles to potato bass, multiple species of sharks, barracuda, emperor angelfish, trumpet fish, manta rays and everything in between you are sure to find something new on your dive.
SODWANA BAY MEGA FAUNA
There is plenty of marine life to see including 1000s of species of corals, crustaceans, fish, sharks, dolphins and whales. Here is a few of the many megafauna that frequents Sodwana Bays depths. While you may not see them all on your trip you're sure to see some beautiful reef systems and creatures every dive!
WHALE SHARK
Rhincodon typus
The whale shark is a slow-moving, filter-feeding carpet shark and the largest known extant fish species. The largest confirmed individual had a length of 18.8 m. The whale shark holds many records for size in the animal kingdom, most notably being by far the largest living nonmammalian vertebrate.
(Wikipedia)
MANTA RAY
Manta birostris
Manta rays are large rays belonging to the genus Mobula. The larger species, M. birostris, reaches 7 m in width, while the smaller, M. alfredi, reaches 5.5 m. Both have triangular pectoral fins, horn-shaped cephalic fins and large, forward-facing mouths.
(Wikipedia)
LOGGERHEAD TURTLE
Caretta caretta
The loggerhead sea turtle, is a species of oceanic turtle distributed throughout the world. It is a marine reptile, belonging to the family Cheloniidae. The average loggerhead measures around 90 cm in carapace length when fully grown.
(Wikipedia)
BOTTLENOSE DOLPHIN
Tursiops truncatus
Bottlenose dolphins are aquatic mammals in the genus Tursiops. They are the most common members of the family Delphinidae, the family of oceanic dolphins. Molecular studies show the genus contains three species: the common bottlenose dolphin, the Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphin, and the Burrunan dolphin.Â
(Wikipedia)
LEATHERBACK TURTLE
Dermochelys coriacea
The leatherback sea turtle, sometimes called the lute turtle or leathery turtle or simply the luth, is the largest of all living turtles and the heaviest non-crocodilian reptile. It is the only living species in the genus Dermochelys and family Dermochelyidae.
(Wikipedia)
RAGGEDTOOTH (SAND TIGER) SHARK
Carcharias taurus
The sand tiger shark, grey nurse shark, spotted ragged-tooth shark or blue-nurse sand tiger, is a species of shark that inhabits subtropical and temperate waters worldwide. It inhabits the continental shelf, from sandy shorelines and submerged reefs to a depth of around 191 m.
(Wikipedia)
HUMPBACK WHALE
Megaptera novaeangliae
The humpback whale is a species of baleen whale. It is one of the larger rorqual species, with adults ranging in length from 12–16 m and weighing around 25–30 t. The humpback has a distinctive body shape, with long pectoral fins and a knobbly head.
(Wikipedia)
TIGER SHARK
Galeocerdo cuvier
The tiger shark is a species of requiem shark and the only extant member of the genus Galeocerdo. It is a large macropredator, capable of attaining a length over 5 m. Populations are found in many tropical and temperate waters, especially around central Pacific islands.
(Wikipedia)
POTATO BASS
E. tukula
The potato grouper, also called the potato cod or potato bass, is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a grouper from the subfamily Epinephelinae which is part of the family Serranidae, which also includes the anthias and sea basses. It has a wide Indo-Pacific distribution.
(Wikipedia)