Sodwana Bay Lodge Scuba Centre

★ 5 · Gary De Menezes · 2015-06-22

LOVE THESE GUYS .

★ 5 · Jeanne Hemsted · 2010-10-21

Sodwana I believe, has more than 32 dive operators operating on the beach during season as I have seen on a previous visit Dec 2008. I was surprised to see only about 5 operators during my visit in Oct 2010. I chose Sodwana Bay Lodge Scuba Center as I was staying at lovely Sodwana Bay Lodge, ( a mixture of time share chalets, hotel chalets and fractional title houses), for ease of transport and closeness of the dive shop. In 2008 I dived with Reefteach for similar reasons. Sodwana BayLodge Scuba has an excellent reputation, especially for service and ease of diving and we were not disappointed. Everyone at the shop is very friendly and willing to assist at all times with info, rental gear, transport arrangements or special needs. As the beach is located in a protected nature reserve, dive operators each has a temporary shelter on the beach, most has metal structures with a canopy. Sodwana Bay lodge Scuba is located on, in my opinion, the best spot on the beach, right next to the only café, and sheltered by a small dune on the one side. This is where you are taken too and here the dive masters, boat hands and skippers spend the day till all the diving is done. Alternatively you can arrive in your own car and walk a short distance to the beach. You dont have to stay at the lodge to sign up for diving with Sodwana bay Lodge Center. If you have handed in your gear on arrival at the shop, it will all await you on the beach, neatly assembled in a crate. Cylinders and weight belts will be ready and you will be introduced to you own gear attendant for the period of your visit, who will look after all you equipment, wash it after the day’s dive, take back to the dive shop and ensure that it is taken back to the beach the next day – great! On the beach you kit up, but should you need assistance there are plenty to help. Once you equipment is to your satisfaction, the dive team loads it on a tractor and take it to the boat. There is a large dive team and we especially enjoyed diving with local dive masters who have worked their way up from boat hands to dive masters. They are extremely friendly and knowledgeable in marine life, not only in the big animals but they also love to seek out the macro creatures. I found the masters very conscientious, aware of each diver’s needs and interests and catering towards this. During the dive they made sure all the divers had a turn to observe any special sighting and I never felt rushed neither bored at a sighting. Due to thorough briefing before the dive, I felt at ease with my surroundings, and knew what I may expect to see – mostly the predictions were spot on. Dive boats (rubber ducks) were in good condition and one could only admire the skill of the skippers. Sodwana is a wild coast and boats are launched from the beach thus has to gain entry to the ocean through huge breakers. Divers sit on the rubber sides with feet hooked into straps and holding tightly to side ropes, all part of the Sodwana dive adventure. All divers are given life jackets to wear during ‘take-off and landing” . Landing is adrenaline packed with boat charging full throttle onto the beach – the landing at first looks terrifying but is in actual fact quite soft. What I loved about Sodwana Bay Divers was their friendliness, excellent service, sharp eyed dive masters and highly skilled skippers, their obvious love and care of the sea and its treasures, their knowledge, their care of their divers and their equipment, their total awareness that this was your holiday to be enjoyed. No rush, relaxed diving. Dive prices are just about the same at all operators in Sodwana except for the big one, Coral Divers, also of good reputation where you can save about R100 per dive, but expect no frills, it’s a do it all yourself, ideal for the young, fit and budget conscious desperate to dive. For my requirements Sodwana Bay Divers offered all that was promised and more..