24 March 2021
www.thevillagenews.co.za
19
Diving into Sodwana Bay aspects of a dive.
By Jax Bath
L
ong before I ever thought I’d enjoy breathing under water, I’d heard that if it’s something you’d like to try, go and do it at Sodwana Bay. Sodwana is a scuba mecca, hosting over 30 000 divers a year (pre-Covid at least) and home to over 1 000 fish species.
The sea is sometimes described as a silent world, but it’s alive with song and sound. One of the fish caught up in the hustle and bustle is the Emperor Parrot Fish. They have incredible bite force and are believed to have some of the strongest teeth in the world – something that’s easy to believe when you hear them chomp down on a reef! They feed on the skeletons and polyps of corals and once feeding is done, excrete sand. It is believed that larger members of this group can add over 400kg of sand to our oceans a year, so we have them to thank for the beautiful tropical beaches we find ourselves enjoying when we take a holiday in places like Sodwana.
really watch it as it gently walked over the coral, crunching along the way as it fed. Loggerhead Turtles are carnivores and eat things such as star fish and urchins. They can weigh nearly half a ton and are the second-largest turtle species after the Leatherback. These turtles travel astonishing distances, traversing thousands of kilometres in open ocean. Female Loggerheads nest on the beaches of Sodwana during turtle season, which makes this area a great place to encounter them. Our turtle encounter carried on for a breathtaking 10 minutes before we went off to explore the remainder of the reef.
Sodwana Bay boasts a system of tropical reefs whose names were given in relation to their distance from the launch site. The reefs are believed to be thousands of years old and are the southern-most coral reefs in Africa. With just under 100 species of coral living on the remains of olden sand dunes, some dives here are considered to be amongst the best in the world.
I was lucky to do three dives in Sodwana, two on the two-mile reef at Coral Gardens and one dive at the five-mile reef on a dive site called Ribbon. The water was crystal clear on all three dives and we were lucky to have little to no current, which makes for a much easier dive. My first dive at Coral Gardens saw us drop into the water just above the home of a Two-bar Clownfish family. After descending to the deep, this was the most welcome surprise. Clownfish are famed for making their homes in anemones, immune to their stinging tentacles. The Clownfish find protection here, but they also protect and help nourish their home. Sometimes they even see us divers as a threat, as was the case with one particularly brave fish which came over to ward me off. I heeded his warning, finning off to ensure that Nemo’s cousin could relax once again and carry on with its day.
Sodwana’s reefs boasts an incredible diversity, so on most dives you’re likely to encounter thousands of individuals and a variety of species. Fusiliers, Dory Snapper and Humpback Snapper are just some of the fish that school and rule the water column. When you peer upon the reef, you’ll see blennies and wrasse and damsel fish aplenty. Squirrel fish hide under overhangs and deeper down some brightly colored Groupers also keep to the shadows. The occasional Potato Bass dwarfs the other fish in the area whilst the Clown Triggerfish swims by with an electric display of colour. Some fish on the reefs are highly territorial whilst others just pass through. Some create their own gardens to tend to whilst others change colour as they hunt, to disguise themselves from their prey. Every member of the reef has its role to play, and one of the most fascinating may be the Cleaner Wrasse, which makes sure hygiene standards are observed by fish. These little fish are a staple on coral reefs and can be seen in the mouths of their customers, which allow them to do their jobs without the threat of preying on them. I have seen them in the mouths of Moray Eels where they diligently go about their duties despite the reputation of their customers.
We found a couple of beautiful smaller sights to marvel at as we made our way down Ribbon, and it wasn’t until right at the end that an all too familiar silhouette broke the icy blue. A White-tip Reef Shark had decided to end its day-time nap and spend a bit of time patrolling the water column. These sharks are fairly small and very beautiful. They are also nocturnal, which made this shark’s patrol a real treat to behold. White-tip Reef Sharks are excellent hunters who have adapted to reef living by being able to navigate crevices and flush out prey that other sharks are unable to reach. South Africa is about as far west as one might find them. These reef sharks prey on things such as Parrot Fish and Snapper, though the cutie that graced our dive didn’t seem all that interested in a hunt. After a good few minutes with this cartilaginous creature, we ascended from my last dive of the holiday, but certainly not my last dive at Sodwana. Though cold-water diving has stolen my heart, if you love the ocean, Sodwana is certainly a site to experience.
Until next week! As one breathes rhythmically through a scuba regulator, there are moments of silence, and in these moments the true nature of the reef is revealed. As I finned away from the Clownfish, I slowed my breath and heard the incredible crackling of the reef. The sound is created by the thousands of fish and other creatures living in these under-water cities, and it’s one of my favourite
The highlights of my dives, however, were the mega fauna, including beautiful encounters with a large Loggerhead Turtle and a White-tip Reef Shark. Both encounters happened on my very last dive at Ribbon, where we had been down for all of 10 minutes when this beautiful turtle came around over the reef. It was extremely relaxed about our presence, carrying on with its day as if no divers were present. This provided the opportunity to
