Diving Knysna is great but its unpredictable weather and ever changing viz have made it a region not for all level of divers.

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Knysna is a small touristy town along a huge lagoon which is connected with the open ocean through a geological feature named Knysna Heads. It are two huge sandstone cliffs that guard the mouth to the small lagoon. Knysna means 'straight down' in Khoi (native black African tribe language) and refers to this natural wonder. You can walk to the viewpoint on top of the eastern head that offers spectacular views at the ocean, Knysna and its lagoon. The western head is privately owned and turned into the nature reserve named Featherbed Bay.

There are several shallower shore dive sites inside the lagoon, but the real action is to be found a few kilometers outside the heads. It is an area with many overhangs, caves and canyons and diving here is very weather dependent. Deeper, stronger currents, bigger surge are some reasons diving here is for experienced divers only. Water temperatures are between 15 and 23 degrees Celsius and visibilities hover between 5 and 15 meter especially good after westerly winds between March and May. Sponges, fans and soft corals in all colours will light up this underwater world. You can see tiny creatures such as seahorses up to huge predators such as shy sharks and the great whites.

Knysna is a place that has an ever changing weather pattern. If you want to do two dives a day for a week, forget it. If diving conditions are too bad, there are several other activities to be done around. Visiting vineyards, hiking coastal trails, windsurfing, fishing and all sorts of popular extreme sports are just a few of what can be done. It is also a great place to hang around in a bar with a good book, or join several others playing games around the fireplace.

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