Scuba dive the Antipolis Ship Wreck

The Antipolis wreck dive is one of three dives sites situated quite closely to one another on the Atlantic Seaboard of Cape Town. The three sites are Sandy Cove, Justin’s Caves and the Antipolis Wreck. These three dive sites are close to the Twelve Apostles Hotel and form part of the Karbonkelberg Marine Protected Area. In order to dive on these sites you need to have a permit which can be purchased at either the Post Office or at our shop at Into The Blue Scuba Dive Centre in Sea Point, Cape Town.

Antipolis wreck scuba dive info

There is no designated parking area close to the site, so most divers park their vehicles in the emergency lane off the main road. Access to the site is via a rather steep grass incline, so be careful when walking down it with your scuba dive kit on. Once you reach the bottom you need to do some boulder hopping to access the entrance to the dive site. The entry and exit to this dive site is a bit more taxing than most of the other shore dives in Cape Town (most notably on the False Bay side), the fitter you are therefore the better experience you will have.

It is about a 60 meter swim to reach the point of descent. The average depth of this dive is about 7meters with maximum depth clocked at around 15 meters. This being the Atlantic Ocean be warned that it can get very cold. Single digit temperatures are not uncommon on the Atlantic Seaboard so gloves, hoodie, boots and at least a 5mm wetsuit is a must. For those that get cold easily, a Fireskin is advisable to keep you warm while diving.

The Antipolis Wreck was a steel ship, so there are many large pipes, broken hull plating and large valves to be seen inside. Most of the wreck is overgrown with algae with a wide variety of shell fish, and star fish making their home in the wreck as well. This wreck is also a favourite for crayfish that love the dark corners to hide in. Some rather large specimens have been found. It has been cut down to sea level and has broken up further over the years so there is lots of debris around the Antipolis. The reef comprises an assortment of large and small granite outcrops and boulders. There is alot of kelp surrounding the wreck and an assortment of marine animals make their home there. This includes various smaller sharks like the Pajama Shark, The Shy Shark as well as various other fish and jelly fish. Viz usually ranges from 5-10 meters but in exceptional circumstances can exceed 20 meters.

Antipolis wreck history

The tankers “Romelia” and “Antipolis” were under tow by the tug Kiyo Maru no.2 from Greece to scrap merchants in the Far East. On July 28th 1977 during a North Westerly gale the tow cable to the Antipolis snagged on the sea bed. In the ensuing confusion the cables broke and the two ships were driven aground by the wind. The Romelia ran aground at Sunset Rocks, Llandudno, and the Antipolis at Oudekraal despite efforts by the salvage tug Wolraad Woltemade to tow her off. The wreck was later cut down to water level. Parts of the plating still project above the water at low tide.

Conditions

Best in conditions of limited surge, particularly if penetration is intended, as the wreck is fairly shallow. The area is slightly more protected from the south westerly swells than most of the dive sites nearby, but as it is quite shallow this does not help much. eep a lookout for times when the south west swell is particularly low and short period. Visibility is not often very good.