Diving the Cape Peninsula and False Bay/Blue Flame Pinnacles

The dive site Blue Flame Pinnacles is an offshore rocky reef near Simon's Town in False Bay area near Cape Town in the Western Cape Province of South Africa.

Understand

This is an offshore site which may have lower swell than sites further east in a westerly swell, and is not as far away from the launching sites of Simon's Town. It may be a good option for a second dive on the way back from the Fleur.

Position

About halfway between the Fleur wreck and Whittle Rock.

Blue Flame North Pinnacles 📍: S34°12.700’ E018°33.250’. The larger secion of reef and nominal position for the area. A fairly large area of granite reef with a group of long ridge-pinnacles aligned roughly northwest–southeast. The shallowest point is at about 25 m, with sand patches at about 33 m. The extent of the reef is not known in any direction.

Blue Flame South Pinnacles 📍: S34°12.837’ E018°33.355’. A small cluster of very steep granite corestone pinnacles about 3.8 km north of Whittle Rock. The western and central pinnacles rise to about 25 m from about 34 m at the base, while the eastern is lower, at about 26 m on a flattish top, and wider. The pinnacles rise from a low profile outcrop a metre or two above the sand. A small site, but quite pretty.

This site is in the Table Mountain National Park Marine Protected Area, proclaimed in 2004. A permit is required.

Name

The site is named for the boat Blue Flame, from which the first recorded dive at this site was made in 1998.

Depth

Maximum depth is about 35 m, and the top of the highest pinnacles at both north and south sites is at about 25 m. Average depth for a dive is likely to be about 30 m, excluding the ascent.

Visibility

Viz is likely to be a bit better than the inshore dives of Simon's Town, but not much is known about water circulation in the area. It may be considerably better than at the Fleur, on the same day, if there is dirty deep bottom water at the Fleur.

Topography

The northern reef is probably the larger section, with massive outcrops rising from about 33 m to a shallow point of 25 m on the central ridge, and more lower reef extending in all directions, with a few strips of sand.

The southern pinnacles area is dominated by a line of three very steep granite pinnacles running roughly east to west, on a base of relatively low and flat granite outcrop probably surrounded by sand. There are other rocky outcrops nearby but they have not been described or surveyed. There appears to be more reef to the east of this section, but it has not been dived by anyone who took the trouble to make it known.

Geology: Granite corestone of the Pre-Cambrian Peninsula pluton.

Conditions

The site is exposed to wind from all directions, but mostly sheltered from swell with a westerly component, so should be dived when the swell is down or coming from the west and should be good in winter but there will be occasional opportunities at other times of the year. There can be plankton blooms in the area, but visibility may be acceptable, or even very good below the surface murk.

Get in

Only accessible by boat. The site is 12.7 km from Simon's Town Jetty, or 7.8 km from Millers Point slipway

See

Marine life

The pinnacles have a large number of strawberry anemones on the top surfaces and upper sides. <gallery mode=packed> File:Basket star at Blueflame.jpg|Basket star and elegant feather stars File:Sponge or Coral at Blueflame.jpg|Sponge or coral File:Strawberry anemones on the upper parts of the pinnacles at Blue Flame Pinnacles P5230369.jpg|Strawberry anemones on the upper parts of the pinnacles File:Noble coral at Blue Flame Pinnacles P5230380.jpg|Noble coral File:Sponge at Blue Flame Pinnacles P5230388.jpg|Sponge File:Spiny starfish at Blue Flame Pinnacles P5230406.jpg|Spiny starfish File:Whelks at Blue Flame Pinnacles P5230408.jpg|Whelks File:Noble corals at Blue Flame Pinnacles P5230462.jpg|Noble corals File:Bryozoan colony at Blue Flame Pinnacles P5230520.jpg|Bryozoan colony File:Sea cucumbers at Blue Flame Pinnacles P5230543.jpg|Sea cucumbers File:Sponges at Blue Flame PinnaclesP5230548.jpg|Sponge File:Fish at Blue Flame Pinnacles P5230550.jpg|Fish File:Grey starfish at Blue Flame Pinnacles P5230565.jpg|Grey starfish File:Barbed wire siphonophore at Blue Flame Pinnacles P5230590.jpg|Barbed wire siphonophore File:Ctenophore at Blue Flame Pinnacles P5230648.jpg|Ctenophore </gallery>

Features

The pinnacles themselves are quite impressive in good visibility.

Photography

Fisheye or super wide angle shots could give good results if the visibility is reasonable to good, and there will be ctitters for macro work.

Suggested routes

Southern Pinnacles: A shot line will usually be placed at the pinnacles. The site is quite small and could be missed if there is much current. Start deep, and work your way up the pinnacles.

Northern Pinnacles: This is a much larger and more topographically varied site. It is not well known and there are no recommended routes.

Stay safe

Hazards

No known site-specific hazards

Skills

The ability to deploy a DSMB is recommended.

Equipment

Standard recreational equipment should be adequate, and nitrox will significantly extend no-stop time.

Nearby

Other offshore dive sites of False Bay:

Back to the Alphabetical list of sites, or list of reef dive sites in the northern False Bay offshore area

Other regional dive sites:

Diving the Cape Peninsula and False Bay/Blue Flame Pinnacles - Wikivoyage scuba diving site guide