Diving the Cape Peninsula and False Bay/Lorry Bay

The dive site Lorry Bay is a shoreline rocky reef in the Gordon's Bay area on the east side of False Bay, near Cape Town in the Western Cape province of South Africa.

Understand

The site is partly enclosed and often used for training and night dives. There is quite diverse life on the reefs just outside the cove.

Position

S34°10.955’ E018°49.312’ Lorry Bay 📍 This site is NOT in a Marine Protected Area. A permit is not required.

Name

The site name "Lorry Bay" is a reference to a truck that fell into the bay some years ago. Several vehicles have gone off the road above the bay over the years and ended in the water. There are bits still to be found in the cove.

Depth

Average depth is about 8 m

Depth at the edge of the sand bottom is about 12 m.

Topography

There is a flattish bottom covered with smallish rounded boulders and occasional bits of metal in the cove, sloping down to sand at about 10 m some distance outside. The sides of the bay are bedrock with moderate size outcrops and are quite rugged and steep. The reef has a relatively low profile in the deeper parts. The bottom boulders inshore are clean and probably roll around a lot in bad weather.

Geology: Light grey to yellow-brown quartzitic Ordovician sandstones, possibly of the Graafwater formation of the Table Mountain group. Strike is roughly parallel to the shore, and dip is steep, in the order of 70° to the south east

Conditions

The site is partly exposed to south westerly swell, but well protected from South easterly winds. The site is usually at it's best in summer but there are also occasional opportunities in autumn and early winter.

This is an area which sometimes has red tides (summer), and poor visibility due to rain run-off (winter).

Keep a lookout for times when the south westerly component of the swell is low, and short period (10 seconds or less), and the wind is calm or from the south east, for a high probability of good conditions.

A long period swell from the south west will produce strong surge and usually poor visibility.

Get in

Boat dive from Gordon's Bay harbour or Harbour Island. The site can probably be dived from shore access from the sloping rocks at the south point, but it would be a long walk from the nearest parking area and a fairly long climb down from the road. In an emergency a shore exit could be made at this point.

See

Marine life

There is more reef life outside the cove to the north than in it, and the bottom is relatively bare as the boulders move around in bad weather.

Features

Odd bits of motor vehicle may be scattered around among the boulders.

Photography

(photographic equipment suggestions)

Suggested Routes

If anchoring, check the anchor first, as some parts of the bottom are not good holding ground. The sand is more reliable than the rock at the south point. After that, make a tour of the cove and if time allows explore the area to the north of the bay.

Stay safe

Hazards

No site specific hazards have been reported.

Skills

Suitable for night dives and for novice divers and trainees.

Equipment

No special equipment required.

Nearby

Back to the Alphabetical list of sites, or list of dive sites in the Gordon's Bay area

Other regional dive sites:

Diving the Cape Peninsula and False Bay/Lorry Bay - shoreline dive site south of Gordon's Bay on the False Bay east coast, Western Cape, South Africa