Diving the Cape Peninsula and False Bay/Smits Cliff - shoreline dive site in Smitswinkel Bay on the Cape Peninsula east coast

The dive site Smits Cliff or Hells Gate is a shoreline rocky reef in the Batsata area on the False Bay coast of the Cape Peninsula, near Cape Town in the Western Cape province of South Africa.

Understand

See also: Diving the Cape Peninsula and False Bay#Understand

The site is not dived very often as there are more popular sites which are more accessible. As a result it is mostly unexplored and has not been mapped.

Position

• S34°16.48’ E018°28.41’ Smits Cliffs 📍 Below the cliffs visible above the water on the south side of Smitswinkel Bay,

This site is in a Marine Protected Area (2004). A permit is required.

Name

The site name "Smits Cliffs" refers to the cliffs above the site and the contraction for Smitswinkel Bay commonly used by local divers. The cliffs at the south side of Smitswinkel Bay are marked on the charts as "Hell’s Gate". The mountain above them is called Judas Peak (919 m).

Depth

Maximum depth is probably about 16 m.

Topography

Not a particularly spectacular site, but interesting, Large and medium sandstone boulders and outcrops, with coarse shelly sand in low spots.

Geology: Ordovician sandstones, probably of the Graafwater formation.

Conditions

This site is well protected from south westerly swell, but quite exposed to south easterly weather. It would usually be a winter dive.

Get in

See also: Diving the Cape Peninsula and False Bay#Boat dives

Access to this site is only by boat. The site is approximately 6.2 km from Miller's Point slipway and 13.5km from Simon's Town jetty.

See

Marine life

See also: Diving the Cape Peninsula and False Bay#The marine ecology

Moderate variety of invertebrates.

Photography

Routes

No specific routes recommended.

Stay safe

See also: Diving the Cape Peninsula and False Bay#Stay safe

Hazards

No site specific hazards known.

Skills

No special skills required.

Equipment

See also: Diving the Cape Peninsula and False Bay#Equipment

No special equipment recommended

Nearby

• SAS Transvaal 📍

• MFV Orotava 📍

• Good Hope Reef 📍

• MFV Princess Elizabeth 📍

• SAS Good Hope 📍

• MV Rockeater 📍

• Smits Reef 📍

• Batsata Rock 📍

Back to the Alphabetical list of sites, or list of dive sites in the Batsata area

Other regional dive sites:

• Dive sites of Table Bay and approaches,

• Dive sites of the Cape Peninsula west coast

• Dive sites of False Bay offshore and approaches

• Dive sites of False Bay east coast

• Fresh water dive sites of the Cape Town Metropolitan Area