Caves Coastal started as a shared logbook for a handful of regulars who got tired of guessing what the surf was doing. Today it is a community of divers, snorkelers, and free divers who know this stretch of coastline by name. This page is about who we are, what we care about, and how the forum came to be.
A few things that come up again and again in the forum, answered plainly by the people who dive these reefs most weekends.
Each report lists swell height, wind direction, and the time relative to high tide. The key is matching those to the specific site, because a northwest wind that cleans one bay will mess up another. Look for recent entries from the same reef rather than the overall forecast.
When someone logs 4 meters, they mean horizontal visibility at the depth they were swimming. It can look different from the surface, and it often improves past the surge zone. A modest number is not always a reason to stay home, especially if the site is a sheltered kelp channel.
For most people, a well-fitting 7mm semi-dry with a hood and gloves gets you through a 40-minute dive in the high single digits. If you run cold, a heated vest underneath changes everything. The forum has a gear swap board where secondhand suits in good condition show up regularly.
Post in the buddy-finding thread with your experience level, the site you want to do, and your planned entry window. Regulars usually reply within a day. It helps to mention your gear setup and whether you have a car, since some entries need a short walk along the rocks.
Surge is the back-and-forth movement of water near the reef, and it gets stronger as you get shallower. Plan your exit for when the surge is pushing in, keep your fins clear of the bottom, and avoid swimming against it. Locals will point out the calmer gutters if you ask in the thread for that site.
The season usually opens in late autumn and runs through part of winter, but dates and bag limits change, so check the latest notice before you head out. The forum keeps a running thread with updates from local divers and the relevant permit requirements for recreational catch.
New to the area and not sure where to start? The resources page has practical notes on tidal planning and cold-water gear from local regulars.
What started as a shared spreadsheet among a handful of regulars at Miller's Point slowly became the place where shore divers between Cape Town and Gansbaai compare notes, plan weekend entries, and keep each other honest about conditions.
2016
A few divers started posting morning vis checks from A-frame and Long Beach before work. The thread was plain text, no photos, just numbers and wind direction. It became the daily habit that convinced us to build something more permanent.
2018
After a few near-misses from solo divers heading out on marginal days, we opened a dedicated buddy-finding board. The rule was simple: state your experience level, your planned site, and your exit time. It cut down on impulsive entries and built a more careful weekend crowd.
2019
What began as a handful of members picking up fishing line and plastic at Strandfontein turned into a monthly event. Local surfers and snorkelers started joining, and the cleanups became a regular way for new people to meet the community without getting in the water first.
2021
The gear board started because someone had a spare 7mm hood and needed a set of fins. It grew into a proper swap space for secondhand regs, torches, and wetsuits. The rule about listing service history kept it practical and trustworthy.
2022
Each season brought the same questions about where it was legal to dive and how to handle the catch. We started a dedicated thread with permit reminders, site-specific notes, and size limit checks. It became the reference point for both new and returning divers.
2024
The forum moved off the old thread-based platform into a cleaner layout with searchable dive reports and structured condition logs. The content stayed the same, but it became far easier for someone new to find a site report from last week and plan their first shore entry with confidence.
The forum still runs on the same principle from the first visibility thread: local divers sharing what they actually saw, not what they hope conditions will be. Tide tables, surge zones, kelp density, and the occasional honest report of a blown-out entry keep the community grounded. That practical focus is why new divers keep finding their way here, and why regulars keep coming back after years on the same reefs.
What started as a handful of divers comparing notes on a single reef has become the place locals check before they suit up. The timeline below tracks the milestones that shaped this community.
2016
A small group started posting weekend vis reports for a single site near Simon's Town. The format was simple: entry point, swell direction, and how far you got before the kelp closed in.
2018
The weekend dive pairing board became the most active part of the forum. Regulars started posting planned entry times on Friday afternoons, and newcomers found experienced partners willing to show them the routes.
2019
After a few members noticed the same plastic accumulating at popular entry points, the first cleanup drew about a dozen volunteers. It has run every month since, rain or flat calm.
2021
Secondhand regs, 7mm wetsuits, and torches started moving between members who trusted each other's maintenance habits. The board now includes a simple checklist for inspecting used gear before a sale.
2022
A dedicated area for season dates, size limits, and site-specific observations. Members share where the legal catches are happening and remind each other about the rules before the first weekend opens.
2024
The forum organized years of surge reports, rip warnings, and gear failure notes into a searchable archive. New divers can now check a site's history before their first entry instead of relying on word of mouth.