South Africa's coast attracts thousands of local and international divers each year to witness the amazing underwater world of the Indian and Atlantic Oceans.

With its variety of dive sites where divers can dive from kelp forests to tropical reefs, South Africa is rated as one of the best dive sites in the world for a number of reasons – where else can you dive wrecks and free dive with Tiger sharks in one day? The amount of dive operators and reefs that South Africa has to offer makes diving affordable and allows easy access to the dive spots.

The Indian Ocean, on the east, is warmed by the Mozambique or Agulhas current which flows down from the tropics, while the Atlantic, on the west coast, is cooled by the icy Benguela current which comes up from the Antarctic and brings plankton and providing rich fishing grounds. The east coast has the north-to-south Mozambique/Agulhas current to thank for its warm waters. These two currents have a major effect on the country's climate, the ready evaporation of the eastern seas providing generous rainfall while the Benguela current retains its moisture to cause desert conditions in the west.

A large variety of marine life can be seen on the coast line, including sharks, Whale sharks, turtles, dolphins, reef fish and coral gardens. Heading down the coast, the underwater fauna and flora change gradually until, once you've reached Cape Town, you're diving in chilly but beautiful kelp forests.

South Africa's seas are rich in fish species. Perhaps the most awesome of these is the great white shark, but this is only one of more than 2 000 species, comprising 16% of the world's total. Various line fish, rock lobster and abalone are of particular interest to gourmets, while pelagic fish (sardines and pilchards) and hake have large-scale commercial value.

Other aquatic reptiles of note are the sea-roaming loggerhead and leatherback turtles, the focus of a major community conservation effort at their nesting grounds on the northern KwaZulu-Natal shoreline.

Of the eight whale species found in South African waters the most frequently seen by humans is the southern right whale. This imposing creature comes into coastal bays to calve, allowing for superb land-based viewing.

For scuba diving enthusiasts, the possibilities are endless: there are coral reefs with brightly-coloured inhabitants that enjoy the warm Indian Ocean, the wrecks of dozens of ships that struck rock along the treacherous Cape south coast, and the icy waters of the Atlantic West Coast that offer a completely different scuba diving experience.

Mozambique competes with other top class dive destinations, and due to the large expanse of coastline, it is unique in that it is not overcrowded with tourists.

With the warmer waters in the Indian Ocean, the water temperatures range from 22°C in winter to 31°C in summer and visibility is usually between five and 35 metres, with an average year round visibility of 20 metres.

The marine life throughout the year is incredible, ensuring that you can witness the same wonders all year round. The majority of the Whale shark sightings will occur between October and July. After that, from July to the beginning of October, you will find the Humpback whales in the area. Bottle Nose dolphins are known to frequent the area for most of the year.