Coopers Light Wreck (Durban)
Conditions & tides
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Marine forecast via Copernicus Marine. Score is a rule-based guide from swell/wind vs. the site's exposure — always dive your own assessment.
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About this site
The Coopers Light Wreck lies off the Bluff at Durban, South Africa, named after the Cooper Light lighthouse on the Bluff. She sits upright on sand, pointing perpendicular to the shore, in 25 to 30 m of water, and is 76 to 77 m long and 10.5 m wide.
The vessel is of British origin and her true name and the reason she sank remain a mystery, with no record of her sinking. She was probably scuttled after one of the world wars. Shell holes in one of her boilers show she did not go down quietly.
The prevailing currents make this a harder dive than it looks, and the wreck sits at the backline so it cannot be dived when a big swell is running. It suits experienced recreational divers.
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Marine life and photography: the prop, rudder and bow give endless wide-angle opportunities. The harlequin goldie, a species endemic to KwaZulu-Natal, steals the show. Juvenile angelfish and butterflyfish, scorpionfish, paperfish, lionfish, eels and coral banded shrimps are all plentiful.
Marine life here
Confirmed by our research team, reported by independent divers, or observed nearby via iNaturalist — each entry is labelled with its source.
AngelfishAngelfishConfirmed present · 2 independent sources
ScorpionfishScorpionfishConfirmed present · 2 independent sources
False JacobeverSebastes capensisReported here · unconfirmed
Narrow-banded Spanish MackerelScomberomorus commersonReported here · unconfirmed
Durable tips from divers — access, hazards, marine life, facilities. For day-of conditions, use the report tool in the conditions card above.
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