Coral Gardens (Rooi-els)
Conditions & tides
Scored by DiveConnect's site-physics model
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
Coral Gardens is a boat dive along the rugged coastline of Rooi Els Village. The reef is made of rugged rock outcrops with nooks and crannies that follow the rocky shoreline, which is fringed with kelp forests.
Depth averages 16 metres and reaches a maximum of 27 metres.
Divers should watch for sevengill cow sharks and short tailed stingrays, and seals often zoom around the group. Schools of small fish live in the kelp forest, alongside bull klipfish, speckled klipfish, red roman and shyshark. Unusual nudibranchs turn up here too, including purple ladies, white edged nudibranchs, candy nudibranchs and arminas.
Marine life here
Confirmed by our research team, reported by independent divers, or observed nearby via iNaturalist — each entry is labelled with its source.
NudibranchNudibranchReported here · unconfirmed
Pacific Chub MackerelScomber japonicusReported 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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