5 Mile Reef

KwaZulu-Natal, South Africareef24 m maxadvanced

Conditions & tides

5 Mile ReefKwaZulu-Natal

Rough · 2/5

conditions visualisation

Rough2/5

Rough at the surface right now — rough all day, no calm window.

Wind13 kn SSE

Current~0.6 kn SSW · model

Swell

2.0 m · 7s · SE

Water

25 °C

Max depth

24 m

Conditions through the day

4 AM7 PM

Calmest current near slack — 09:30 & 21:45 local

Sunrise 04:53 · Sunset 18:13 local

Show details

Tide · local

Outlook — select a day for full conditions

On-face swell 2.2 m — the component of the swell aimed at this site’s exposed face. Current is a regional model value (Copernicus, ~9 km grid) — a guide to the area, not a precise reef measurement. Imagery © Esri · not depth or visibility.

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.

Dived here today? How were conditions vs. what we showed?

About this site

5 Mile Reef is the furthest accessible reef from Sodwana Bay, reaching a depth of 24 metres. It is dived as a drift from north to south, following the prevailing currents.

Several named spots lie along it, including Lettuce, with a large expanse of elephant skin corals, Pothole, a large pothole formation, Teddy Bears, with huge plate corals, and Ribbon, home to the ribbon eel. The ribbon eel and the paperfish are the elusive species this reef is known for.

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