Hey
@mikewazar,
So I spent a good amount of my life diving (and teaching diving) in Cape Town, will try be as clear as informative as I can. I still have contact with some old friends there too, if you want an instructor directly - they may be able to give you a better price, but it depends where you're based...
So there's the two sides to dive in - Atlantic side - F*ing cold! but it can be cleaner than clean and False Bay which can be cold on it's day, but generally averages around 15 - 19 degrees, however it's cleaner days are fewer, but you sacrifice that with the warmth. Theres shore and boat dives you can do, generally your first course dives would be shore dives and maybe your last 2 boat dives, depending on the operator.
Diving in the Cape really is awesome, there's an amazing life beneath the surface, and it's super colourful in the Cape with all the different urchins etc. It is mostly what we call micro life, you do get the seals, sometimes sharks (pretty much only if you go looking for them - and you're still not guaranteed to see them then either) and some sunfish if you're lucky. dolphins, Bryde and humpback whales, as well as Orcas are definitely a possibility as well, but extremely rare (I dived there for 5 years and never saw anything but the Cow Sharks and seals on scuba. There's plenty of Octopus and cool little sea slugs called nudibranchs (insert plug to my upcoming app ->
link)
You'll generally get a 6/7mm wetsuit with a hood wherever you rent from and all the other gear required. If you do enjoy it and it becomes worth it to buy your own gear, reach out for some advice via DM.
I've dived with a few providers, but would go with Indigo Scuba (based in Gordons Bay) or Pisces in Simonstown for your training, bearing in mind Indigo is Raid I believe and Pisces is Padi...It's really much of a muchness, I'm a Padi instructor but really have no bias.
I was Vice Chair at Maties, and we ran an amazing club back in my day, but I'm not sure what it's like anymore, I've been out for +- 5 years, but as a club they're likely a lot cheaper, and they generally have a cool community with lots of foreigners - but this is students so ages range from 19 - 30, and they also organize dive trips up to Sodwana every year. I know UCT also has quite an active community.
Honestly, tips and skills you'll learn along the way, and your course should equip you with a wealth of knowledge to to able to dive with just a buddy. For Padi, you'll do all your knowledge online generally, review it with an instructor, then 5 Pool sessions and 4 Ocean dives.
Diving is honestly make or break, some people hate it, and some people it literally changes their lives. Once you've done your course, book a trip up to Sodwana/Mozam, it's well worth it!
Here's my old company I used to run, a lot of my earlier pics are from Cape Town:
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DM me if you have any other questions...🍻
