"PORT SHEPSTONE" Port Shepstone by GandalfOnTour

The town of Port Shepstone is nice town on the South Coast of KwaZulu-Natal. It boasts some super beaches, but the real beauty of the place is to be found out at sea. About 8km off Shelly Beach you'll find the reef system known as the Protea Banks and it is rightfully known as one of the world's top shark dive sites. You can expect to see Zambezi (Bull Shark), Hammerhead, Tiger, Blacktip, Ragged-Tooth and Bronze Whaler and apparently if you are lucky (not to sure about this myself) then you may encounter the Great White.

The reef consists of 2 distinct areas on which the dives take place, the Northern Pinnacles and the Southern Pinnacles. The diving is best suited to advanced divers who are looking for something a bit different from the usual reef fish and corals. I loved my dives off Sheppie and can't wait to go back and do some more. I would highly recommend diving with African Odyssea as they are the top dive operation on the banks. Trevor Kull is the person to talk to at African Odyssea. All the photos shown here are from their website. Further details in my tip section.

Raggies

Protea Banks is the ideal spot to see the mean looking but generally placid and docile ragged-tooth shark. The best times are Aug to Oct each year but you can also expect to see them in June, July and November and sometimes in December. Apparently 2005 was a brillaint year with hundreds of them on the reef.

A beautiful Tiger

Tigers are a very impressive and intimidating looking shark yet they are quite shy. Any encounter with them is very spectacular. November to April is the best time of year to encounter them.

The robust looking Zambezi or Bull shark is a frequent visitor to Protea, I saw about 10 on each dive that I made. They are fairly inquisitive and great to dive with.

Other sharks that you can expect to come across are the Scalloped Hammerhead Shark, the Black Tip or Spinner Shark and the Guitar or Sand Shark.

• Pros:So many Sharks