Great for Swimming and Snorkelling
The iSimangaliso Wetland Park has been well-stocked with fauna and game drives are particularly good - leopard sightings are becoming commonplace. The lovely stretch of beach at Cape Vidal is great for swimming and snorkelling at low tide is excellent. The rock and surf fishing is very good.
All species of bony and cartilaginous fish (excluding great whites and ragged tooth sharks) may be caught, except shad and galjoen in the closed season. There’s also a popular ski-boat launch site at Cape Vidal. Tailor-made horse trails are offered on the beaches and there are self-guided walking trails in the St Lucia Game Park section of Eastern Shores, which is fenced off from dangerous wildlife.
Bird watching in iSimangaliso is world-class with 526 species recorded. Don’t go anywhere without binoculars and a bird book. In the summer months, turtle tours from St Lucia are very popular - guests can be picked up at Cape Vidal.
Diving These New Reefs
Just beyond the breakers lies the mysterious wreck of the Dorothea at Cape Vidal. Sunk in 1898, she was thought to be carrying a fortune in smuggled gold. Over the years many diving attempts have been made to get at her supposedly priceless cargo and many men have lost their lives in the process.
No-one knows for sure if the gold has been taken off, or whether it’s still lying on the ocean floor waiting to be salvaged. Although the Dorothea has all but disintegrated, two huge barges have recently been scuttled south of Cape Vidal to create artificial reefs. These will soon be open to experienced recreational divers, adding another string to Cape Vidal’s bow.
Already, extremely rare fish have been recorded making a home on the barges. For divers content with searching for ecological, not real gold, diving these new reefs at Cape Vidal are sure to be a big attraction.
By Justin Fox