Margate Bay is one of the places almost no one visits, and that is the argument for going. The reef is broad, the traffic low and the growth better than at the well-known sites. Landmarks are scarce: the salt mountains onshore are your only beacon.
Margate Bay is an advanced shore dive on the south coast: a broad reef top at six to eight metres, a slope to thirty-eight metres, few visitors and few reference points.
A broad sand strip leads to a reef top at six to eight metres that runs on for a long stretch. The slope drops to thirty-eight metres with large sponges, sea fans and black coral in the depths. Schools of margate — after which the site is named — hang above the edge.
In moderate current, as a drift dive in the direction of the flow. Early morning gives the best visibility and the smallest chance of other company.
Few reference points underwater: the coast looks the same for kilometres. If something goes wrong there is no one nearby — do not dive here alone. Parking on the coast-road verge, no shade, no water, no toilet.
Decisions on diveability, technique and health belong with STINAPA, a dive school or a doctor. This page only describes the conditions.
The south coast between the salt pans and the southern point is barely built up; the coast road runs right along the water here and the brine lakes lie on the landward side. That explains both the quiet and the lack of facilities.
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