Scuba Diving

The diving around the Cape is excellent, with kelp forests, cold-water corals, very brightly colored reef life, and numerous wrecks. An unusual experience is a dive in the Two Oceans Aquarium. CMSA, NAUI, and PADI dive courses are offered by local operators; open-water certification courses begin at about R2,800 (all-inclusive).

Orca Industries. Orca offers dive courses, from beginners to specialist wreck divers. A PADI open-water certification takes a week and includes all dives, lectures, course materials, registration, and gear rental. 021/671–9673; www.orca-industries.co.za. From R3,500.

Scuba Shack. The friendly Scuba Shack is based out of Muizenberg and can organize dives around the peninsula—both the Atlantic and the warmer False Bay, with Simon's Town as the meeting point. Options include diving with cow sharks, traveling through kelp forests, and snorkeling with seals. It's a refreshing experience—and not just the water temperature—but so very different from the more typical vacation diving world of subtropical corals. 072/603–8630; www.scubashack.co.za. From R1,300.