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The shipwreck trails will lead you to some of the more famous wreck sites, like
that of the Grosvenor, the Arniston, HMS Birkenhead, the Joanna, the Nolloth,
the Waterloo, the Clan Stuart, the Waratah, the Oceanos, the Seafarer, the
Santo Alberto, and many others. But they will also take you to some lesser
known ones, yet with equally fascinating tales of disaster, heroism or treasures
attached. In fact, quite a number of shipwrecks still jealously guard the
whereabouts of the fabulous treasures they are known to have had on board
when they went down. Some shipwrecks have never been found despite the
approximate locations of their demise being known.
It is easy to obtain a list of shipwrecks and some maps by searching online, and
go off wreck-hunting on your own. Or you could let informed guides take you
on any one of number of shipwreck trails. There are shipwreck hiking trails like
the Cape Point Shipwreck Trail, the Diamond Coast Shipwreck Eco- Trail, the
Cape Agulhas Shipwreck Hiking Trail, the Thomas T Tucker Shipwreck Trail, the
Port Alfred Shipwreck Hiking and Canoe Trail, the Sandy Bay Shipwreck Hiking
Trail, among more. Lists of shipwrecks and their locations dating back to the
1500s are available. All of these trails can be combined with excellent hikes in
nature and marine reserves. One of the more beautiful hikes is along the Wild
Coast, Eastern Cape, along a route from the Kei River mouth, past the wellknown
Trennery’s Hotel to where the wreck of the Jacaranda suddenly looms.
The Wild Coast is also home to numerous other wrecks, such as the Grosvenor.
A number of diving operators in coastal cities and resorts take scuba and
snorkel divers to wreck sites where they can explore some of the best preserved
wrecks. Within the Cape Peninsula there are literally hundreds of wrecks on
which to dive. From Smitswinkel Bay to Glencairn and Miller’s Point, you can
dive on well-known wrecks like the Maori, Astor, Katzu Maru, Pietermaritzburg
and the Clan Stuart. Against the magnificent backdrop of the Knysna Heads on
the Garden Route you can dive on Paquita, a German vessel that sank on the
eastern side of the Knysna Heads in 1903. At Port Elizabeth you can dive on the
wreck of the Haerlem. In fact there are wreck diving sites on just about any part
of the coast between Port Nolloth on the upper West Coast and Kosi Bay on the
northern KwaZulu-Natal coast.
Several maritime, shipwreck and other museums located in coastal towns
and cities have fascinating displays and histories of many of these shipwrecks,
complete with salvaged pieces of the wrecks, artefacts and cargo. Among
these are the Maritime Services Museum at the V&A Waterfront in Cape Town,
the Shipwreck Museum in Bredasdorp, the Mossel Bay Maritime Museum, and
a section of the East London Museum.
Contact:
Cape Point Information Centre Tel: +27 (0)21 780 9010/11,
Email: info@capepoint.co.za;
4X4 Shipwreck Tour of Namaqualand Tel:+27 (0)27 877 0028,
Email: coast.of.diamonds@gmail.com;
Mile by Mile Tours (Cape Agulhas day tours) Tel: +27 (0)21 418 0907,
Email: info@milebymile.co.za;
Cape Agulhas Shipwreck Hiking Trail Mobile +27 (0)83 2346 428,
Email: info@awoltours.co.za;
West Coast / Diamond Coast Shipwreck Trail Tel +27(0)27 807 2999; S
outh African Maritime Services Centre Tel: +27 (0)21 405 2884,
Email: marsh@iziko.org.za;
Bredasdorp Shipwreck Museum Tel: +27 (0)28 424 1240;
East London Museum Tel: +27 (0)43 743 0686,
Email: derekh@elmuseum.za.org;
Pisces Divers Tel +27 (0)21 782 7205, Email info@piscesdivers.co.za;
Into the Blue Tel +27 (0)21 434 3358, Email info@intotheblue.co.za;
Dive Action Tel +27 (0)21 511 0800, Email info@diveaction.co.za;
Aliwal Dive Centre Tel +27 (0) 39 973 2233, Mobile +27 (0) 82 893 2852,
Email dive@aliwalshoal.co.za.
MZANZI TRAVEL| www.mzanzitravel.co.za|ISSUE 6 | 29