Simon's Town

[Tariq]

Hi All, i do recreational diving of the coast around Simon's Town area (close to Cape Point). We are in Crayfish season and i'm keen to learn about some spots, on the Atlantic side, where some of the beauties can be caught.
My main query is around where the marine protection zone ends/starts at Boulders. I have had some pretty confusing answers from the relevant authorities. My fishing lisence indicates that it starts at the eastern side of Simonstown harbour and ends at Oaklands. No one to date can clearly point out where exactly this Oaklands is - and in the meantime fishing and harvesting of other sealife continues, with marine protection services arresting some offenders, while others are fined/ warned. Due to a lack of signs most people do not know that they are offending either.
Anyone with some idea where the Oaklands beacon is?

Tariq

[deep thinker]

Theres one that starts about 500m from the last parking lot in Melkbos, by die vlei and stretches, as far as I know, rite through to seapoint, Boulders beach. Then another that starts just past strawberry rock in Campsbay and continues into Houtbay I think. Hope that helps, you could also phone the fisheries and natural recources department in the area and find out exact GPS coordinates.
You only do kreefing or do you spear aswell?

[Tariq]

Fishing and crayfish diving ect is allowed in designated areas in the MPZone. Still no clarity on where the exact one is at Oaklands - unfortunately i don't have GPS, but will have to ask someone who does to help. Marine Protection guys are not much help (new reqruits who don't know much).
The next one up the coast starts at Millers Point - Simthwinkels. Then a section up to Venus Pool (in the Park). From Venus Pool it is allowed all the way around to Hoek van Bobbejaan, if I have it correct.

I have not done spearfishing, and is preparing to go for kreefies for the first time.
No kreef on this side of the bay, so therefore looking for info on where a good spot is on Atlantic side.

[deep thinker]

Well the vlei in Melkbos is allways a good spot to work, when the waters clear. Then of coarse there is also hangklip side...
You know that they plan on closing that whole area around cape point nature reserve for all types of diving hey

[capetownguy]

I have only ever seen 1 size kreef (other than in the reserve) on the false bay side which was at millers.....
Buffels bay in the reserve has kreef (mostly just the legal size), Rooikranz, Neptunes dairy (if you look at your brochure you get you will find it, theres plenty kreef there and ive never taken longer than 10 mins to get my quota there), platboom (next to neptunes), soetwater, scarborough (both have nice size kreef), noorhoek, then the only places i know further up are melkbos (monster kreef if you look hard enough), grotto bay (if you know where the reefs are you are sorted), paternoster.
On the other side of false bay you get Hangklip, pringle bay, bettys bay (these spots are a bit of a drive but like neptunes dairy, have plenty kreef!) u dont even have to look for them, last time i went they were SWIMMING around!
Kreef season is gna finish end of april, you should get a speargun and keep diving in the off season for practise.....once u shoot a fish, you'll be hooked and wont even worry about kreef!
good luck

[Tariq]

Thanks for info on spots for crayfish diving. Neptune's diary will probably be my first port of call.

The whole idea of even freestyle diving (snorkelling) being banned is beyond me. Not sure if i have it correct, but it seems that is what is being proposed. I will be hard pressed not to dive around here.
On every dive i spot loads of perlemoen. No shortage of it around here. Probably because most of it is in No Take Areas. Even where it has been fished out before, it is recovering quite well. Still small but there are enough to suggest that it is a resilient species.

[bluecape]

Best spot for Kreef on the Atlantic, and only real spot I think apart from Blouberg going West, is Kommetjie. But go into the obvious kelp, and you'll be playing 1-arm bandit as far as luck of the draw goes. IE, you need to walk far, and venture into 'lesser-dived' area. THIS ACTIVITY COMES WITH A HEALTH WARNING - GREAT WHITE SHARKS IN ATTENDANCE.