Nov 14 2018
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Scuba Diving @ Sodwana Bay

By Sodwana Bay

Scuba Diving Terms and Phrases: A Advanced Open Water: Follow up certification after Open-Water Diver; allows for deeper Air: A gas mixture containing 21percent oxygen, 78 percent nitrogen, and 1 percent other gasses (mainly argon); compressed air is held in a tank for scuba diving. Apnea: Breath-holding; apnea diving is a type of freediving, but in scuba diving you should never hold your breath. Ascent: Rising to the surface when diving; typically at the end of a dive. Ascent Rate: How quickly a diver returns to the surface. You should never ascend faster than your bubbles as a safety precaution. Scuba Diving Terms and Phrases: B Backroll: Entering the water from the side of the boat, back first. BC/BCD: Buoyancy Compensator. This is the harness divers wear that hold the air tank and connects to the regulator. Bends/Bent: The pain a diver feels when suffering from Decompression Sickness (DCS). See DCS definition below. The bends often occur from ascending too quickly. Boat Dive: Scuba diving that requires a boat ride to the dive site. Bootie: Scuba gear divers wear with open-heel fins. Booties can range from thin (1 mm or less) to thick (7 mm) neoprene and protect your feet from the cold as well as sharp rocks and other hazardous things you could step on when shore diving. Bottom Time: The length of your dive. Buddy: The person you dive with; this is the person you discuss a dive plan with and you are both responsible for keeping each other safe. Buoyancy: (Positive, Negative, Neutral) Buoyancy refers to your position in the water. Things that sink are negatively buoyant; things that float are positively buoyant; scuba divers should be neutrally buoyant (floating in the middle). Scuba Diving Terms and Phrases: C C-Card: Proof of scuba certification that you receive after completing your training course. This is necessary to go diving without an instructor for open water divers and is proof of any secondary/specialty scuba training and certifications you have. Call: To “call a dive” means that you are choosing or being told to end the dive and return to the surface. Cave: A hollow place in the ground, typically of natural formation. Cave Diving: Entering a water-filled cave system either on scuba or freediving. Cave diving can extend thousands of feet into a cave system for people who are properly trained. Cavern: A semi-enclosed area (often a rock formation) where you can still see the entrance and Certified Diver: Someone who has completed scuba diving lessons through a training organization and is able to dive without an instructor. Certification Agency: An organization like PADI, NAUI or SSI that trains people to scuba dive. There are over 100 agencies that do this, but not all certifications are valid worldwide. Check-Out Dive: These are the dives completed outside of a pool (can be in a lake, ocean, spring, quarry, etc.) to prove that you’ve mastered a set of scuba skills and are necessary to complete scuba certification. Confined Water Dive: Dives conducted in a pool or other shallow, current-free underwater environment so that students can master training and skills in a safe, controlled environment before completing open-water check-out dives. Scuba Diving Terms and Phrases: D DAN: Divers Alert Network DCS/Decompression Sickness: When bubbles of gas (often nitrogen) get trapped inside of the body. There are varying levels of severity, and can be caused by swimming to the surface too quickly. Depth Gauge: A piece of scuba equipment that monitors how deep you are during your dive. Most dive computers serve as a replacement for depth gauges. Dedicated Dive Resort: Accommodations that focus on scuba diving experiences. They often have a dive shop onsite, and include diving in the booking fees. Dive Computer: A piece of scuba gear that monitors depth, bottom time and a ton of other information about each dive you complete. All dive computers are different, but they are an alternative to planning dives with dive tables. Dive Instructor: This person has gone through many trainings and certifications (open-water, advanced-open water, rescue diver, divemaster and more) so that they can teach others how to scuba dive. Dive Light: A flashlight designed for use underwater. Dive Operator: A store, boat or lcoation that will take you to go diving and often can certify you as well. Dive Table: Tool that helps determine how long you can safely stay underwater at different depths. Developed by the military to keep divers safe from decompression sickness Divemaster: A professional-level scuba diver who has logged at least 60 dives and who is trained to assist instructors on dive boats and during certification courses. DPV: Diver Propulsion Vehicle. A handheld and operated scooter or motor device that allows divers to move faster underwater. Drift Dive: Diving in a current, often from a boat. Once the dive is complete, the boat picks you up at the surface. Dry Bag: A bag to keep any items dry that aren’t waterproof. Drysuit: A type of exposure suit that keeps you dry while diving; used in cold-water dive conditions. Scuba Diving Terms and Phrases: E EAN: Enriched Air Nitrox. This is a form of mixed-gas scuba diving. Entry: Getting into the water either from shore, boat, etc. Equalize/Equalization: Putting air into an open area to compensate for the change in pressure. (Most commonly ear equalization for scuba divers.) Exposure Suit: A garment worn to keep divers warm and help protect them from cuts, scrapes and other elements. Scuba Diving Terms and Phrases: F Fins: The scuba gear that you wear on your feet to help you swim faster/with less effort. First Stage: Part of a scuba regulator; this attaches to the air tank. Freediving: Diving deep or staying underwater for extended periods of time without an air tank. Frog Kick: A technique for kicking your fins underwater. The bottoms of your feet move at each other like you’re sitting Indian style to propel you forward. This is a helpful technique to avoid kicking up sand. FSW: Feet of Sea Water Full-Foot Fin: A fin that covers your entire foot and most often doesn’t require you to wear a bootie. Scuba Diving Terms and Phrases: G, H, I, J, K, L Giant Stride: A method of getting in the water where you take a large step off…

Aug 31 2017
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SPRING BREAK SPECIAL @ Sodwana Bay

By Sodwana Bay

OCTOBER 1-8 SPRING BREAK SPECIAL: Come and enjoy a Spring break from exams for the kids as well as parents from their work on a mini-break at Sodwana! Stay for 7 nights and pay for 5 nights! Packages from R2400-3000 for the week includes 7nights/5dives. Catering options available @ R220 per day for brunch/dinners. Non-divers are welcome come and do their scuba divers courses during this week for an added R2500 including registration through eLearning! Pool sessions will be done in Sodwana and 5 dives on the beautiful reefs of Sodwana! Contact Rika on 0791165084 or info@twobar.co.za.

Sep 15 2015
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SODWANA BAY “Little one on its own”

By Sodwana Bay

SODWANA BAY “Little one on its own” Sodwana Bay is one of South Africa’s most beautiful and unspoilt beaches. Sodwana Bay lies within the iSimangaliso Wetland Park formerly the St.Lucia Wetland Park, a World Heritage Site on the South African Zululand Coast. Check out this funny funny video about how we learn to talk to the camera tryna promote Sodwana Bay! [embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fgmd6qRrU7I[/embedyt] Please like, subscribe and watch our other videos to see more of Sodwana Bay!

Jul 22 2015
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Sodwana Bay – South Africa

By Sodwana Bay

  SODWANA BAY ACCOMMODATION: Sodwana bay offers every type of accommodation. Camping, tents, chalets and lodge accommodation are available. Contact us with your specific requirements  info@twobar.co.za Restaurants in the area range from upmarket to basic fare or take aways from the beach kiosk. SODWANA ACTIVITIES: Diving:The Maputaland coral reefs are the number one dive spot on any South African diver’s itinerary. It is the premier scuba dive destination within South Africa. Most of the diving is done on four distinct reefs, namely 2 Mile, 5 Mile, 7 Mile and 9 Mile reefs, named for their distance from the Sodwana launch site at Jesser point. Dives are done from semi-rigid inflatable boats that can take up to eleven divers. The launches are straight from the beach through the surf. These type of launches are unique to the Kwazulu Natal and Mozambique coast and is a adrenaline rush! This thrilling experience adds to the excitement of the dive. Average visibility in the area is 15 to 20 meters, with up to 40 meters during winter months. Water temperature ranges from 29ºC in mid summer (Dec/Jan) to approximately 19ºC in mid winter (Jun/Jul) and diving is possible all year round. During the summer months from December to March large numbers of Ragged tooth sharks congregate at quarter mile reef. The number of boats and divers to this site is regulated to protect the sharks. SODWANA BAY DIVE SITES: Sodwana Bay 2 MileThe most popular of the dive sites. 2 Mile is a large reef about 2km long and about 1km wide. Depths vary from 9m to30m. There are many dive sites within the main body of 2 Mile reef. Due to its size there is something for everyone, from massive beds of corals, rocky overhangs & caves, to a large diversity of fishes and reef inhabitants. Sodwana Bay 5 Mile. A deeper reef, this site is a dive site for advanced divers. This reef well known for its coral formations. It is 1km long and 1km wide. Depth ranges between 15 and 35 meters. Off this reef are rocky out crops with interesting sea life and well worth the dive. There is a abundance of delicate staghorn coral which occur in large tiers. The average depth is approximately 21 m. Sodwana Bay 7 Mile. A favorite among advanced divers, 7 Mile is rated as one of  the best dive sites in the world. It is located about 10km from Jesser point. The top of the reef is approximately 15m deep with a distinct drop-off down to 24m on the sand. The inside edge is relatively sheltered from the open ocean and supports a large diversity of fish and invertebrate. Definitely a must! Sodwana Bay 9 Mile. This reef is untouched by divers because of the distance from Jesser point. This is a spectacular dive. The depth ranges from 3 to 24m. There is a distinct Green coral tree on this reef that supports plenty of fish life. SODWANA BAY FISHING: Although it is considered by many to be mainly a dive destination, Sodwana offers excellent fishing. Either from the shore or from fishing ski boats. There are a number of fishing charter operators at Sodwana. They operate large skiboats with experienced skippers for the visitor who wish to try his hand at game fishing. OTHER ACTIVITIES IN SODWANA BAY: You can build sandcastles or snorkel at Jesser Point at low tide, or do some great snorkeling further north at Mabibi. Sundowners are popular at Lake Sibaya, a freshwater inland lake about 30 minutes from Sodwana. There is a curio market off the main Sodwana beach for some local shopping. Sodwana is a well-known nesting place for turtles, which can be experienced on guided tours along the beach between November & January. For the more energetic there is horse riding or quad driving through the plantations. You can also go flying in a microlight over this pristine area. GENERAL INFORMATION: This is a malaria area please contact your doctor regarding medication. Petrol & diesel are available from Mbazwana or at the petrol station in the National Park. There is a large supermarket in Mbazwana and a small shop in the park. DIRECTIONS SODWANA BAY: It is about a 7 hour drive from Johannesburg/Pretoria. You can reach Sodwana in a normal car and therefore you don’t need a 4×4. In a car or when towing take the road via Hluhluwe as it is a tar road. For the more adventurous in a 4×4 you can take the shorter route via Jozini with a bumpy 60km dirt road. From Johannesburg/Pretoria, take the Witbank Highway. Take the Hendrina/Ermelo off-ramp, through Hendrina, Ermelo, Piet Rietef and Pongola OR Take the Carolina off-ramp, through Carolina, Amsterdam, Piet Retief and Pongola. For the dirt road: Through Pongola and about 50km turn off to Jozini. Through Jozini turn right at fork and follow the signs to Sodwana Bay. For the tar road: Follow the road to Hluhluwe, through the town and then follow the signs to Mbazwana and Sodwana.