The South African Coast: Sumora’s Laboratory
Sumora has it's origins in South Africa, a country unique in that her varied coastlines are reflective of types found all over the world. From the cold Cape coast where extreme cunning, stealth and accuracy are required to hunt reef fish in the kelp, to the Eastern Cape where white water specialists emerge. A place where divers deem shooting 44lb Mussel Cracker in 3 ft of water, with 7ft surf pounding over their heads, a sport! The rugged Transkei and Natal Coast line offer a sub-tropical environment where the Eastern Cape's giant reef-fish meet Zululand's pelagic population to form one of the most diverse and exciting coastal zones in the world. Consider "The Produce" off the Aliwal Shoal, a 30yr old ship wreck lying in 100ft of water 3 miles out to sea - an intimidating and exciting place to dive in ordinary conditions, but in late winter MASSIVE shoals of Daga Salmon move onto these wrecks after their migration up the South African coastline following the annual Sardine run. These fish range in size from 20 lb - 110 lb's, the fish emit a drumming noise from the ottolith's in their ears. A noise that pierces the very soul of a diver trying to relax on the surface, a noise which becomes more intense as the fish form a tighter and tighter circle on the bottom, until finally the diver sinks to the right spot - places a good shot and then watches all hell break loose.
Leven Point at Cape Vidal is a place of diving legend. A small seemingly inconspicuous reef, but for the fact that the continental shelf drops off to 1 000ft deep just 3 miles off the shore. The result is a unique feeding zone attracting large pelagics and sharks of every description - all patrolling the outer ledge of the point seeking an easy meal. This is the birth place of the railgun - the inspiration provided by pioneering divers whose own gear was inadequate to handle these large fish and harsh conditions.
125 miles North is Mozambique, the longest coastline in Africa and the breeding ground for the majority of Southern Africa's gamefish population. Summer in Moz is an orgy of size and colour, where divers can expect to encounter absolutely anything on the deep underwater pinnacles that populate the coastline. This is home to the proudest fish in the sea - the Ignoblis Kingfish, the giant of the sea and weight for weight one of the strongest (and dirtiest) fighters in the ocean. And the bigger they get, the smarter they are. The Iggy is found either cruising backline reefs feeding on small fish in the white water or more commonly circling in massive shoals on the pinnacles where approaching this crafty fish is a difficult task, but childsplay compared to keeping it off the bottom once speared.
This is our workshop - this is where we do our quality control. Take a look at the Marlin catches off the South African coastline if you have any doubts about the ability of our gear to land big powerful fish - the current world record of 581 lb's for a Black Marlin was landed on a rail gun.
Leven Point at Cape Vidal:
- Great White Encounter at Leven Point, Cape Vidal
- Hunting the Big Cuda at Cape Vidal
- The Winter Wahoo Gamefish Competition at Cape Vidal
- Finless Shark Wonder
- Info on visiting Cape Vidal
Aliwal Shoal:
- Great White Encounter off Aliwal Shoal
- Zambezi Shark Encounter on Aliwal Shoal
- For the Bubble Blowers: Raggies Cave at Aliwal Shoal
- Wahoo Weekend at Aliwal Shoal
- Weekend Dive on Aliwal Shoal
The Cape:
- Great Whites of the Cape: Super predators or super scavengers?
- The "Sardine Run" and the sharks
- Spearfishing in the Cape
- Other South African Dive Spots
