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Cathedral Sodwana
Dive site · South Africa
Advanced divers and up
Is it worth the trip?
65Good out of 100 for your dates
Best on Sat 7: Sea 1.1 m, Visibility about 20 m, Water 25 °C
Tue 3 · 71 out of 100
- Sea
- 1.2 m
- Wind
- 4 kn
- Gusts
- 11kn
- Air
- 27°C
Wed 4 · 67 out of 100
- Sea
- 1.3 m
- Wind
- 10 kn
- Gusts
- 22knboats in
- Air
- 27°C
Thu 5 · 69 out of 100
- Sea
- 1.2 m
- Wind
- 11 kn
- Gusts
- 22knboats in
- Air
- 29°C
Fri 6 · 70 out of 100
- Sea
- 1.2 m
- Wind
- 8 kn
- Gusts
- 23kn
- Air
- 28°C
Sat 7 · 73 out of 100
- Sea
- 1.1 m
- Wind
- 7 kn
- Gusts
- 17kn
- Air
- 26°C
Sun 8 · 31 out of 100
- Sea
- 1.8 m
- Wind
- 14 kn
- Gusts
- 29knboats in
- Air
- 23°C
Mon 9 · 32 out of 100
- Sea
- 2.1 m
- Wind
- 8 kn
- Gusts
- 24kn
- Air
- 24°C
Tap a day for sea, wind and water. Full forecast
Forecast: next 9 days
Full forecast- Tue 371, good
- Wed 467, good
- Thu 569, good
- Fri 670, good
- Sat 773, good
- Sun 831, poor
- Mon 932, poor
- Tue 1032, poor
- Wed 1151, fair
The site in six facts
- Down to 20 mits deepest
- From a boathow you get in
- Advancedand up
- Water 25 °C3 mm wetsuit
- Faces Eswell from there reaches it
- Best in Jan4 good days in 7
Full forecast
every day, every number
The score doesn't know currents, the visibility on the day or your certification.
Suits Advanced divers and up, as a dive guide states it. Scored for Advanced divers.
| Day | Score | Sea | Wind | Gusts | Air |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tue 3Nov | 71, good | 1.2 m | 4 kn | 11kn | 27°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 67, good | 1.3 m | 10 kn | 22knboats in | 27°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 69, good | 1.2 m | 11 kn | 22knboats in | 29°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 70, good | 1.2 m | 8 kn | 23kn | 28°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 73, good | 1.1 m | 7 kn | 17kn | 26°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 31, poor | 1.8 m | 14 kn | 29knboats in | 23°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 32, poor | 2.1 m | 8 kn | 24kn | 24°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 32, poor | 2.2 m | 8 kn | 18kn | 25°C |
| Wed 11Nov | 51, fair | 1.8 m | 10 kn | 22kn | 25°C |
Sea is the waves near the site, in metres; wind and gusts in knots. "Boats in": gusts that keep dive boats in. More
Tide
- Tue 3 NovLow 04:23 −0.4 mHigh 11:15 +0.4 mLow 17:41 −0.4 mHigh 23:53 +0.3 m
- Wed 4 NovLow 06:00 −0.5 mHigh 12:36 +0.6 mLow 18:52 −0.5 m
- Thu 5 NovHigh 00:59 +0.5 mLow 07:01 −0.6 mHigh 13:27 +0.7 mLow 19:39 −0.7 m
Local clock times; heights about mean sea level. On open coasts the times are usually within a quarter of an hour; in bays, estuaries and on the Gulf of Mexico they can be an hour or more out. Slack water, the safest time to dive where there is current, is about half an hour either side of each high and low. Tide: EOT20 global ocean tide model, Hart-Davis et al. 2021, DGFI-TUM (doi:10.17882/79489), CC BY 4.0. Times and heights computed by us. A model, not a tide table: check a local table before you go.
Forecast updated . It refreshes every three hours. Forecast data: ECMWF, DWD, Météo-France and NOAA, served by Open-Meteo.com (CC BY 4.0). Changed by us. Generated using E.U. Copernicus Marine Service Information.
Best time to go
best in Jan
Good diving days in a typical week, each month, for Advanced divers, from 2016 on (ERA5 history scored the same way).
- Jan4of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Jan
- Feb3of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
- Mar3of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
- Apr2of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
- May3of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
- Jun3of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Jun
- Jul3of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Jul
- Aug2of 7: a trip from Sat 7 Aug
- Sep2of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
- Oct2of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov3of 7: a trip from Wed 4 Nov
- Dec3of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Dec
Tap a month to see this spot for a trip then.
Typical, not a forecast: the sea and the mean wind of each day, with no gusts or rain in the history.
Map
the site, its town, photos
Cathedral Sodwana on Google Maps · Directions
Each place wears its best day on these dates: green good, amber fair, pale red poor, as the key says.
The map needs JavaScript. Every place on it is listed on this page, and each place's page links to Google Maps.
One finger scrolls the page; two fingers move the map. Pins are our own positions. Map OpenFreeMap, © OpenMapTiles, data © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Photos of Cathedral Sodwana
More diving near here
4 places
- Amoray 0.9 km away
- Pinnacles Sodwana 1.2 km away
- Two Mile Reef Sodwana 1.8 km away
- Caves Sodwana 1.9 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Cathedral Sodwana
A reef dive. It goes down to 20 m. You get in from a boat. It suits Advanced divers and up, as a dive guide states it. The coast faces E: swell from the E reaches it, and wind from the W blows out to sea. 1 dive centre or shop within 10 km, the nearest 3.2 km away. The sea is about 23°C in July, its coldest month (5 mm wetsuit), and 28°C in February, its warmest (3 mm wetsuit). For Advanced divers the best month is usually January, with about 4 good days in 7. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Sodwana Bay. Within 5 km we also list 1 wind sports spot and 4 dive sites.
- What it is Reef.
- How deep Down to 20 m.
- Getting in From a boat.
- Who it suits Suits Advanced divers and up, as a dive guide states it.
- Dive centres 1 dive centre or shop within 10 km, the nearest 3.2 km away.
Water about 25°C: 3 mm wetsuit. Typical sea temperature for the time of year, not a forecast.
Visibility about 20 m. Typical for the time of year, estimated from ten years of NASA satellite water clarity, not a forecast. Clearest in Jan, Feb, Mar and May (about 25 m).
The score is the conditions only: the journey, the price and the partners never change it (how we score, how we earn).
Rough cost (estimate): about US$1,270–US$2,520 each
about US$1,270–US$2,520 each · 6 nights, 2 sharing: flights, hire car, stay, food.
Our estimate from typical public prices, not a quote: check the real prices before you book (where they come from). Prices are about, in US Dollar (USD): our pound figures at the European Central Bank's rate of 2 November 2026.
How we worked it out
| What | How we worked it out | Each |
|---|---|---|
| Flights | return ORD to MPM, estimated from distance and season, changing at LIS, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | about US$892–US$1,860 |
| Hire car | 6 days, shared | about US$67–US$114 |
| Stay | 6 nights, a mid-range double, shared | about US$161–US$275 |
| Food | 7 days eating out | about US$148–US$268 |
| Total | about US$1,270–US$2,520 |
Guided dives are not priced yet: we have no sourced price, so it is not in it. Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.
Where to stay: Sodwana Bay
Ad Links marked Ad may pay us if you book. You pay the same, and they never change a score. How we earn
about 5 min by car · 5 places to stay
about US$60/nightcountry average
About Sodwana Bay its beds, food and every spot near it
About US$60 a night is our estimate of the country's average 2-star double room that month: not each town's price, and not a quote. Drives are estimates. Prices are about, in US Dollar (USD): our pound figures at the European Central Bank's rate of 2 November 2026.
Getting there: about 30h 30m
About 30h 30m door to door from Chicago
Fly ORD → MPM, changing at Lisbon Humberto Delgado Airport (LIS), then 3h 25m by road
Flights ORD → MPM on your dates · AviasalesAdeSIM for your phone · Search on AiraloAd
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.
In the water
Dives and courses in Sodwana Bay · GetYourGuideDive gear hire in Sodwana Bay · GetYourGuide
Dive centres nearby
Scuba center 3.2 km
The nearest named dive centres and shops within 25 km, in a straight line; training agencies where the map states them. Listings, not a recommendation. Dive centres: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL). Credits
What you might see
Animals divers and surveys have recorded within 2 km of this site in the last 15 years. A record says someone saw it here, not that you will.
Giant oceanic manta ray Mobula birostrisManta and devil rays
Seen in 4 records.
Mobula kuhliiManta and devil rays
Seen in 3 records.
Grey reef shark Carcharhinus amblyrhynchosShark
Seen in 6 records.
Whitetip reef shark Triaenodon obesusShark
Seen in 6 records.
Silvertip shark Carcharhinus albimarginatusShark
Seen in 4 records.
Sand tiger shark Carcharias taurusShark
Seen in 4 records.
Bluespotted ribbontail ray Taeniura lymmaRay
Seen in 16 records.
Taeniurops meyeniRay
Seen in 10 records, mostly Feb to Jun.
Spotted eagle ray Aetobatus narinariRay
Seen in 7 records.
Leopard whipray Himantura leopardaRay
Seen in 7 records.
Pateobatis jenkinsiiRay
Seen in 5 records.
Gulf torpedo Torpedo sinuspersiciRay
Seen in 5 records.
Records: OBIS (Ocean Biodiversity Information System, IOC-UNESCO) and GBIF.org (1 November 2026, doi:10.15468/dl.jeesns), from the datasets named here, CC0 and CC BY records only. Names: WoRMS and GBIF; common names from the Catalogue of Life, the GBIF Backbone and Wikidata. Largest datasets here: UNESCO eDNA expedition in iSimangaliso Wetland Park (South Africa): April 2023; FBIP: SeaKeys_SANBI: Marine images iSpot_2013; iNaturalist Research-grade Observations; INSDC Sequences; Occurrence records of southern African aquatic biodiversity. Credits
This week's visibility and the current no free forecast gives. Ask a dive centre before you book.
Saved: this link opens the same trip
The link holds the trip itself: nothing about you is kept. Check the forecast again before you book.