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The dive site Troglodyte's Cove or Cave Gully is a shoreline rocky reef in the Gordon's Bay area on the east side of False Bay, near Cape Town in the Western Cape province of South Africa.

Understand

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Aerial view if the dive site Troglodyte’s Cove. (Photo CDS&M)
See also: Diving the Cape Peninsula and False Bay#Understand

Position

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  • S34°10.828’ E018°49.509’ 1 Troglodyte's Cove

This site is not in a Marine Protected Area. A permit is not required.

Name

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The site is named "Troglodyte's Cove" or "Cave Gully" for the cave at the head of the inlet which shows signs of recent habitation in the form of garbage and discarded utensils.

Depth

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Maximum about 14 m at the edge of the sand.

Topography

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The gully below the cave mouth has steep rock sides and pebble/boulder bottom. Reef ridges roughly parallel to shore formations, and gets to 9 m depth very close to the outer edge of the shoreline, then shelves down gradually to 14 m, at which depth it reaches the fine sand. The ripples on the sand are approximately perpendicular to shoreline as wave crests are also usually perpendicular to the shoreline. There are some fairly big outcrops and boulders up to about 3 m high above the bottom, and some overhangs near the shoreline, especially in the inlet. Towards Lorry Bay (West of the gully) the reef is more rugged and spectacular.

Geology: Sandstone with some quartzite veins. Probably of the Peninsula formation.

Conditions

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South westerly swell should be short and low.

Facilities

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Off road paved parking.

Get in

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The entry gully from near the top
See also: Diving the Cape Peninsula and False Bay#Boat dives

The site can be accessed by boat or from the shore.

Shore dive with a moderate climb. There is off-road paved parking on the seaward side of Faure Marine Drive (R44) at S34°10.887’ E018°49.464’. The path is to the right facing the sea. Walk along the path until it starts to descend steeply then turn shorewards to the deep gully and walk along the sloping ledge on the rock face that leads down to the cave mouth. From there climb down the boulder slope to the water’s edge at the large rusty steel roller.

View of the inlet from the water. The entry/exit point is right in the middle of the photo. The cave mouth is just visible up the gully.

There is a convenient rock to stand on to do final kit-up, and the water will usually be deep enough to jump in. About 250 m total walking distance with a descent of about 25 m, most of which is in the last 50 m. Entry and Exit are very sheltered from south west swell and the climb is not difficult. Access altogether reasonable for a fit diver.

Alternatively a boat dive about 4 km from Gordon's Bay harbour or 4.4 km from Harbour Island. Anchor off shore where you want to dive. The inlet is not a suitable anchorage.

See

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Klipfish
Koester

Marine life

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There is a rock to the north east of the gully which is frequented by a small group of seals.

See also: Diving the Cape Peninsula and False Bay#The marine ecology

Photography

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Routes

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  1. In at gully at mouth of cave, Very easy entry, climb down rocks no problem. Dive in inlet, rock face on left till out of inlet, then straight out over coarse gravel North magnetic till sand. Turn and swim back about south east magnetic, over sand, gravel/pebbles, occasional small boulders, larger outcrops and finally rocky reef with pebble bottomed gullies to shoreline near the seal reef. Follow shoreline back to inlet and exit at gully
  2. In at gully at mouth of cave, down, out and round to left (west). to quite near to Lorry Bay and back to gully.

Stay safe

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See also: Diving the Cape Peninsula and False Bay#Stay safe

Hazards

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Shore access requires a walk down steep rock and boulders and a slightly tricky entry and exit.

Skills

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No special skills required. Reasonable fitness and agility are required for shore entry.

Equipment

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See also: Diving the Cape Peninsula and False Bay#Equipment

No special equipment recommended.

Nearby

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Map
Troglodyte's Cove and nearby dive sites

Back to the Alphabetical list of sites, or list of dive sites in the Gordon's Bay area

Other regional dive sites:

This dive guide to Troglodyte's Cove is a usable article. It has information on location and equipment as well as some complete entries on what to see. An adventurous person could use this article, but please feel free to improve it by editing the page.