Amoray Diving is the only official dive charter for Mseni Lodge.  Amoray Diving started in 1994 with Steve and Caroll and caters for the qualified diver.  This small dive charter operates from a shaded, dry gazebo on the beach and only does four launches a day in a relaxed, yet professional atmosphere.

The Maputaland coral reefs are the number one hotspot on any South African diver's itinerary with over 100 000 dives being undertaken on the Sodwana reefs per year. Uninformed divers have broadcast many myths and untruths about these reefs over the past 20 years. A misconception regularly quoted by divers and dive tour-group operators, is that the Maputaland reefs are the most southerly coral reefs in the world. This is not correct as the most southerly reefs occur of the coast off Western Australia in a reef group called Houtman's Abrolhos. This is 120 km further south than our reefs are and the Western Australian coral growth is much more luxuriant than the local reefs.

The Maputaland reefs are the most southerly coral reefs in Africa, and owe their existence to clear, warm water carried southward by the subtropical Agulhas Current and the absence of silt-carrying rivers discharging into the region; corals are not tolerant of turbulent or murky waters. The reefs consist of thin veneers of Indo-Pacific corals colonising sandstone outcrops. These sandstone outcrops are the remnants of ancient dunes and beaches that were fossilised during a low sealevel about 80 000 years ago.

The most commonly dived reefs in Sodwana Bay are:

2 Mile Reef
Our largest reef lies approximately 2 miles off Jesser Point, the beach from where we launch. The reef is approximately 2,1 km long and 0,9 km wide. There are many nice dive spots on this very large reef and you need not go much further to see what Sodwana has to offer. The depth ranges between 9 and 35 meters and is almost always accessible.
The landward margin of the reef has sparse coral growth but as you swim out to sea you will see the shallow reef-crest environment with numerous pinnacles and gullies which are well developed in this area. Further out to sea the reef flattens out and numerous mushroom-shaped soft coral colonies are seen.

5 Mile Reef
This reef is actually 4 miles off Jesser Point and is very flat and well known for its coral formations. It is 1,2 km long and 1,05 km wide. Depth ranges between 15 and 35 meters. Off this reef are rocky out crops with interesting sea life and well worth the dive. The hard corals on the reef comprise 60 % of the coral reef fauna and soft corals make up the 40 % balance. The dominance of hard corals over soft corals shows that Four-Mile Reef is more like a true Indo-Pacific coral reef than the other Zululand coral reefs. The major difference in coral growth between Two-Mile and Four-Mile Reefs is the abundance of delicate staghorn coral which occurs as large tiers and delicately intermeshed beds. Due to the extreme fragility of this reef only restricted diving by experienced divers is recommended.

7 Mile Reef
7 Mile is rated amongst the best dive spots in the world, but it can be a bumpy ride. The dolphins you see along the way, make up for it though. Seven-Mile Reef is a small patch reef located 10.1 km north-northeast of Jesser Point. The reef is 1,4 km long and 0.39 km wide. Water depths vary from 15 m on the reef-crest to 25 m on the reef-front. Coral growth is comparable to Two-Mile Reef with the coral surface cover being approximately 70 %.

9 Mile Reef
9 Mile Reef is a spectacular dive if the weather allows you to get there. It ranges between 3 and 23 meters and is my personal favourite. There are some unique coral on this reef that do not occur anywhere else.

(Information courtesy of Dr. Pete Ramsay and Dr. Michael Schleyer)