TWO MILE REEF (9 - 38 metres)🤿
- Pisces Diving Sodwana Bay
- Aug 19, 2024
- 2 min read
Updated: May 4

Photo Credit: 📸 Niel Cillie 🤿
2 Mile Reef is the most popular and frequently dived reef in Sodwana Bay, and for good reason. It’s easily accessible, rich in marine life, and offers a wide variety of dive sites — making it perfect for both beginners and experienced divers. Located within the iSimangaliso Wetland Park, it’s a protected area teeming with underwater life and color.
There are approx twenty well known scuba diving sites on two mile reef and you may discover lesser dived spots that we can explore. The topography varies from flat and sandy on the off shore side to pinnacles, caves, cliffs, big sand patches and mesmerizing ledges with an extensive diversity in corals and marine life. You can see tiny shrimps and decorator crabs to paper fish, pipe fish, different species of scorpion fish, over 400 documented species of nudibranchs and sea horses. Across two mile reef on average, every 50 metres, a diver will see 201 fish within a 5 metre radius and on the shallower parts of the reef that number goes up to 281. Our larger species include brindle bass, potato bass, marbled leopard groupers, many different species of Rays including the majestic Manta Rays, whitetips, black tips, duskys, zebra shark, sand shark, spotted sand tigers, bull, tiger and even occasional great white sharks can be spotted. There are 5 turtle species and the leatherbacks and loggerheads nest on this impressive coastline up to Mozambique.
🌊 Quick Overview of 2 Mile Reef:
📍 Location:
Just 2 nautical miles (approx. 3.2 km) from Jesser Point, 2 Mile Reef is the closest and most convenient reef in Sodwana Bay.
📏 Depth Range:
Shallow sites: 6–12 meters (great for training and beginner dives)
Deeper sites: 15–22 meters
Suitable for all certification levels from Open Water to Advanced
🐟 Marine Life Highlights:
2 Mile Reef is known for its astonishing biodiversity and is home to:
Green, hawksbill, and loggerhead turtles
Moray eels, lionfish, potato bass
Octopus, nudibranchs, scorpionfish, leaf fish
Shoals of snapper, fusiliers, goatfish
Whale sharks, manta rays, and dolphins (seasonal)
Humpback whales can sometimes be heard or seen during winter
🪸 Reef Features:
2 Mile is more like a reef complex, with over 20 named dive sites like:
Antons Reef – Known for big fish and beautiful coral
Chain Reef – Features a chain-like coral formation and sandy valleys
Caves & Overhangs – Swim-throughs, ledges, and home to rays and turtles
Coral Gardens – Rich soft coral beds with vibrant reef fish
Ribbon Reef – A photographer’s paradise for macro life
🌊 Diving Conditions:
Visibility: Often 15–30 meters
Water Temperature: 22–27°C
Currents: Mild to moderate depending on site and tide
Great for: Drift dives, training dives, and photography
⭐ Why Divers Love 2 Mile Reef:
Huge variety of dive sites in one area
Consistently excellent conditions
Great for training, refresher dives, and experienced exploration
Accessible and flexible – Easy to plan multiple dives per day
Dive schools and operators based nearby for full support
📅 Best Time to Dive:
Sodwana is a year-round destination, but November to March brings the warmest water and best chance to spot Mantas, Dolphins and turtles nesting.
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