• Scuba diving
• Shark diving

These dives are done on the Protea Banks. This is specialised diving with no cage, and is always deep diving. Divers must be qualified to 30m/100ft. The prime time of year is July to November. Sharks that can be seen are Bull Shark, Dusky, Spinner, 3 types of Hammerhead, Copper shark, Spotted Ragged Toothed shark and Tiger shark. Sometimes the shoaling fish can be particularly spectacular. The great white is also seen in the area. Link your diving with an Advanced Shark Specialty Course.
Protea is best dived from the town of Margate, a seaside resort built very much on the British model. The hotels, restaurants, and shops wouldn't be out of place in the original Margate, but the weather and the fine beaches leave you in no doubt that you're not in Kent.
Essentially, the impressive reef system of Protea Banks is one huge dive site - a massive uprising some 7km offshore between Margate and Shelly Beach, with caves, pinnacles, ridges and amphitheatres, the rocky reef substrate covered by sponges, and a pretty impressive range of corals given the less-than-tropical latitude. Individual areas with names such as the Caves, The Arena and Southern Pinnacles give a good indication of the type of topography on offer. And the surprising diversity of profile is mirrored by a wide assortment of marine life, colourful Indian Ocean reef species mingling with the silvery hues of cold-water southern fishes, while flashing schools of small pelagic make close approaches across the reef's exposed face.
Snappers and sweet lips may vie for attention with kingfish, but the real attention grabber - and the chief attraction that has put Protea on the diving map - is the year-round certainty of encountering sharks.
The range of available species is formidable, from grey reefs to threshers to the odd hammerhead, but Protea's main claim to fame is the varied number of ragged-toothed sharks to be found on the reef for much of the year.