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Bahía de Sodwana

Coordenadas : 27°32′S 32°41′E / 27.533°S 32.683°E / -27.533; 32.683 La bahía de Sodwana es una bahía en Sudáfrica, en la costa norte de KwaZulu-Natal , entre Santa Lucía y el la...

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Coordenadas : 27°32′S 32°41′E / 27.533°S 32.683°E / -27.533; 32.683

La bahía de Sodwana es una bahía en Sudáfrica, en la costa norte de KwaZulu-Natal , entre Santa Lucía y el lago Sibhayi . Se encuentra dentro del Parque Nacional de la Bahía de Sodwana y la Reserva Marina de Maputaland, y es un destino popular para el buceo recreativo . El término se usa comúnmente para referirse tanto a la reserva marina como al parque terrestre, así como a la bahía geográfica.

El Parque Nacional de la Bahía de Sodwana es una estrecha franja de dunas boscosas ubicada a lo largo de la costa este. Proclamado parque nacional en la década de 1950, es frecuentado por pescadores y buceadores. [ 1 ] Sodwana se encuentra en el Área Marina Protegida de Maputaland y es la única zona de buceo recreativo a lo largo de la costa del Parque de Humedales de Greater St Lucia (ahora renombrado como iSimangaliso). Clasificado como uno de los mejores sitios de buceo del mundo, [ 2 ] el parque es visitado por unos 35 000 buceadores al año. La bahía está cerca del extremo sur de la ecorregión marina tropical occidental del Indo-Pacífico , y hay corales formadores de arrecifes . El complejo de arrecifes de 50 km (31 mi) es el hábitat de una amplia diversidad de especies residentes y migratorias. Varios cañones submarinos se adentran en el borde de la plataforma continental, que está muy cerca de la costa. Fue en uno de estos lugares donde, el 27 de noviembre de 2000, se descubrió una población residente de celacantos .  

Sailfish, king mackerel, kingfish and other pelagic species of game fish migrate south down the east coast of Africa and since the activities of sea pirates off the coast of north east Africa healthy populations of pelagic game fish again reach all the way south off the coast of South Africa which has re-established Sodwana as a sport fishing destination for pelagic species. The marine protected area is known for endangered marine megafauna including whale sharks, great white sharks, zambezi sharks, hammerhead sharks, blacktip sharks, manta rays, orange-spotted groupers, potato cod, critically endangered leatherback turtles,[3]loggerhead sea turtles, and coelacanths.[4] The discovery of Coelacanths made the region world-famous. In the March 2011 issue of National Geographic, a short article titled Ancient Swimmers appeared, discussing the discovery of coelacanths in the depths of Sodwana Bay and the surrounding area. A small section of the written article explains that:

"Since this chance sighting, Latimeria chalumnae have been found in several pockets in and around the Indian Ocean. No one knows how many there are - maybe as few as 1,000 or as many as 10, 000. Because of the depth of their habitat, they have mainly been photographed by submersibles and remotely operated vehicles. Divers first documented the fish [in Sodwana Bay] in 2000; in January and February 2010, a specially trained team dived to take pictures of [another] small colony in Sodwana Bay, South Africa."

Whale watching targeting migratory or resident cetaceans is a local tourist industry.[5]Bottlenose dolphins live in the vicinity and have been observed to swim with whale sharks. Humpback whales migrate through the bay during winter to spring seasons while southern right whales and other species are less common. Orcas may also visit the bay waters.

The land areas of the iSimangaliso Wetland Park are home to species of large land animals such as lions, giraffes, elephants, hippopotamuses and rhinoceros[6]

Climate

The climate is subtropical with water temperatures usually above 20 °C (68 °F), up to 29 °C (84 °F) in summer.

Ecology

Terrestrial

Map of the Ecoregions of South Africa

Marine

Marine ecoregions of the South African Exclusive Economic Zone
Sodwana is in the Delagoa coastal ecoregion

The inshore waters of Sodwana Bay are in the Delagoa coastal marine ecoregion.

Economy

The local economy is based on tourism.

Tourism

Tourism in this area is based on recreational scuba diving, gamefishing and game park tours.

Recreational diving

A permit is required to scuba dive in any MPA in South Africa, including the recreational dive sites of the iSimangaliso Marine Protected Area. These permits are valid for a year and are available at some branches of the Post Office.[7] Temporary permits, valid for a month, may be available at dive shops or from dive boat operators who operate in an MPA. A personal recreational scuba diving permit is valid in all South African MPAs where recreational diving is allowed. The business permit to operate recreational scuba business operations in an MPA is restricted to a specific MPA. Diving for commercial or scientific purposes is also subject to permit.

Several snorkelling spots, and a large number of scuba diving sites are available for recreational diving. Several dive operators are based in Sodwana, and equipment and gas fill are available. Diving conditions are generally good throughout the year, but the best visibility of up to 30 metres is most likely during April to September. In suitable weather night dives can be arranged.[1]

Dive sites are concentrated at the following areas:[1]

  • Two-mile Reef is the most popular area with depths ranging from 9 metres to over 30 metres at the outer edge.
  • Quarter Mile Reef is most often dived in January and February when Ragged-toothed sharks congregate.
  • Stringer Reef at a depth of 14 metres is a small reef with great diversity of species.
  • Four and Five Mile Reefs are about 8 km (5.0 mi) from Jesser Point. They are a bit deeper, and have branching, table and plate corals
  • Seven Mile Reef is the area about 11 km (6.8 mi) north of Jesser Point. There are overhangs, drop-offs and mushroom reefs.
  • Nine Mile Reef is the northern-most reef of the commonly accessible areas. Depths range from 6 to 21 metres. There is a green tree coral at the drop-off on the seaward side of the reef.
  • Coelacanth dives at the canyon require a special permit and certification and competence in trimix diving to depths of over 100 m.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Actividades acuáticas en el Parque Nacional de Sodwana Bay" . www.nature-reserve.co.za/ . Consultado el 19 de marzo de 2021 .
  2. ↑ "Los mejores sitios de buceo del mundo | PADI" . PADI Travel . Consultado el 30 de abril de 2021 .
  3. ↑ "Parque Nacional de la Bahía de Sodwana, KwaZulu-Natal, Sudáfrica" . Siyabona Africa Travel . Consultado el 18 de diciembre de 2014 .
  4. ^ Venter, Pieter; Tim, Peter; Gunn, Gilbert; le Roux, Etienne; Serfontein, Christo; Smith, Pieter; Smith, Erna; Bensch, Martín; Harding, Dennis; Heemstra, Phillip (1992). "Descubrimiento de una población viable de celacantos (Latimeria Chalumnae Smith, 1939) en la bahía de Sodwana, Sudáfrica ] " . Ciencia en África . Consultado el 18 de diciembre de 2014 .Archivado el 18 de diciembre de 2014 en Wayback Machine.
  5. ↑ "Avistamiento de ballenas" . Sodwana Bay Lodge . Consultado el 18 de diciembre de 2014 .Archivado el 18 de diciembre de 2014 en Wayback Machine.
  6. ^ Taylor, William (1999). Los cinco grandes de África . Gerald Hinde, RF Du Toit. Johannesburgo: Sur. ISBN 1-86812-779-6OCLC 42659355​​ 
  7. ↑ «R118. Proyecto de Reglamento para la gestión del Área Marina Protegida de Isimangaliso» (PDF) . Gaceta Oficial N.º 10553. 608 ( 39646). Pretoria: Imprenta del Gobierno. 3 de febrero de 2016.
  • Logotipo de Wikimedia CommonsContenido multimedia relacionado con la bahía de Sodwana en Wikimedia Commons.
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  • Bahía de Sodwana
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