Africa's Underwater Wonders

Discover Sodwana Bay and Aliwal Shoal, two different worlds off the South African coast, exploring how one is a stage for the bold and the beautiful while ambush and camouflage reign in the other.

On South Africa's west coast, Cape fur seals form huge breeding colonies to reproduce. For pups that cannot swim, it is a challenging start to life as they battle heat, hunger, congestion, and ocean storms. Those that survive will take to the water and join the multitude of creatures that surround them.

Just off the Tanzanian coastline, Mafia Island is a utopia rich in mangrove forests, vibrant coral gardens, and nutrient-dense waters. Its diverse habitats provide homes for many creatures living above the water and below.

Lake Malawi provides for a diverse range of life, both above and below the surface, as rock and water combine to set the stage for one of the most magnificent displays of evolution.

Off the coast of Mozambique, warm water surrounds idyllic islands, where sunlight fuels an abundance of life in this shallow realm, and rich sea currents carry food and inundate underwater meadows.