Here we answer some common questions about taking part in our Field Course.
The Cape RADD course requires participating students to be 18+ years old, and have a minimum Open Water SCUBA diving qualification.
The Cape RADD course will generally run Monday – Friday from between 8:00 – 17:00 when possible, however this is dependent on current operations and weather conditions. If there is a no sea day during the week, we may run the expedition on the weekend to make up for lost sea time.
Airport pick-up and drop-off
Accommodation (self-catered)
All diving and equipment hire for the course
Transport between headquarters, accommodation and dive sites
Marine Protected area diving permits
Lectures, workshops, in-field training
A Cape RADD Welcome pack (T-shirt, cap, notepad, local info brochure..)
Welcome and farewell braai (BBQ)
* (number of dives and boat trips are dependent on weather and other operational factors and may vary).
Flights
Any necessary visas
Food and drink
Medical and travel insurance which must cover SCUBA diving if participating in scuba dives
Personal spending money
4 weeks: $4,200
2 weeks: $2,500
We’ve had a few questions about making the deposit from an overseas bank. SWIFT is one of the largest international payment networks in the world and is a common system provided by most banks for making international transfers. The following links provide more information specific to some of the major US and UK banks. Some banks will allow you to send international wires with their online banking systems, while others will require that you visit a branch.
Chase
Bank of America
Citi
Wells Fargo
HSBC
Barclays
Santander
Royal Bank of Scotland
Lloyds Bank
We have accounts in South African Rand (ZAR), US Dollars (USD), and GB Pounds (GBP) that may make completing these transfers easier and at a lower cost to you. Account numbers are provided below for reference, and the appropriate account information will also be provided on your invoice.
Bank Name
Nedbank
135 Rivonia Road, Sandown, 2196
PO Box 1144, Johannesburg, 2000, South Africa
Account Name
Cape Research & Diver Development
Account Numbers
USD: 7095708835
GBP: 7095022127
ZAR: 1147195676
SWIFT Code
NEDSZAJJ
When making any payments into the Cape RADD GBP or USD accounts, please instruct your bank not to auto-convert the currency to South African Rand (ZAR). Please also request that your bank send a copy of the MT103 message to accounts@caperadd.com as Proof of Payment. This will enable us to confirm your payment as quickly as possible.
Visa requirements depend on your country of origin. Please check your visa requirements at your South African embassy before travelling. The South African Department of Home Affairs provides some information on their website, here.
Once you have booked onto the course you should book your flight to Cape Town International airport. If you need an airport transfer you must send Cape RADD your flight itinerary and arrive the day before the course starts (this will be confirmed during the booking stage). Airport pickups will be scheduled for a specific pickup time and you must arrive approximately 2 hours before hand to allow for customs clearance (2 hours advised).
Cape Town International Airport
You will be accommodated a guest house situated in Simon’s Town. The accommodation is within walking distance of local restaurants and cafes.
Laptop
All weather gear (waterproof jacket, sturdy footwear, hat)
If you prefer to bring your own wetsuit and dive gear you can do, but the rental gear is of very high quality
Work clothes (some trips may involve chum/fishing bait etc. so could get messy!)
Toiletries, sun cream and towel (there are plenty of shops to buy these if you want to travel light)
Camera, camera equipment, binoculars if you have your own
Students will be picked up from their accommodation and driven to Cape RADD headquarters on all course days. When visiting tourist attractions and traveling further afield at weekends we recommend car hire or a UBER taxi service. Many attractions include organized transport.
There are no vaccination requirements. The Western Cape is far from all malaria zones and there are no diseases of concern. Some travel sites recommend you have your Hepatitis A, Typhoid and Hepatitis B, but this is at your discretion and not a requirement to enter the country or the course.
Cape RADD will not tolerate any student intoxicated with drugs or alcohol or deemed unruly or effecting other students or staff with their behaviour. Cape RADD withholds the right to expel any student from the field course immediately without refund.
If you would like to join us at Cape RADD please send your CV to info@caperadd.com and a short cover letter, this is to see where your interests lie and what your dive experience so far.
Once accepted on to the programme you will be sent an information pack with additional details about the programme including course forms, curriculum, project info + species ID key.
A 50% deposit will be required to secure your booking at least two months before your programme start date, and the balance of payment is due 30 days before arrival.