OFFSHORE FISHING DESTINATIONS IN SOUTH AFRICA
South Africa's long coastline and amazing variety of marine life offers several options. Your choice of destination will depend upon what kind of fish you're after. Here's a ready reckoner of some of SA's best fishing spots:

Kosi Bay and Banga Neck, KwaZulu Natal
Located in Kwa-Zulu Natal (KZN), on the North Coast, these two places are great for sharks and giant kingfish. If you enjoy game fishing, this is the place to be. The Kosi Bay area has three lakes that are joined together; and you can access the sea through an estuary. The climate here varies from sub-tropical to tropical.

Black Rock, KwaZulu Natal
This is another popular spot for game fishing. You'll also find large sharks here. Situated south of Kosi, Black Rock has an unending strip of beach, where you won't be able to spot another person for miles.

St Lucia, KwaZulu Natal
Summer is an ideal time to visit St Lucia, when the variety of catch is mind boggling. Dip your fishing rod in the water and you can come up with bonito, yellow-fin tuna, garrick, sailfish, marlin, red roman, geelbek, yellow-belly rock cod, musselcracker and queen mackerel. The fishing season begins in December and closes by end of September. St. Lucia offers some of the best fishing and angling activities, from deep sea fishing, estuary fishing and fly fishing to kite fishing, surf fishing and rock fishing.

Margate, KwaZulu Natal
With huge rock formations and estuaries, the seaside town of Margate is a fine South Coast holiday destination. Salubrious temperatures, and beautiful beaches coupled with lots of fishing activities make for an enjoyable trip. Mackerel, garrick and kob are what you'll be looking out for while fishing.

Mbolompo Point, Western Cape
This spot on the West Coast is famous for sardines and garrick.

Mazeppa Bay, Eastern Cape
This village is close to the Kei River and is known for game fishing. Interestingly, the biggest fish ever caught here was a Great White that weighed 791 kg.

Bluewater Bay, Eastern Cape
Located on the Eastern Cape, Bluewater Bay has mild weather conditions, perfect for year round sea fishing. Also, check out some great options for water sports.

Jeffreys Bay, Eastern Cape
On the Eastern Cape, the waters of Jeffreys Bay teem with rays and sharks, elf, dageraad, baardman, musselcracker, blacktail, red steenbras, grunters, garricks and kobs - a veritable fishing paradise!

Wilderness, Garden Route
Situated at the foothills of the Outeniqua Mountains, this breathtakingly lovely region boasts pristine beaches and several holiday resorts. There's great catch too! Fish for garrick, galjoen and kob among others. Another delightful pastime - whale and dolphin watching!

Struisbaai, Western Cape
This coastal village at Africa's southernmost tip has a long stretch of white sand beach. Head towards Twelve Mile Bank, Blougansie, and Vlakbank to catch white steenbras, galjoen, kob, baardman, and blacktail.

When you become an owner of your favorite offshore boat, you'll want to get it rigged for deepsea and offshore fishing.

Here is a basic list to get your started:

BOAT EQUIPMENT
* A lighted compass on top of console.
* An LCD Chart 480x480 pixels - GPS Combo near steering wheel or spend the money and get a combo GPS Sonar unit.
* A baitwell in a convenient position (most boats come with a bait well).
* Two manual downriggers on rear quarter of boat, with swivel base.
* Lowrance fishfinder.
* A washdown pump/livewell pump/ bilge pump 1000gph. Makes cleaning the inside of the boat much easy. Just use the attached hose while you are still on the water and wash down the inside of the boat.
* Install a kill switch - most boats come with one. Keep a spare key somewhere!
* Install 12V plug point connection for hand held spotlight (choose a stainless steel option if available).
* Install at least 2 extra rod holders on the front quarter of boat for live bait fishing. Put one on each side toward the front of the boat. Can be used for trolling and/or live bait fishing.
* Outriggers can be mounted on larger 23ft+ center consoles for offshore fishing.
* AMFM Radio for when the fish are not biting!!!
* Marine Radio
* Battery Charger - at least two batteries with Perko battery switch. One battery must be deep cycle.
* Fuel and water seperator filter on fuel line; removable 10 micron canister design. Great for storage months.
* Downriggers Items like weights/release clips/cable repair kit.

EMERGENCY EQUIPMENT
* Life jackets (4) - 1 should be child siz
* Fire Extinguisher mounted on the console
* Paddle (1) if boat is over 18ft long

OTHER EQUIPMENT
* Casting Net 5ft-6ft
* Regular Floating Minnow Bucket
* Dock Rope on the bow cleat
* Brush Clamp with 10ft rope for easy tie-down.
* Binnoculars (to use in spotting birds feeding on the water).
* Basic tool kit with plyers/screwdriver/adjustable wrench, sparkplug wrench or socket set.
* Spend a bit extra and buy a galvanized trailer for your boat.
* Extra items items like trailer light bulbs, suntan lotion, aspirin, sunglasses

Exciting performance and nimble handling makes the VX Deluxe an outstanding package - an extended rear platform, low fuel consumption and handy remote transmitter  make your time on the water more enjoyable.

The FX Cruiser SHO is the WaveRunner flagship model. The Cruiser Concept can be counted as one of the most unique innovations in the PWC industry, providing maximum comfort and a highly stable riding position.