This area extends south, north and offshore of the existing Maputaland and St Lucia marine protected areas in the iSimangaliso Wetland Park, a World Heritage Site, and also encompasses the Ponta do Ouro Partial Marine Reserve, to capture the full extent of offshore benthic and pelagic habitat types, providing for coastal and offshore connectivity and covering the important offshore habitats of endangered Leatherback Turtles. The area includes a key migratory route for Humpback Whales, a nursery area for Bull Sharks, spawning areas for fish (especially endemic sparids) and sharks and includes habitat of other threatened species, including coelacanths, marine mammals and sharks. Potential vulnerable marine ecosystems include numerous submarine canyons, palaeo-shorelines and deep reefs, and hard shelf edge with reef-building cold-water corals in depths of more than 900 m. Whale sharks feed in this area in summer. This area has been identified as a priority area by two different systematic biodiversity plans, a national plan to identify focus areas for offshore protection (Sink et al. 2011) and a fine-scale provincial plan for the province of KwaZulu-Natal (Harris et al. 2011).

Approximately 26°S to 29°S and 32°E and 34°. This area extends south, north and offshore of the existing Maputaland and St. Lucia marine protected areas in the iSimangaliso Wetland Park.

The area meeting EBSA criteria is bounded by the highwater mark of a coastline characterized by the highest vegetated dunes in the world, with minimal terrigenous riverine input (see Sink et al. 2011 and Harris et al. 2011), making the area relatively natural and pristine. The deeper reaches are characterized by bioclastic and siliceous sediments intersected by Pleistocene sandstone reefs formed during changes in sea level.  The continental shelf is intersected by canyons and is steep, falling to fine, unconsolidated sediment and is bathed by the warm Agulhas Current, the largest of the western boundary currents.

South Africa’s National Biodiversity Assessment 2011 (Sink et al. 2012) indicated that most of this area was in good condition, but these analyses were confined to South Africa. The area is relatively pristine but emerging pressures include new mining and petroleum applications and a port development in Mozambique. The inshore reaches are subjected to limited fishing and regulated recreational activities.