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Over the years that followed the water changed from salt to fresh water. Many marine creatures were trapped and had to adapt. Several fish that are now found in Lake Sibayi will be found nowhere else in the world. There are approximately 280 species of birds.

Lake Sibhayi is the largest natural freshwater lake in South Africa, with a surface area of 77km². The lake is also wrongly known as Sibaya or Sibayi.

The lake is located in the Maputaland, or Umhlabuyalingana, area of KwaZulu-Natal, on the east coast of South Africa.

It is part of the Greater St. Lucia Wetland Park and is recognized under the Ramsar Convention as a "Wetland of International Importance" on 28 June 1991. In December 1999 The Greater St. Lucia Wetland Park was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

279 bird species have been identified at Lake Sibhayi.

The Mseleni Water Project and Mbazwana Water Supply Scheme both get their water from Lake Sibhayi.