Dive South Africa: Aliwal Shoal

About an hour’s drive south of Durban you will come to the small town of Umkomaas, the base for diving Aliwal Shoal. The reef becomes temporary home to visiting Ragged-tooth sharks with seasons being the same as at Protea Banks (June to November). Also look out for stingrays and moray eels.

In addition to the reefs, Aliwal has a couple of wrecks, notably The Produce which sank in 1974 and is now a popular dive site at 30m. There are many resident Brindle bass as well as most of the usual small tropical fish.

Aliwal makes a good 'warm-up' site before moving on to dive Protea. The reefs are similar and have a proliferation of hard and soft corals as well as resident tropical fish life and migratory sharks, which makes these sites both beautiful and thrilling to dive.

Tiger Shark Dive

As well as the reefs and wrecks, Aliwal is becoming known for it's Tiger shark dives. These are well-managed dives and carried out as part of a research and tagging programme.

Second only to the Great white, the Tiger is named for the distinctive stripes decorating it’s back. As the shark matures those stripes fade so you can easily tell a young animal from an old one. Without a doubt, this is the most exciting shark dive you will ever experience: no cages, just you and the sharks. Naturally inquisitive the sharks will come in close, cruising past divers before veering away at the last minute! The best time of year to see them is between January and June although some animals remain in the area throughout year.

Dive Sites:

Cathedral
Depth: 20 to 30 metres
Considered one of Aliwal’s finest dives, this site is home to creatures big and small. From the sandy sea floor at 27 metres a large arch rises to 18 metres, hence the name. Ragged-tooth sharks congregate here from July and November, sheltered from strong currents in the giant chamber.

Pinnacles
Depth: 5 to 12 metres
Twin pinnacles rise from about 12 metres to within 5 metres of the surface. They support a healthy selection of soft corals.

Raggie Cave
Depth: 8 to 18 metres
This site is actually a series of deep cuts and overhangs, rather than a cave. Ragged-tooth sharks gather here in winter. The inner chamber leads to a shallow sandy patch which is littered with hundreds of Raggie teeth. If the Raggies are absent, look out for Trumpetfish, Kingfish, Moorish idols, wrasse, turtles and massive bass.

Outside Edge (Aliwal Express)
Depth: 8 to 18 metres
For those who love a good drift together with dramatic topography and lots of fish! Caves, overhangs, gullies, drop-offs; they’re all here.

Chunnel
Depth: 9 to 20 metres
This wonderful dive features plenty of caves, crevices and surprises. Known for rare Pineapple fish and big rays, as well as Guitarfish and sometimes Sawfish.

The Produce
Depth: 15 to 34 metres
One of two wrecks, the produce is swarming with marine life from octopus to Electric rays. Huge shoals of Goldies (Anthias) and Glassfish hug the superstructure whilst huge Brindle bass lurk within the wreck. Not to be missed!

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