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About an hour’s drive south of Durban,
and close
to Umtentweni, 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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