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Umkomaas, KwaZulu-Natal · 2027, dates TBC
Aliwal Shoal
Dive with sharks, and help the scientists who study them.
When
2027
Dates TBC, or on request
Length
6 nights
5 diving days at sea
In the water
Scuba
Reef, wreck & shark dives
Cost
On request
Ask me for a quote
A Hope Spot off Umkomaas
A fossilised dune turned shark reef
Five kilometres off the small town of Umkomaas lies Aliwal Shoal, the fossilised remains of an ancient sand dune that has become one of the richest temperate rocky reefs on the planet. Hard and soft corals, sponges, gullies, caves and two famous shipwrecks, all bathed in the warm Agulhas Current.
It is a Marine Protected Area and a Mission Blue Hope Spot, and it is where I first fell for sharks. Like Protea Banks to the south, it is a place for big animals and real diving, and it has a way of rearranging how you feel about the ocean.
Read my Aliwal Shoal dive guide →
Diving with purpose
Learn from shark scientists, and help their work
This expedition supports The SharkWise Project, a shark research station in Umkomaas. Their team, working alongside Masters and PhD students from Stellenbosch University, has been collecting long-term data on the sharks of Aliwal Shoal for years, from photo identification to laser measurements of oceanic blacktips.
During the week you will hear from the scientists themselves about how the research works and what it is revealing, and you will see how divers like you can contribute real data. Part of what you spend goes back into their research.
5 days
Diving at sea on Aliwal Shoal and its wrecks
40 yrs
Of shark diving experience behind Walter Bernardis
No cages
Free, open-water encounters, no feeding and no touching
Out on the shoal
Who you might meet
Which sharks you see depends on the season, and nothing is ever guaranteed. That is what makes every dive its own story.
Oceanic blacktips
Sleek, fast and present year-round. The species the SharkWise team studies most closely.
Tiger sharks
Summer visitors, and the giants Walter pioneered diving with, outside of any cage.
Ragged-tooth sharks
Winter residents gathering in the caves and gullies, all toothy grin and gentle nature.
Reefs & wrecks
Turtles, rays, potato bass and nudibranchs, plus the wrecks of the SS Nebo and MV Produce.
Included on this trip
Learn to love them, so we protect them
Sharks are some of the most misunderstood animals on Earth, and many species are in serious decline. This week is about seeing them as they really are, wild and free, and coming home as an advocate for them.
Science talks
Evening talks from the SharkWise scientists on their research, plus my own sessions as a marine biologist on shark anatomy, behaviour and why so many species are endangered.
Bonus photography workshop
A shark photography workshop with me: settings for blue water, approaching sharks calmly, and turning ID shots into images that make people care.
Walter on the boat
Diving with African Watersports and Walter Bernardis, who has spent four decades diving with large sharks and changing how people see them.
The shape of the week
Day by day
Day 1
Arrival
Arrive in Umkomaas, about an hour south of Durban. We settle in, meet the team, run through the dive briefing for the week, and sit down to dinner together.
Days 2–6
At sea
Five days of diving with African Watersports. Mornings start with a surf launch and a short run out to the shoal, mixing shark dives in the blue with reef and wreck dives. Afternoons are for reviewing images, the photography workshop, and talks with the SharkWise scientists.
Day 7
Departure
Slow goodbyes and onward travel. The ocean decides the schedule, so we watch the weather daily and dive when conditions are right.
Before you book
Is this expedition for you?
Certification
Open Water certified, with Advanced recommended. You should be comfortable with surf launches, current and blue-water dives.
Photographers of every level
From a GoPro to a full camera rig. The workshop meets you where you are.
The honest part
Aliwal can be temperamental, with strong currents and changing visibility. That wildness is exactly why the sharks are here.
Our partners
The people who know this reef best
The SharkWise Project
A shark research station in Umkomaas, collecting long-term data on the sharks of the Aliwal Shoal Hope Spot with students from Stellenbosch University, and training the next generation of marine scientists.
Visit SharkWise →
African Watersports
One of the first dive operators on Aliwal Shoal, founded by Walter Bernardis, the pioneer of cageless tiger shark diving. Walter believes true conservation begins with understanding, and so do I.
Visit African Watersports →
2027 · dates on request
Come and meet the sharks of Aliwal Shoal
Dates and pricing are available on request, and I can also arrange this as a private trip for your group. Send me a message and I’ll put a plan together.
Wild Mermaid
Intimate ocean expeditions · Aliwal Shoal, 2027