To know Aliwal is to know a wild, subtropical haven where the lines between myth and reality, fear and awe, blur into a beautiful, breathtaking chaos.
Just south of Durban, along the KwaZulu-Natal coastline, lies a stretch of untamed coast where the warm Indian Ocean kisses fine sandy beaches. It’s a place of rolling sugarcane hills and indigenous bush, a place where vendors line the roads, selling everything from locally grown fruits (such as mangoes, bananas and avocados) to handcrafted curios, buckets and spades, fishing nets, and just about anything one could possibly need for a perfect beach holiday.
Tucked away in this landscape is the small town of Umkomaas, a launchpad to what lies five kilometres offshore, a large sandstone reef that is, in fact, the fossilised remains of an ancient sand dune. This is Aliwal Shoal, a magnificent underwater cathedral of hard corals, soft corals, sponges, and marine life that, on its best day, effortlessly lives up to its status as one of the world’s top dive sites.
The apex predators and the ghost of the ocean
Aliwal is a known congregation site for the ocean’s apex predators. If you visit during the winter months (June to September), the shoal is a nursery for hundreds of magnificent ragged-tooth sharks, their toothy grins a far cry from their gentle nature. In the warmer summer waters, the dynamic shifts, and we get visits from transient giants like tiger sharks and schools of hammerheads. But no matter the season, the sleek silhouettes of oceanic blacktips (Carcharhinus limbatus) are a constant presence. These are not creatures to be feared, but revered. The baited shark dives at Aliwal are a profound experience, an opportunity to get up close and interact with these highly misunderstood beings in a positive way.
You never know what you might see on an Aliwal baited shark dive. For me, it was a once in a lifetime encounter with a Reef Manta (Mobula alfredi), ascending from the depths to dance amongst a bait ball of oceanic blacktip sharks. The curious female, I aptly named Lara Croft, stayed with us and played for what felt like an eternity.
Get (ship)wrecked
After the Shoal’s discovery in 1894, there have been 6 documented ships that have come to grief on Aliwal. The two most popularly visited by divers are the Norwegian bulk carrier MV Produce and British steamer SS Nebo.
The rhythms of Aliwal
Diving Aliwal is a sensory overload. As a diver, you become one with the current, drifting past rocky pinnacles blanketed in corals and sponges. The reefs are teeming with life, everything from tiny pineapple fish and elusive paperfish to vibrant nudibranchs and majestic turtles. And if the visual feast isn’t enough, you might find yourself serenaded by the enchanting soundtrack of a whale song or the whistles of a passing dolphin pod.
Not just scuba
Imagine you are surrounded by the most amazing silence. Not the silence you hear at night with your breath on a pillow and the distant hum of everyday life, but a deeper silence, one emptied of any sensation so that even the thump of your heartbeat is gone and you are surrounded by nothing. You are free.
Free of any equipment, nothing restraining you, you can just be one with the ocean. Aliwal Shoal provides an opportunity for not only scuba divers to connect with the sea, but freedivers as well, with a wide array of shallow reefs and rocky pinnacles to explore, and the added option to freedive with sharks!
During my time there, I had the honour of diving with local guides like Cassie Weinberg from Wetu Safari and Walter Bernardis from African Watersports. Born and raised in Umkomaas, their love for the shoal and their knowledge of its secrets runs deep, from the perfect conditions for a rare five-fingered frogfish on the North East pinnacles to which local pub to visit after your dive.
Marine calendar
Here’s a little overview of what you can expect to see and when during your next visit to the Shoal.
Looking back on my dives at Aliwal, I am filled with a sense of gratitude. From coming eye-to-eye with a tiger shark to the quiet magic of a manta ray, these are truly special moments. I hope this inspires you to make your own memories at this incredible spot, and to join me in our shared mission to protect the extraordinary marine life that takes sanctuary here.
