Aliwal Shoal South Africa

In 1849, a 3 mast vessel called the 'Aliwal' almost collided with the shoal, giving the Aliwal Shoal its now famous name.

The 'Aliwal' was skippered by Captain James Anderson who reported the 'shoal' as an unmarked shipping hazzard.

The Aliwal Shoal is rated as one of the top-10 dive sites in the world and whilst the main attraction for divers are the many different species of shark including Tiger Sharks, Bull Sharks, Hammerheads, Blacktip Sharks, Dusky Sharks, Ragged Tooth Sharks to name a few, the reefs are also home to many species of reef & game fish, dolphin, rays, eels, turtles and much more.

The dives start with fantastic surf launches from the Umkomaas river, and from there we travel south diving the best sites each day for the conditions. The dives are generally for advanced divers and the depth varies from around 15-meters to 35-meters depending on the dive sites.

Between May and November the annual Humpback Whale migration passes the Aliwal Shoal. We get some great sightings of the whales from the boats and we can often hear the whales during the dives and if we are lucky we have the whales pass close by us whilst on a dive.

The water temperature on the Aliwal Shoal is generally between 20C - 24C in winter and 24C - 26C in summer.


Some of our main dive sites on the Aliwal Shoal include :