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Aliwal Shoal

DivingNo permitNo mooring buoys

Reef & coral · Also good for anchoring

South Africa: two oceansAliwal Shoal
Best time
Jun–Apr
Water temp.
25–29 °C
Dive depth
6–30 m
Coordinates30°16′12″ S, 30°49′12″ E

A fossilised sand dune 5km offshore, and in winter its caves fill with ragged-tooth sharks, dozens of 3m animals hanging motionless in a rock amphitheatre. In summer, baited tiger shark dives in the blue. Plus the Produce wreck and, in July, the Sardine Run passing through. The shoal is a 80,000-year-old dune drowned by rising seas, named for the ship Aliwal which nearly wrecked on it in 1849. Declared a marine protected area in 2004. The 'raggie' aggregation is a mating gathering, one of the most reliable large-shark spectacles in the Indian Ocean. Anchorage: No sheltered anchorage, launches punch out through the surf from the beach. Durban is the nearest harbour. Hazards: No site-specific hazards noted, brief normally.

Weather

°C°F

Experiences nearby