South Africa » Aliwal Shoal » Dive Sites

Here you will experience a cave surrounded by a crater-like rock formation with Ragged-tooth Sharks swimming in and out patrolling their territory. The rest of the reef onwards is a plateau with the edges dropping five to ten meters at some places.

Expect to find a cave full of sharks and tropical fish on this dive, but be aware that not a lot of light penetrates the cave, making it quite a frightening dive. Channel, which is near Raggie's Cave, was named as such because it is a waterway where sharks constantly move.

Inside Edge is a wall stretching three to six meters high, with ledges, caves and overhangs. Most of the activity is found along the side of the wall, the one side features a big sand patch with scattered rock formations.

This is a huge sand patch on the northern part of the Aliwal Shoal which is surrounded by various other dive spots. This area is known for the great amount of Round Ribbontail Rays found buried underneath the golden sand and under the edges of the surrounding reef. Guitar sharks are also a common sight in the summer months.

Divers need to thank the pinnacles for all the wrecks that people are able to dive on Aliwal Shoal. Here, with pinnacles standing out from the bottom to as much as six meters from the surface, you can find gullies, caves, overhangs, swim-thru's and big holes in the reef.

The Outside Edge runs from the north to the south part of the shoal with the wall on the seaside of the shoal. There are different dive spots on this edge, such as Raggie's Cave, Cathedral and Sharks Alley. Some caves and overhangs can also be found on this edge.

This area has rock formations with a great amount of caves, overhangs, gullies and swim-thru's. Big caves, where you can easily fit in a couple of scuba divers, are often also inhabited by Ragged-tooth Sharks. The coral life consists mainly of hard coral with fewer reef fish to be found.

This part of the reef has rock face walls with a sandy bottom and it is a favourite place for Ragged-tooth Sharks cruising to the outside ledge. Between the scattered rocks in the sand you can find shark’s teeth, and in all the caverns in the walls, reef fish hide from the sharks. Scorpion fish are commonly found here.

This area is a sand patch surrounded by reef with scattered rocks peppering the sand patch. The reef life is rather quiet when you first approach, but underneath the rock there is a great deal of sea life. Reef fish hide in the crevices away from the predators and Boxfish, Pufferfish and even Crayfish can be found if you take the time to look.

This wreck is over 100 years old. One regular fish species found swimming in and out of the wreck on this reef is the Natal Catfish. Harlequin Goldies, which are endemic to this area, are also seen on the wreck. Round Ribbontail Ray, Sharpnosed Stingray and Greyspot Guitarfish are just a few visitors in the sand around the Nebo.