Water Temp - 21-27 degrees C
Experience Level - Intermidiate - Advanced

One of the only places in the world where you can get up close and personal to a Tiger shark outside of a cage is Aliwal Shoals in South Africa. For Shark fanatics, photographers, adrenalin junkies and thrill seekers this is the perfect diving destination!

Aliwal Shoal Diving
One of the most popular diving sites in South Africa, is the Aliwal Shoal which lies just off the coast of Umkomaas, a small coastal town 45 km south of Durban. It is one of the most popluar places to dive with sharks. Aliwal Shoal is on the inner edge of the warm Mozambique current, often providing excellent visibility for diving with Sharks. The most popular shark in this area is the Ragged Tooth Shark, who looks scary but is quite gentle by nature. The Raggie season generally lasts around 6 – 8 months from June to November. It is usually possible to see Tiger Sharks all year but April and May are the prime months for sightings. Many other sharks are at home here. Aliwal Shoal can be dived throughout the year. For added excitement, or those diving with sharks, there are two shipwrecks nearby 'Nebo' and 'Produce' to be explored.

Sodwana Bay Diving
A days diving begins with a 4x4 drive down the beach where divers kit up under a shady area near the launch site at Jesser Point. Diving is done from powerful ribs that easily cruise over the wave breaks into the open sea. Small groups are led by experienced dive guides that have extensive knowledge of the area. Gentle currents cruise divers over reef out crops in relaxing drift dives whilst caves, overhangs and swim throughs add additional twists at some of the dive sites. At certain times of year the notorious ragged-tooth shark make an appearance in the area. Beach landings add an exciting new element to the diving and surface intervals spent on a Southern African beach perfect the days experience! Sodwana Bay is without a doubt one of the diving jewels of Africa. Not for the light hearted but definitely worth the visit. An unforgettable experience for those who have the pleasure of diving into this adventure

Dive Sites Summary:

Quarter Mile Reef:
This reef lies approximately 400m north of Jesser Point and the same distance out to sea. It’s a small reef which is actually an extension of the rocky platform at the end of Jesser Point. This reef is not dived very often during the months of April to January, but between January and March the Ragged-tooth Sharks occupy this reef before they make their way down to Aliwal Shoal again. Quarter Mile has a maximum depth of 11m on the northern end and averages on around 6m on the more southern parts closer to Jesser Point. The reef basically consists of scatter reef with sand patches in between. Most of the tropical reef fish will be found here and the sand patches create a perfect environment for various species of Sting rays. This reef’s main attraction however is without a doubt the Ragged-tooth Sharks that treats the divers with their presence a couple of months in the year.

2 Mile:
Our largest reef lies approximately 2 miles off Jesser Point. This reef is approximately 1.7 km (just over a mile) long and up to 900m wide on some parts. There are so many stunning dive spots on this very large reef that you need not go much further to see what Sodwana has to offer. The depth ranges between 9m and 40m and is almost always accessible. The landward margin of the reef has sparse coral growth but as you swim out to sea you will see the shallow reef-crest environment with numerous pinnacles and gullies which are well developed in this area. Further out to sea the reef gets “bigger” and depth also increases and then flattens out, and numerous mushroom-shaped soft coral colonies are seen. The 2 mile reef has a huge variety of fish life and coral species making it one of the most diverse reefs in the Sodwana Bay region. Each dive spot, on this reef, has its own unique characteristics making each dive a new and exciting experience. The main dive spots on 2 Mile reef includes:

Anton’s Reef:
This is without a doubt one of the most beautiful parts of 2 mile reef. The average depth is 15m and maximum on 18m. This reef has a fantastic variety of residential tropical fish, and dense shoals of Big-eyes, Moorish Idols and Snappers hover above the coral reef. Scorpion fish, Moray eels, big Potato Bass, Parrotfish, Marble rays and Triggerfish are just some of the common sightings. The coral is dense and varied, forming spectacular vistas with overhangs, walls and exciting swim-throughs, all in all Anton’s reef is a stunning dive and excellent for photography.

Caves and Overhangs:
As the name indicates more or less what to expect, this area just north of Anton’s reef is truly a magnificent dive. A series of sandy gullies cut through the shoreward-facing overhangs, coral arches and pinnacles. Caves and Overhangs has a maximum depth of 15m and a average depth of 10m. Much like at Anton’s reef, you’ll find a huge amount of marine life like Turtles, Sting rays, big schools of Snappers and most tropical reef fish. The Potato bass in this area are quite big and very inquisitive, and always tagging along with them is the cleaner wrasses – darting in and out of their yawning jaws to do a quick dental check-up.

Four Buoy:
This is a very well known dive site with a maximum depth of 14m. Rocky outcrops and overhangs that are rich in fish life surround the sand patches found in the area. Moray Eels are a very common sighting on this part of the reef. Large Trigger fish, including the beautiful Clown trigger, compete with the blue Surgeonfish and Emperor Angelfish for the brightest and weirdest attire. The coral covering is profuse and forms lovely gullies.

Pinnacles:
This part of 2 Mile reef has maximum depth of 11m. The formation of the corals resembles that of gullies and caves, sandy patches flanked by over-hangs, walls and beautiful swim-throughs. Occasionally a visit from a pod of dolphins, a whale shark that passes by or large pelagic species like Tuna that hang around, really makes this an interesting dive.

Deep Sponge:
This is a comparatively large and flat section of the deep eastern part of 2 mile. This is a deep dive with a maximum depth of 42m. The northern section is interspersed with large potholed reef structures and huge sponges. Red gorgonian sea-fans, beautiful lilac cup-shaped sponges and black coral are but some of the interesting scenery on this dive. The mighty Manta ray has been spotted here more than once as well as various species of Pelagics.

Stringer:
Between quarter mile and 2 mile and a little inshore one will find the tiny but mighty Stringer reefs. Tiny, as they are 2 small reefs close together but mighty as you are very likely to do one of the best dives of your live. The stringer brothers has a maximum depth of 15m, and are home to a variety of large and small Rays, thousands of tropical reef fish, turtles and one or two resident Moray eels. Dolphins as well as Whale sharks are spotted from time to time, and not only does large game frequent these 2 small reefs Stringer also acts as a nursery for juvenile fish. This truly truly is a world class dive.

5 Mile reef:
This is an extremely delicate, reef that is well known for the astounding variety of coral life present. Much like 2 mile reef, 5mile also slopes down on the eastern side. The average depth on the top part of the reef is around 18m but slopes down to 36m where one of the most amazing coral formations grows, called Lettuce reef. On the top part of the reef you’ll find beds of green Staghorn coral, Plate corals, Table corals and Mushroom corals to only name a few, this truly is a remarkable reef for divers interested in coral life. This reef also has an abundance of tropical reef fish like Trigger fish, Moray eels, Paper fish, Scorpion fish, huge Crayfish and the occasional Manta ray warms up a feeling of well preserved splendour in one’s heart. A variety of other small reef fish like Chocolate Dips and Clownfish is also seen all around this reef. There is also a well known crater or pothole, on the seaward side of the reef, which is home to variety of fish species like the juvenile Scorpion fish and Paper fish. On Lettuce reef the Crayfish hides in between the layers of the very delicate Lettuce coral with their enormous tentacles protruding from underneath with clouds of different species of smaller reef fish just above – Truly an amazing piece of scenery!

7 Mile Reef:
This reef is rated amongst the best in the world! The reef has a kidney shape and is quite a bit smaller than 2 mile. 7 mile reef, in my opinion, has the biggest variety in all aspects. The coral growth and topography is amazing, not to mention the unbelievable amount of marine life. The reef basically consists of three main areas, namely Northern Wall, Amphitheatre and Mushroom Rocks. As one can gain, the northern part is mostly a wall dive. The wall consists of three levels: the sand on the north western side of the reef that averages at about 24m where Stingrays are a common sight; the wall itself lies between 16m and 22m and is home to a huge variety of tropical reef fish; the third part is the top of the reef which forms the outside of the Amphitheatre. The Amphitheatre is a sunken circular area that is between 3-6m deeper than the surrounding reef, this truly gives one a feeling of diving in an outdoor amphitheatre that is not only filled with more marine life than you can almost imagine, but also has the most amazing coral formations. Mushroom Rocks is on the southern part of 7 mile. Two huge rock formations in the shape of mushrooms are the highlight of this section. Lots of soft corals can be seen all around these rocks which gives it a very colourful look, as well as make a very interesting surrounding for fish life. Starting on the right place and working your way down, passing by all the little swim-throughs and gullies, will definitely put this dive down as nothing less than spectacular.

9 Mile Reef:
This reef is the most northern coral reef dived from Sodwana Bay. 9 mile starts of shallow on the shoreward side called Breaking Waters, starting at about six meters and goes down to 21m.This is also a smaller reef than 2 or 5 mile. 9 mile has a alot of interesting coral formations, and like most of the other reefs 9 Mile is host to hundreds of species of fish and the more exotic species like Lionfish, Stonefish and Moray Eels are spotted here very often. This reef is also the only place in Maputoland where one finds a species of free swimming nudibranches. The main attraction on this reef is the well known green Coral tree that is always buzzing with small reef fish like Goldies and Damsels. A few swim through overhangs can also be found near this coral tree to add to the taste of the adventurous diver. Black coral, green wire corals and Gorgonian sea-fans also forms part of this stunning reef.

If you would like any more information or are ready to make a booking please call us on 0800 0728221 or email travel@scuba.co.uk.