The World Famous Aliwal Shoal (quoted as being one of the top ten dive sites in the World) was formed thousands of years ago from fossilized sand dunes during the times when sea levels were much lower than they are today.
The Aghulas Current which runs south along the east coast of Africa brings with it warm water and a huge diversity of tropical sea life.
One of the main reasons that divers come in such numbers to the South Coast of South Africa is to see the wide variety of sharks that can be seen throughout the year.
The Ragged Tooth Shark is probably the most sought after as it is generally a very placid shark and inhabits many areas of Aliwal Shoal making it accessible to all levels of diver. However, Aliwal Shoal is also becoming a very popular destination for divers wishing to encounter Tiger Sharks. The Raggie season generally lasts around 6 – 8 months from June to November. Is is usually possible to see Tiger Sharks all year but April & May are the prime months for sightings.
There are many other sharks which are regularly seen here on Aliwal Shoal, Whale Sharks, Zambezi, Sand Sharks, Hammerheads and very occasionally a Great White causes enormous excitement amongst the divers.
Umkomaas, a small coastal town on the south coast of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa was formed when a harbour was built in 1861, to export sugar, on the mouth of the navigable Mkhomazi River. When the successful dredging of Durban harbour's sandbar and the arrival of the railway, the town suffered and like Port Shepstone the harbour fell into disuse. Large number of whales once used the estuary as a nursery, giving birth in the shallows. The Zulus named the river after this spectacle (uMkhomazi means the place of cow whales). The settlement was originally known as South Barrow, with its suburb known today as Ilfracombe then called North Barrow.
