Aliwal Shoal:
Aliwal Shoal is approximately 30 minutes drive from Durban. Selected as one of the top ten dives sites of the world by the Diver Magazine, Aliwal Shoal is a definite must.
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During the months of June through to November you are sure to see Ragged Tooth Sharks as they congregate on the Shoal to mate. It is not uncommon to find 15 to 150 of these ferocious looking but docile animals on a single dive. In summer you have every chance of seeing huge Tiger Sharks and Hammerheads. Depending on conditions the best dives are Cathedral, Raggie Cave, Shark Alley and a number of other spots.
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Should you tire of the sharks, you can always dive on any of the wrecks or go hunting for the huge Brindle Bass! Other species depending on the season include Manta, Devil and other Rays, schools of pelagic fish, whales, dolphins, and many, many more! Visibility varies from 5 to 40 meters, and the water temperature in summer is 24+ degrees Celsius and in winter not colder than 19 degrees Celsius. The depths vary between 6 to 18 meters with 30 -meter sites for the suitably qualified. The dives are all done without cages and afford the unique opportunity to see these animals in their natural environment!
click on the Alliwal map below to enlarge
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Umkomaas:
Umkomaas’ official animal is the Whale, representations of which can be found throughout the town, in the form of everything from colourful murals to the uniform of the local school. Humpback Whales are seen in the vicinity of Aliwal Shoal between June and October, whilst Ragged-Tooth, and Zambezi sharks have been sighted at the river mouth, particularly in the wake of the September 1987 storms and the enormous Cyclone Demoina.
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Other wildlife seen in the area include a multitude of snakes, virtually all of them harmless varieties like the Red-Lipped Herald and the Brown House Snake. Monkeys here are less common than in Scottburgh, but the birdlife is abundant, with the gregarious and friendly Hadeda Ibis perhaps the most intriguing. Small wild cats like the Genet and Civet have also been reported, though only on very rare occasions.
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The crocodiles found in the vicinity of Freeland Park and the lower Amahlongwa, 8 kilometres south, are not present in Umkomaas. Duiker abound and can be seen in Empisini, while the much larger and very beautiful Bushbuck is also seen in the vicinity.
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Finally, one spectacle occurring almost every year is the fabled Sardine Run, the annual courtship migration (contingent on climatic conditions) of sardines from the Wild Coast and other southern locales to the warmer waters of KwaZulu-Natal. Usually occurring in July, it is a spectacular sight, recently covered by Jeff Corwin on the Animal Planet television channel, and the sardines lure a large variety of predatory fish, seabirds, and sharks, on a scale rarely seen anywhere else on Earth.
