ALIWAL SHOAL, UMKOMAS, KWA-ZULU NATAL
“Tigers and Black-Tips”

Located less than a one hour drive south down the coast from the city of Durban, is the town of Umkomas and the Aliwal Shoal, a long established destination for divers in South Africa. The Shoal takes its name from a ship, the Aliwal, which almost wrecked on the reef in 1849. The reef itself lays approximately three miles off-shore and is approximately three miles long and one mile wide. Aliwal Shoal has been long known for its Ragged Tooth Sharks, or Sand Tigers, which aggregate in numbers in mating season - June through October. During this period, it is common to see anywhere from 15 to up to 50 individuals on a single dive. In addition, sightings of Black-Tip, Hammerhead and Tiger Sharks are relatively common on the Shoal.

Ten years ago, two of the established dive operators in the area began to experiment with the active baiting for Tiger Sharks. Success was immediate and it was not long before the opportunity for recreational divers to share in this experience was being offered commercially. “Tiger Diving” on the Aliwal Shoal has now grown in to an industry within itself, with more than ten dive operators now offering baited Tiger dives. These dives are a nearly indescribable shark experience and it is not uncommon to see as many as 5 Tiger Sharks and up to 50 Black-Tip Sharks on a single dive. For In Depth Dive Travel Clients wishing to include this incredible shark experience in their trip to Africa, we work exclusively with African Watersports, owned and operated by Walter Bernardais, one of the pioneers of baited Tiger Shark diving on the Aliwal Shoal.