Aliwal Shoal

Verified2026-09-11 checkedReefPelagicDrift

A fossilised dune reef off the KwaZulu-Natal coast, with ragged-tooth sharks in winter.

Depth: 6–30 m20–98 ft
Difficulty: Advanced
Entry: Boat
Typical current: Strong
Coordinates: 30°15.000′S 30°49.002′E
Activities: Scuba

Aliwal Shoal is a fossilised sand dune 5 km offshore, reached by a launch through the surf that is itself part of the experience. Between June and November ragged-tooth sharks — grey nurse sharks — gather in the gullies in numbers, resting almost motionless while divers pass. The rest of the year the shoal has tiger sharks on baited dives run by specialist operators. Surge and current are both significant and the launch is weather-dependent.

Launch from Umkomaas, about an hour south of Durban.

Best season

ExcellentJun–Oct
GoodNov
FairDec–May

Before you get in

Recorded as a site with strong current. Settle your gas reserve, when you would call the dive, and your surface signal before you get in.
A drift dive: you do not come back to where you went in, so boat pickup and an SMB are part of the plan rather than extras.

Taken from this site’s recorded depth, type and current, and nothing else. An empty list is not a safe site — the sea on the day, the local geography and the boat traffic are not in it. The briefing on the spot comes first.

Conditions

Water temperature: 21.8°C71°F
Wave height: 2.1 m7 ft
Air temperature: 20.3°C69°F
Wind speed: 14.7 km/h9.1 mph

Updated 2026-10-07 15:45 UTC · Source: Open-Meteo

Weather data by Open-Meteo.com (CC BY 4.0)

Conditions are reported for information only. Assess the site yourself and follow your guide and your training.

No live conditions for this site yet.

We only show numbers we can attribute to a source.

Sea state and tide

On a date

Tide · 10/7

High01:110.53 m
Low07:14-0.55 m
High13:260.74 m
Low19:47-0.67 m

Forecast heights against mean sea level. Real tides in a bay, a harbour or over a flat can differ — check an official tide table before you get in.

Pick a day to see its tide

Only wave height and wind are scored, because those are what close a boat ramp or a shore entry. Water temperature is reported and never scored: 12°C is an ordinary dive in a drysuit and punishing in a 3 mm, and a number that cannot see your suit has no business marking it down. Stars do not decide whether you get in — you and your guide do, on the day.

Weather data by Open-Meteo.com (CC BY 4.0)

Marine life you may see

Grey nurse sharkCarcharias taurusJun–NovSeasonal
Tiger sharkGaleocerdo cuvierSeasonal
Bull sharkCarcharhinus leucasSeasonal
Green turtleChelonia mydasSeasonal
Bottlenose dolphinTursiops truncatusCommon
Humpback whaleMegaptera novaeangliaeJun–SepSeasonal
Leopard (zebra) sharkStegostoma tigrinumCommon

From divers

What people who were in the water reported. Not a forecast, and not a judgement about whether the site is safe to dive.

No recent reports from divers. If you dived here in the last two weeks, you can say how it was.

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