Aliwal Shoal
Diving at Aliwal Shoal
Key facts about the dive sites:
| Dive Site |
Max. Depth (m) |
Qualification Needed |
Good For... |
| Cathedral |
27 |
Advanced open water |
Ragged tooth sharks, as well as stringrays and hammerhead sharks in the summer |
| Raggies |
18 |
Open water |
Ragged tooth sharks during the breeding season, potato bass and moray eels |
| Howards |
27 |
Advanced open water |
Recently discovered and requires a longer boat ride, and is good for interesting gullies and overhangs |
| Inside |
22 |
Open water (top ledge starts at 14-16m) |
Particularly good for octopus, cuttlefish, scorpionfish, firefish, cowfish, eels and nudibranchs. Can also be good for sharks, dolphins and rays |
| Outside |
27 | Open water to advanced open water |
Hammerhead sharks, game fish and occasionally tiger sharks |
| Eelskins |
18 |
Open water |
Viewing fossilised rock formations with plenty of sand gullies. Good for ragged tooth sharks and shoals of tropical fish |
| North Eastern Pinnacles |
14 |
Open water |
Very easy and gentle dive for beginners. Good for nurseries of small fish, anemones, octopus and occasionally potato bass |
| North Sands and South Sands |
15 |
Open water |
Sand sharks and groups of dolphins |
| Manta Point |
15-22 |
Mainly advanced open water |
Crayfish and cleaner shrimp. Good for rays, particularly manta rays |
|
MV Produce: With a maximum depth of 32m this dive is only for Advanced Open Water divers, and offers some great views of the wreck. The MV Produce, a steel cargo ship carrying molasses, sank in 1974 when it hit a reef. It is a great spot to see lionfish, moray eels, the very rare Harlequin Goldie (indigenous to the local area) and tiger sharks if the visibility is good. It is rumoured that 2 giant brindle bass live around the wreck too, each weighing up to 400kg!
Nebo: This wreck is also only open to Advanced Open Water divers as the maximum depth is 27m, and came about when this wooden steamer sank in 1884. Year round this site is good for spotting many different eels and shoals of baitfish, which fall prey to barracuda and tuna, also to be spotted here. Paper fish and frog fish have also been seen at this site.
