Umkomaas is a small town on the south coast of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. The Aliwal Shoal and the nearby Protea Banks are unquestionably world-famous dive sites, and features in just about every TOP 10 list ever drawn up.
The fantastical underwater rock formations, shaped over thousands of years as the tides and currents eroded fossilized sand dunes, add immeasurably to your aqua adventure here. At the beginning of 2005 Aliwal Shoal became a Marine Protected Area (MPA).
The Aliwal Shoal MPA has a diverse variety of fish which is a very popular attraction for scuba divers, fishermen and spear-fishermen. Many endangered species of endemic reef fish are found on the shoal, as well as breeding ragged-tooth sharks.
King Shaka Zulu named the area Umkomanzi, which can be literally translated into, ‘the watering-place of the whales’, when he saw a number of whales and calves which were basking in the shallows, a short distance out to sea, from the river mouth.
The climate on the south coast is mostly subtropical, with mild winters and hot summers. Rain is frequent during the summer months.
At Manta Point huge rock formations are found with caves big enough for Ragged-tooth sharks to fit in, and overhangs and ledges with clouds...
With this dive site now being classed as a Marine Protected Area, permits are necessary to dive on the Aliwal Shoal. The shoal offers a vari...
Our shark dive adventure follows the same principles: baiting in, then diving with sharks, but we do it without the cage. And sharing the wa...