DIVE
ALIWAL SHOAL
KWAZULU NATAL, SOUTH AFRICA
with REEFCOMBER TOURS and AFRICAN DIVE SAFARIS

 

The KwaZulu-Natal coast has become a popular destination for diving enthusiasts from around the world with colorful tropical reefs and wrecks and a stunning variety of sea-life to be found. Added attractions are the pleasant all-year-round climate, the warm, clear water and excellent back up in terms of infrastructure and facilities.

Aliwal Shoal is a 40-minute drive south of Durban and lies off the small coastal town of Umkomaas. The shoal is a fossilized sand dune, and lies 5 kilometres offshore. It comprises a variety of sponges, some soft and hard corals and a convergence of warm water reef fish and cold water fish. The boat trip to Aliwal is normally preceded by an exciting surf launch.

From August to October, encounters with Ragged Tooth Sharks are frequent. The “Raggies” come into the shoal to breed, Cathedral, Raggies’ Cave and Shark Alley are best known sites for housing the Raggies.
February and March are good months for sighting the Tiger Sharks at Eel Skin. Betty has become a firm favourite among divers.

RAGGIE WEEKEND:

14-17 August 2003
3 nights 5 dives, not to be missed !!
from R1500 per person sharing

Thursday 14 August – Travel to Umkomaas, overnight at Lala Manzi

Friday 15 August– Early morning dive with the Raggies

Late morning dive with the Raggies

Overnight Lala Manzi

Saturday 16 August– Early morning dive with the Raggies

Late morning dive with the Raggies

Overnight Lala Manzi

Sunday 17 August– Morning dive optional, and return to Johannesburg

 

Excludes dive gear hire and tanks and meals

TIGER SHARK DIVE TRIP:

Diving :

Typical structure of a Tiger Dive:
08h00 - Meet on beach and dive briefing
08h30 - Launch
09h00 - Set up station
09h30 - First dive crew (maximum 3 divers plus guide)
10h30 - Second dive crew (maximum 3 divers plus guide)
11h30 - First dive crew (second dive if applicable)
12h30 - Second dive crew (second dive if applicable)
14h00 - return to beach

Light refreshments in the form of chips, chocolate and soft-drinks are provided.
There is no guarantee of a shark sighting.
No cage is used.

Packages :  

3 Nights Accommodation at Lala Manzi Guesthouse sharing
4 Dives - ( 2 x 2 tank dives)
Breakfast 3 days

PACKAGE PRICE 3 NIGHTS 4 DIVES AND BREAKFAST R1650
SINGLE SUPPLEMENT  - ADD R250
As space on the boats is limited, numbers are limited, so bookings will be on a first come first served basis. Deposit required is R700 per person

Excluded :

Transport: down to Umkomaas is to your own arrangements
Please note that there is a fair amount of time spent on the boat, so sunscreen, hats and if necessary sea sick tablets must be taken on the boat.
Equipment is not included in the price

PLEASE EMAIL JUDY FOR DETAILS AND BOOKINGS

Carcharias taurus (Grey Nurse Shark or Ragged Tooth Shark)

carcharo - sharp pointed, jagged (Greek). Refers to the teeth.
taurus - bull (Latin). Presumably refers to the stocky body
The Ragged Tooth Shark / Grey Nurse Shark grows to a length of 3.6m. Males mature at 2.1m and females at 2.2m.
There are over 370 species of shark world wide, 166 occur in Australian waters. The family Odontaspidae contains two genera; Carcharias and Odontaspis
The family Odontaspidae is recorded throughout the world oceans. Ragged Tooth Sharks are found in tropical and temperate waters in the Atlantic, Indian and western Pacific Oceans, although the species is known by different common names in different regions.
They live in shallow coastal waters from the surf zone down to 60m, although it has been recorded from water as deep as 190m.
During the day, they are generally found in the vicinity of drop-offs, caves and ledges.
The Ragged Tooth is a distinctive fish, which is usually grey-brown on top and a dirty white underneath. A distinctive character of this species is that both dorsal fins and the anal fin are of a similar size. It is a sluggish species, which is not considered dangerous to people, although divers should never provoke it.
In some parts of the world, the Grey Nurse Shark is known as the Spotted Ragged-Tooth. The reason for this name is obvious. This species has fang-like teeth, which are visible when the shark's mouth is closed. Grey Nurse Sharks / Raggies are not however the "man-eaters" that some people thought in the past.
The teeth of the Raggies are constantly being replaced. This means that older, damaged or blunt teeth on the exterior surfaces of the jaws are replaced by new teeth. In the whaler sharks, family Carcharhinidae, each tooth is replaced every eight to fifteen days.
They are sluggish sharks, which feed on fish, which are pierced with the sharp teeth.
The Ragged Tooth Shark also swallows air at the surface, and holds it in the stomach. This provides buoyancy and enables the shark to hang almost motionless above the bottom.
The Ragged Tooth Shark has an interesting twist to its reproduction, which begins, like all sharks with internal fertilization. The developing young are enclosed in egg cases within each uterus of the female. They hatch from the egg cases at about 55mm in length and then eat not only unfertilized eggs, but also their brothers and sisters. After about nine to twelve months two young are born, one from each uterus.
The Grey Nurse Sharks is ovoviviparous, it produces eggs, which hatch inside the female and have no placental connection. The Grey Nurse Shark is not the only shark in which the young are egg eaters.

Galeocerdo cuvier (Tiger Shark)

Scavenger/ predator noted for indiscriminate feeding habits. The fearsome dentition, powerful jaws and huge size make them a formidable predator, easily able to bite through the bony shell of a sea turtle or cut a large shark in half. Their usual food is sharks, rays, and various fishes, but they also consume sea birds, turtles, marine mammals, and a variety of the miscellaneous rubbish that man dumps in the sea. May attack man and is greatly feared by men wrecked beyond the reefs, but is more likely to feed on humans that are already dead from other causes. A tropical species found in all major oceans; ranges south to Natal (chiefly juveniles and adolescents) and rarely to the eastern Cape.
Viviparous, 23 –46 pups per litter. Born at about 70cm; males mature at about 2.7m; attains 4.1m in our area; longest definite record elsewhere 5.5m.
The following is an analysis of Tiger Shark catches for the entire netted coast (Richards Bay to Port Edward) for the last eleven years.
Jan : 28, Apr : 29, Jul : 45, Oct : 52, Feb : 39, May : 25, Aug : 28, Nov : 55, Mar : 33, Jun : 28, Sep : 55, Dec : 51 
The netted beaches that form the core area of these catch returns are from the Bluff to Hibberdene. The sharks caught in the nets are generally under 2.5m precaudal length. The sharks we are seeing are generally bigger than this, ranging between 2.5m and 4.5m.

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E & OE
All prices are per person sharing and are provisional and subject to change without prior notice.

For your next
dive trip call
André Nel

Tel: (011) 781 6520
Fax: (011) 781 6521
Email: info@reefcomber.co.za