Ever since I was young, I’ve been obsessed with sharks and knew I had to one day see them in the wild.

Most normal people would go to their local aquarium or go for a dive in a tropical, calm and safe environment, but I decided to head to Aliwal Shoal.

Aliwal Shoal, located off the coast of KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa, is one of the world's premier destinations for shark diving - but it’s also extremely challenging to dive, thanks to the conditions there.

In this article, I’ll take you through my experience diving in these challenging waters, including everything from my photographs to the best places to stay and much more.

How to get to Aliwal Shoal

The best way to get to Aliwal Shoal is to fly to King Shaka International Airport in Durban and then drive for roughly one hour down the coast to reach Umkomaas.

The airport can be reached by most international airports worldwide, making it relatively easy to reach. The flights tend to be long, so keep that in mind.

Where to stay when diving Aliwal Shoal

After some thorough research and a bit of emailing - I booked the trip with Blue Ocean Dive Resort based in Umkomaas.

Hats off to the whole team; they’re super knowledgeable and made us feel like family from the very beginning.

Oh yes, it was us!

I forgot to mention, a friend of mine joined me on this trip - which she instantly regretted judging by the look on her face on our very first dive day, but more on that shortly.

Best time to dive Aliwal Shoal

Aliwal Shoal is suitable for diving year-round, but you’ll find that it’s noticeably quieter between September and December due to more challenging weather conditions and colder water temperature. The warmer months, from February to April, generally offer more comfortable water temperatures for diving. During this period, the water temperature can range from approximately 73 to 82 degrees Fahrenheit (23 to 28 degrees Celsius).

Aquatic life At Aliwal Shoal

As the water temperature changes, it attracts different animals. These waters are full of sharks and other pelagic animals. Ragged-tooth sharks, Tiger sharks, Bull sharks, Great Whites, Dolphins, Manta Rays and even Blue and Humpback Whales are occasional visitors during the winter months.

However, the main attractions are Oceanic Blacktip Sharks.

They are present all year round. Conditions can vary depending on the weather, as well as shark activity.

Some days, you get 3 to 4 shark species on a single dive; some days, you’re lucky to have a few individuals.

My Experience Diving Aliwal Shoal

As you can imagine, we were eager to get into the ocean and meet the sharks.

The first few days

We launched from Umkomaas River on a Zodiac (small inflatable boat), and I must tell you it was rough.

We had to fight off the huge waves first to get to the open sea.

Later on, I learned that divers die there every year during launch as the waves can easily push the small boats right onto the rocks, so you definitely need an experienced skipper to navigate through the water.

Once we reach the open ocean, we find a spot, chum, and wait - theoretically.

By the time we arrived at our spot early in the morning, another boat was already there, taking guests out for early cage diving.

I looked at the water's surface around the cage, and all I could see were shark fins flapping around. I looked at my friend and I saw her face go pale white. I had a feeling she wasn’t as excited to jump in the water as I was…

We kicked off our first few days with bad conditions, few sharks, and bad visibility.

It was a good warm-up, and I had the chance to get used to the dynamic of shark dives, learn about shark behavior, and predict their patterns during dives.

Baited shark dives are static dives. We float vertically around the bait ball, forming half a circle while the shark guide is in the middle, always close to the bait container.

If needed, the guide can leave a trail by swimming down, taking fish blood into the current below. Depending on what shark species they want to attract, they can use different practices that may or may not work (for example, using a dead turtle as bait would attract tiger sharks). After all, nature is unpredictable.

The last part of the week

The second part of the week was better; the sun came out, and the ocean calmed down - actually became blue, and the visibility significantly improved as well.

On our last day, a group of photographers led by Andy Murch joined our dive, and suddenly it was more divers in the water than sharks. I respect other photographers, but it makes the situation a bit more competitive as everyone wants to get the shot.

Despite the competition, I took a photo that I was very proud of by turning around and waiting for an Oceanic Blacktip to come around the outside rather than taking a shot from a hand-feeding shark.

Other popular diving spots at Aliwal Shoal

Aliwal Shoal contains several unique diving spots that I highly recommend visiting while you’re there.

Cathedral

Cathedral is a dive site - a large, naturally formed archway in the reef resembling the shape of a cathedral window. Normally, ragged tooth sharks, or ‘Raggies’ as the locals call them in SA, come together to mate during winter.

You can always find a few individuals all year round down at the cathedral. Raggies are fierce-looking sharks, but don’t let their appearance mistake you; these sharks are pretty chill around divers.

Raggie Cave

Raggie Cave is another hotspot for meeting Raggies.

At 18m in depth, the cave is only accessible when it isn’t full of sharks, but it’s still a pretty cool view either way, as there’s a sand patch right in front where the Raggies like to roll around.

You can also expect to see plenty of other marine life, including sand turtles, rays, and much more if you’re lucky.