Travelogue South Africa | Part 1: Diving at Aliwal Shoal
Written by: Rianne Poessé, co-owner of EWDR and avid diver. All photos in this trip report were taken by Rianne herself, except for the photo where she herself is with the sand tiger shark and the group photos.
At the beginning of July this year, I had another opportunity to travel to South Africa, a country that had already left a deep impression on me on my first visit. Especially the great diversity of sharks and the inexpensive prices for eating out were my favorite aspects of the country at the time. This year my trip was to be even more spectacular, with local diving at Aliwal Shoal, followed by the famous Sardine Run and ending with a safari – all organized in cooperation with Blue Ocean Dive Resort. A real dream trip!
In this first part of my travelogue I describe the trip to South Africa, the stay at Blue Ocean in Umkomaas and, of course, the diving at Aliwal Shoal.
The journey to South Africa: from Amsterdam to Johannesburg
My diving vacation began with a direct flight from Amsterdam to Johannesburg, a journey of about 11 hours.
Durban was my final destination, but because flights via Dubai with Emirates were considerably more expensive (as much as €800 more), I opted for the direct flight with KLM to Johannesburg.
Upon arrival in Johannesburg, I decided to spend a night at our regular airport hotel.
This hotel is just a 5-minute walk from Arrivals, covered and secure.
After a refreshing beer, I went to sleep without any jet lag, thanks to the fact that the flight was during the day and thanks to the lack of time difference.
By 10 p.m. I was in bed, ready to wake up the next morning rested, just in time for my afternoon flight to Durban.
I can recommend this relaxed way of traveling to anyone, especially if you have enough vacation days!
Arrival in Durban & transfer to Umkomaas
The flight to Durban took just over an hour.
With my window seat, I was able to enjoy the beautiful, rugged landscape of South Africa, full of mountains and scattered villages that seemed to be in the most remote places.
Upon arrival in Durban, a driver from Blue Ocean was waiting to take me to Umkomaas.
This small coastal town is about an hour south of Durban.
During the drive I could already admire some of the local flora and fauna, great to be back in South Africa!
Welcome to Blue Ocean Dive Resort
The Blue Ocean Dive Resort proved to be a top location for diving enthusiasts.
Upon arrival, I was welcomed by several divemasters and three female divemaster trainees.
These trainees follow a special work-learning program at Blue Ocean, training from zero to hero.
That means trained from no diving experience to at least divemaster, and possibly even instructor.
They receive a salary and stay at the resort.
I really love this kind of initiative and you could also clearly see how ambitious these three young girls were with this opportunity.
The resort is ideal for couples, dive groups and solo travelers.
There are special rooms for singles, which means you don’t pay extra if you’re traveling alone.
This alone was a big plus for me.
Hospitality and Conviviality in the Resort
But what really stood out was the staff’s effort to include everyone in the “group.
Every evening there was a large table where both staff and guests gathered to eat and drink.
This created a social atmosphere where everyone felt welcome.
Since I travel alone fairly often, I can greatly appreciate this.
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Diving at Aliwal Shoal
The next day it was time to dive at Aliwal Shoal.
In my case, I would only do two dives, purely in preparation for the Sardine Run.
In retrospect, I wish I had planned a few more days!
In South Africa, the sea is often rough and there are almost no ways to keep your boat in the water. This means launching the boat into the sea every morning. With the rough sea, this is a pretty challenging “launch.” Fortunately, there was a rule that the ladies were allowed to jump onto the boat (a big rib/ panga/ zodiac) beforehand and the gentlemen pushed the boat into the water the last bit. Great rule, if you ask me! 😉
After the boat was launched and we were all aboard, the skipper began the next challenge: through the surf out to sea.
South Africa is a popular surfing country because of its meter-high waves, and we had to brave them with our boat.
Our skipper, Malcolm, was very experienced and it was impressive to see how well he could read the waves and choose just the right route to maneuver us safely through the waves.
The adrenaline was already well in! 
Once through the surf, the sea suddenly calmed and within just five minutes we saw our first humpback whale!
These animals migrate along the South African coast in July.
We were treated to tails sticking out of the water, sometimes only 20 meters away, and occasionally even an impressive jump from a whale followed by a big splash.
It was wonderful to witness this action.
Dive 1: Baited Dive with Black Tips
We started with a baited dive.
In this dive you often encounter Black Tip sharks and with a little luck maybe a tiger shark.
During a baited dive in Aliwal Shoal, the sharks are not fed.
Instead, they lower a drum, a barrel with holes, into the water to about 5 meters deep.
Inside this barrel are fish scraps, usually sardines.
The smell attracts the sharks, and during these dives you are just in the water without cages.
The baited dive was fantastic!
It was all very calm and the sharks were clearly in a relaxed mode.
Personally, I did find the dive a bit long because you stay in the same spot watching the same sharks.
Of course you hope a tiger shark comes by or you can get a nice photo of a Black Tip up close.
After the baited dive, we had a surface interval of one hour while we remained at sea.
The sea was fairly calm, so that was fine.
Dive 2: Sand Tiger Sharks, better known as “Raggies.
Our second dive was at a dive site where the “Raggies,” or sand tiger sharks, can be found.
This dive was fairly shallow, maximum about 18 meters, and in a dark cave we immediately encountered two giant sand tiger sharks.
Sand tiger sharks are unusual sharks with a robust appearance and a somewhat sinister smile due to their protruding teeth.
These sharks are known for often being quiet and calm, which contributes to a relaxed encounter.
During this dive, I saw a total of about 25 different sand tiger sharks.
These majestic sharks are large and move very quietly through the water, making them one of my favorite sharks.
After an hour of diving, we thought enough was enough and took off again.
Once back at the beach, we were given a choice: do a third dive or return to the dive resort.
At Blue Ocean, the “unlimited” dive package offers two dives per day by default, with a third dive in good weather conditions.
A number of divers chose to do that third dive as well.
I completely understand that.
Then lunch was brought to the beach and then you got back on the boat for one last dive.
I myself chose to skip the third dive.
July is the coldest month of the year in South Africa and with my 5mm wetsuit I had gotten a little cold anyway.
I needed a hot shower – a real rookie mistake!
Back to the Resort and Preparing for the Sardine Run
Arriving at the dive resort, it was finally time for that hot shower I was so looking forward to.
Then it was already time to pack my suitcase.
For the next morning was the transfer to the Sardine Run, one of the greatest natural spectacles in the world.
More on what the Sardine Run was like read my next report!
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