Aliwal shoal off the East Coast of South Africa has become a very well known destination for both local and international divers. The locals because it is probably the most easily accessed reef system and the internationals in large part thanks to the exposure by National Geographic and the Discovery channel, both with relation to the famed Sardine Run and also the winter aggregations of many Grey Nurse Sharks or Sand Tigers, known locally as “Raggies”.
What is not so well known, except to a lucky few, is that there is a southern component to the Aliwal Shoal system. These reef systems are part of the same series of fossilized sand dunes that form the backbone of Aliwal Shoal. However, they are for the most part rarely dived and, more importantly rarely anchored on, so the soft corals in particular are in very good shape.