Scuba Diving in South Africa

Aliwal Shoal (Umkomaas)

There were 8 of us on the boat, including the skipper, and all of us had our life jackets tied on.  We were in a river that fed into the Indian Ocean and we needed to cut through the waves coming at us.  They said this was one of the toughest entry points around.  The skipper watched the waves and told us to hang on tight as he determined when was the right time to gun it.  The boat bounced over the waves as he spun the steering wheel left then right to find the break and move past the wake.  We made it out and took the life jackets off as we still had 8 kms until we would dive.

Going to Aliwal Shoal diving spot

The group pulled on their wetsuits and strapped on their gear.  We were above the reef and would drop down roughly 16 meters to get a glimpse of what was underneath.  The current was stronger than we’d ever felt before and we moved along the reef in the direction it pulled us.  There was no going against it.  We spotted lobster, moray eels, a honeycomb sting ray, sea turtles and the highlight was 2 tiger sharks.  There were fish everywhere and a school of barracuda swam right past us.  As our air ran out, we surfaced one-by-one.

Following our dive master

Back in the boat the waves were making us bob up and down.  Tico was looking ill when I surfaced and he bent over the side of the boat not long after.  For most of our time above water I felt fine, but just before we made it to our destination I also had to lean over and provide the fish with food.  Thankfully we would be under water again soon and the bobbing would be over.

It was colder on the 2nd dive although part of that could have been due to the fact that we didn’t feel that well.  The visibility was incredible.  We could see at least 10 meters and the water was clear blue.  On our ascent, another school of barracudas swam past and their silver scales reflected the sun as if they sparkled.  Just beneath them swam a blacktip shark.  It was the perfect ending to the day.

Diving at the Produce Wreck site

We stayed and dove with Aliwal Shoal Scuba so the next morning we just had to walk downstairs to get geared up.  Our package included 3 dives, but as the rest of the group was doing 2 dives they gave us another tank on the house.  The first dive would be at the Produce shipwreck, which went under in 1974.  Upon reaching the wreck, the initial impression was that we had been shrunk and put in a fish tank.  The green algae and steering wheels looked identical to those seen in aquariums.  We drifted with the current over the ship as fish swam around it.  The highlight was looking up and seeing hundreds of fish swimming out of the structure.  It felt like we were watching a National Geographic video yet in real life.

This time we were prepared for the surface interval and took medicine to fight the seasickness before going out to sea.  As we’d done a deep dive, we needed to spend a fair amount of time above water.  We moved from the wreck back to the reef and several dolphins joined us for part of the journey.  Even with the medicine, we’d bobbed for quite some time and Tico got sick just before going under.

School of fish at the Produce Wreck

This section of the reef wasn’t as impressive, but it was still full of fish.  There were 2 sting rays waiting for us when we reached the bottom and we were on our own to wander.  Tico and I worked our way around as the current pulled us.  Suddenly, I felt like we’d drifted too far and I didn’t see anyone else in our group.  I immediately panicked and thought we were lost. I felt like I was swimming for my life against the current (which was an awful idea) and Tico followed.  He knew exactly where we were, but as we were only able to communicate with hand signals I didn’t realize this until after.  We managed to find the group and tried to relax and enjoy the last bit of our dive.

Protea Banks (Shelly Beach)

We debated whether to stay and dive as the forecast said rain for the next couple days.  In the end, we decided to stay and definitely got a story out of it.  Protea Shark Dive was the company of choice and there would be a total of 3 of us diving.  The entry point for the boat was from shore and the slip ended with a good bit of sand before the water began.  It was low tide, which meant we’d have to turn and then push the boat through the sand to the wake.  Once onboard, it was a similar procedure as before: life jackets on, put your feet in the straps, and hold on for your life.

Going to the shark diving spot

It was overcast and the water was choppy.  We bounced over the waves even more than we had the days before.  There was the realization that being lost at sea has to be one of the worst things possible.  We reached our dive site and geared up.  We’d do a negative entry, which meant once we hit the water we’d start sinking.  Part of this was for the current and the other was that we were in shark country and most are surface feeders.

Looking for sharks

Upon entry, I noticed my BCD (dive vest) was leaking air.  I signaled the dive master and she told me to just be aware of my air.  We made it to 32 meters and were greeted by a honeycomb ray that swam along with us.  That was when we spotted our first bull shark. It swam past us as if we weren’t even there.  I was watching my pressure gauge and within minutes was already at 500 bar, which meant we needed to end the dive and get above water immediately.

The dive master provided me with her alternate air source and we shared her tank for the rest of the ascent.  We managed to see 2 more bull sharks during our safety stop, but it was not the dive we had anticipated as we hoped to see some hammerhead sharks as well.  They tempted us with a baited dive the following day, meaning they’d put bait out to encourage the sharks.  This would be in compensation for the faulty equipment, but we took the discount instead as we needed to move on to our next destination.

Maria breathing from alternate air source

These dives taught us several things as well as let us experience currents and waves like we’d never felt before.  We were told the choppiness was a 6 out of 10 and we can’t imagine what a 10 must be like.  Our skipper confirmed our feelings by telling us of how he’d got lost at sea while diving for fish and had to swim to shore.  He also told us about a group of divers that got lost and spent the night floating at sea until the helicopter could find them the next day kilometers from their starting point. And as he put it,

“Diving here is a real adventure.  These waters aren’t for sissies.”

Helpful tips:

• Scuba divers – Don’t listen even if 2 other people tell you the equipment is okay.  Trust your gut (and own ears) and change it out.
• There is a required permit to dive at Aliwal Shoal that costs 45 Rand per person.
• We highly recommend pills for seasickness even if you’ve never had a problem.  There is a pharmacy in both towns if you are unable to buy before.

 

View more pictures of this adventure here.