Diving & Travel Guide to KwaZulu-Natal – South Coast

About KwaZulu-Natal – South Coast

The KwaZulu-Natal South Coast is South Africa's premier shark diving destination, home to the world-famous Aliwal Shoal and Protea Banks reef systems. Aliwal Shoal off Umkomaas offers extraordinary ragged-tooth shark aggregations from June to November at sites like Raggie Cave and Cathedral, alongside thrilling baited shark dives at the Chunnel attracting tiger sharks, bull sharks, and oceanic blacktips. Protea Banks off Shelly Beach delivers adrenaline-charged encounters with giant scalloped hammerhead schools from February to June, plus diverse predator species including tigers, bulls, and oceanic blacktips. The region also features the 1994 SAS Pietermaritzburg minesweeper wreck with massive barracuda schools, excellent macro diving at Eelskins Reef, and the MV Paulo wreck within the Aliwal Shoal system. With warm subtropical water, excellent visibility, and reliable shark encounters year-round, the KZN South Coast is a bucket-list destination for shark enthusiasts and advanced divers worldwide.

Highlights

• ✓Ragged-tooth shark aggregations at Aliwal Shoal Raggie Cave (June-November)
• ✓Giant scalloped hammerhead schools at Protea Banks (February-June)
• ✓Baited shark dives with tiger, bull, and oceanic blacktip sharks
• ✓SAS Pietermaritzburg wreck with massive barracuda schools
• ✓Premier macro diving at Eelskins Reef with seahorses
• ✓Warm subtropical water with excellent visibility year-round

Getting There

Fly to King Shaka International Airport (DUR) in Durban. Umkomaas is 45 minutes south, Shelly Beach is 1.5 hours south via the N2. Multiple dive operators provide airport transfers.