This protected reef supports rich marine life and is championed locally through conservation, research and community programmes led by Wild Alliance Africa. Aliwal Shoal, situated close to the south coast town, Umkomaas, is rated as one of the top 10 dive sites in the world and is an ideal locality from which to ignite a passion for marine conservation. The Aliwal Shoal is a rocky reef which is th
e remains of an ancient sand dune approximately 5 km off the coast of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. With a primary reef more than 3 kilometres long and up to a kilometre wide, Aliwal Shoal is included in a relatively small marine protected area (MPA) that measures 128 square kilometres. The Hope Spot initiative aims to support the proposed extension and assist in increasing public participation and education, with a view to promoting conservation and further developing citizen science. The subtropical setting, warm waters offers excellent visibility to divers to see and the abundant marine life features corals and other invertebrates, colourful reef fish, turtles, sharks, picturesque topography and shipwrecks. It is also a popular shark diving site with many people coming to see the ragged-tooth (grey nurse) sharks that mate here, the spectacular tiger sharks, magnificent whale sharks, black tips, bull (Zambezi) and copper sharks, shoals of hammerhead sharks, and the occasional great white.
