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Hotels, dive operators, gear, and how to get here are on the Aliwal Shoal location page.
Overview
Sandstone amphitheater in the middle of Aliwal Shoal — winter aggregation site for ragged-tooth (sand tiger) sharks. Dozens stack inside the bowl from June through November. Tiger sharks are commonly spotted in summer baited dives on the same reef.
Briefing note
Access via surf-launch Zodiac from Umkomaas — physically demanding.
What you'll see
4 species curated- seasonalRagged-tooth sharkPeak: Jun · Jul · Aug · Sep · Oct · Nov
- seasonalTiger sharkPeak: Jan · Feb · Mar · Apr · Nov · Dec
- year-roundPotato bass
- year-roundBrindle bass
Sightings evidence
1 record on file- medium confidenceRagged-tooth shark
- Last confirmed
- Nov 2025
- Recent records
- 45 within 10 km
- Cluster months
- Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct, Nov
Sources & methodology
How we summarise this
We aggregate confirmed occurrence records from GBIF and OBIS within a fixed radius of each dive site. Occurrence records confirm presence and reveal seasonality clustering, but they DO NOT measure per-dive probability — there is no eligible-effort denominator. We deliberately do not publish a numeric '% chance of sighting' from this data.
Sources
- Global Biodiversity Information Facility — GBIF Secretariat
- Ocean Biodiversity Information System — IOC-UNESCO
- iNaturalist — California Academy of Sciences & National Geographic Society
- IUCN Red List of Threatened Species — International Union for Conservation of Nature
- Wildbook (Sharkbook, Whale Shark, Manta Matcher) — Wild Me
- OBIS-SEAMAP — Duke University Marine Geospatial Ecology Lab / OBIS
- WoRMS — World Register of Marine Species — Flanders Marine Institute (VLIZ)
- FishBase — FishBase Consortium
- Atlas of Living Australia — CSIRO / GBIF Australia
- REEF Volunteer Fish Survey — Reef Environmental Education Foundation
Conditions
| Month | Water | Visibility | Current |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 24–26 °C | 10–20 m | moderate |
| Feb | 24–26 °C | 10–20 m | moderate |
| Mar | 23–25 °C | 10–20 m | moderate |
| Apr | 22–24 °C | 10–20 m | moderate |
| May | 21–23 °C | 15–25 m | moderate |
| Jun | 19–21 °C | 15–25 m | moderate |
| Jul | 18–20 °C | 15–25 m | moderate |
| Aug | 18–20 °C | 15–25 m | moderate |
| Sep | 19–21 °C | 15–25 m | moderate |
| Oct | 20–22 °C | 15–25 m | moderate |
| Nov | 22–24 °C | 15–25 m | moderate |
| Dec | 23–25 °C | 10–20 m | moderate |
Season calendar
Peak season highlighted · current month outlined
Gear for this site
Beyond the basic kit- 5mm wetsuit — Winter shark season sits at 18-20C.
- Hood — Backline launches and cold winter water — hood adds critical warmth.
Next step
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