Located south of Durban in the diving town of Umkomaas, this purpose built dive lodge overlooks the beach and Aliwal Shoal, and is the perfect base for shark diving.
The comfortable rooms offer double and twin bed options, en-suite facilities, private balcony and fantastic views of the Indian Ocean. Facilities include a cosy lounge with satellite TV, swimming pool, dining area, a ‘lapa’ (outdoor chill-out area),a braai (bbq area) and the dive centre is on-site. For those who want to explore the local area, transport is readily available and there are plenty of plenty of bars and restaurants nearby. Complimentary WiFi internet access is available.
The lodge is situated in the small town of Umkomaas, a 45 minute drive south of Durban. It offers easy access to Aliwal Shoal, arguably one of the best shark diving sites in the world.
A friendly atmopshere and minimal single supplements make this a great option for single travellers throughout the year.
ScubaAddicts Dive Centre, South Africa
The on-site dive centre caters for all guests at the lodge. Divers kit up each morning and load the boat (RIB) ready for an exciting day of diving. Facilities include hot showers, rinse tanks and a secure drying room for your equipment.
Dive packages are designed to ensure you experience the best diving South Africa has to offer and operate like a liveaboard, whereby all divers arrive on the same day. Fully guided by the dive team with many years of local experience, it’s here that people come mainly to dive the sites of Aliwal Shoal for incredible marine wildlife encounters including dolphin, turtles, rays, reef fish, pelagic species and sharks.
The dive sites are up to 30 minutes away and the boats are launched through the surf either from the beach or the river mouth, depending on the tide. The area is notorious for shark encounters, so much so that it’s guaranteed that you will see a shark of some sort within ten metres during your stay whilst on a ‘SharkWEEK’ package.
Diving this area is recommended for advanced divers. Average water temperature ranges from 24C (Sep-May) and 20C (Jun-Aug). The dive centre provides 12 litre steel tanks with both fittings and equipment rental is available. A 5mm wetsuit is recommended.
A must for divers, Aliwal Shoal is home to over 1,200 species of fish and an abundance of corals, as well as turtles, rays and pelagics. From June through to November ragged tooth sharks congregate to mate, while huge tiger sharks and hammerheads are also seen.
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