Tiger Shark Dive – Aliwal Shoal – Umkomaas

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After completing our master diving training course, we took a month out to go scuba diving in Umkomaas, to rack up our scuba hours and experience. The brief for this dive was to (hopefully) see Tiger Sharks.

Our dive leader (and sea dog) Walter took us to “Eels Skins” at a depth of 15m on Aliwal Shoal.

For a while we planned on becoming scuba diving instructors in the Caribbean. Turning our back on the corporate world, we chose to follow our dream. Marcel had already passed the “Guppy Course” (Open Water 1) and kept me company as I learned mine. Together we followed Open Water 2, Rescue Diver and Master Diver courses.

We too needed to become sea dogs to prepare ourselves for the responsibility of Dive Master or Instructor. Aliwal Shoal is known for its rough conditions and fantastic experiences, so we hired an apartment for a month, and signed up to 2 or 3 dives a day. It was an invaluable experience.

Not only did we gain lots of scuba diving experience, we also got a good understanding of the difference between a job vs. a hobby. Scuba diving because you want to isn’t the same as scuba diving because you have to. The more we learned about it from other DM’s and instructors, the more we realised that just like any job, it can also become a trap. After much deliberation over our options and possibilities, we changed our minds about doing this for a living.

Instead, we enjoyed our sabbatical. This Tiger Shark Dive was one of our last at the time. Walter, our dive leader, has been diving since he was knee-high to a grasshopper. Known as a bit of a cowboy in the diving world, he could be the billboard for Nike, “Just Do It!”. We learned a lot from him and his crew.

Our dive was very relaxed. The river-mouth launch was as exciting as ever, but unfortunately too rough to film through the surf. The ride out took about 20 minutes, as Eels Skins is roughly 5 km’s from shore. The current is very strong, so there’s no fussing about. You roll back off the boat and plunge straight down, popping your ears along the way.

Being shark territory, we were quite happy to find shelter under the ledge. It was amazing to just sit there, and observe this foreign world. Drift dives in Umkomaas are famous for lots of finning (swimming) as the bouy keeps the skipper alert as to your whereabouts. Whatever you do, stick with the person carrying the bouy!

One of the highlights was seeing the Tiger Shark albeit at a glimpse. We were also thrilled to see a pod of Dolphins and a school of Yellowfinned Tuna. The Blacktails, Rays and other reef fish were amazing. It was abuzz with life.

We thought the speargun was to protect us from any danger from the Tigers, but it was also used to catch a Tuna for bait, which was cannabalised all too quickly. We understand that some tourists want action, but that was a minus point in our view.

After an hour, we were ready to leave. Our body temperature was dropping as quickly as our air. So we headed for the surface. Is there any better way to do your deco stop, than a quick waltz? What a great dive! An wonderful glimpse into an amazing world.