Aliwal Shoal

The rocky reef Aliwal Shoal is located about 5 km off the coast of KwaZulu -Natal, South Africa. It was created about 80,000 years ago out of a sand dune. With the shift of the tectonic plates and a rise in sea level, the dune was flooded. Aquatic plants and marine animals colonized the new habitat. In thousands of years, the underground solidified more and more by mussel growth and coral.

Aliwal Shoal was named after the demise of the three- masted ship Aliwal in 1849. The wrecks of the ships Nebo ( sunk 1884) and Produce (1974, sunken cargo ship) are close to the reef.

Hard and soft corals inhabit today Aliwal Shoal. However, the sea in this region is too cold for tropical coral diversity. The reef is home to many different species of tropical and subtropical species of fish and other marine organisms such as sea turtles, dolphins, humpback whales. Between August and November congregate at Aliwal Shoal many sharks to mate there. Also, various ray species such as the blue-spotted stingrays use the area to meet up for mating season. The reef is powered by ocean currents with plankton.