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ALIWAL SHOAL Selected as one of the top ten dives sites of the world by the Diver Magazine the Aliwal Shoal offers almost anything a diver can wish for. The shoal is a twenty-minute boat ride from Umkomaas -- a sleepy sea side / riverside town which serves as the gateway to the Aliwal Shoal.
A huge array of fish species as well as rays, turtles, sharks and manta’s occupy the Aliwal Shoal, and schools of dolphins and pods of whales are frequent visitors. The shoal is approximately 5kms in length, and runs in a north to south direction.
Diving during the months of June through to November you are sure to see Ragged Tooth Sharks as they congregate on the Aliwal Shoal to mate. It is not uncommon to find 15 to 50 of these ferocious looking but docile sharks on a single dive.
In summer you have every chance of seeing Tiger sharks and Hammerheads. Should you tire of the sharks, you can always dive on any of the wrecks or go hunting for the huge (and I mean huge) Brindle Bass. Other species (depending on the season) include Manta, Devil and other rays, schools of pelagic fish, whales, dolphins, and many, many more!
The depths vary between 6 to 18 meters with 30-meter sites for the suitably qualified. The dives are all done without cages and afford the unique opportunity to see the sharks in their natural environment! Visibility varies from 5 to 40 meters.
MIRACLE WATERS Miracle Waters is a dive getaway in clean spring water, with a view of the beautiful Magaliesberg mountain range - less than an hour's drive from both Johannesburg and Pretoria!
The large clear diving lake is an old open cast chrome mine surrounded by natural bush and farmlands. The water is so clean because it is naturally replenished by an underwater spring.
Entry is via paved paths for an easy plunge into the warm water.
Sporting five training platforms, it is the perfect place for instruction to beginners as well as for recreational dives at all levels. All training from One Star/Open Water Diver to Instructor Training can be done here.
The depth of our lake is 33m and the viz, which can reach 10m, is good. All divers can relax, as there are no major hazards or extreme depths. Numerous Black Bass and various species of Kurper are found in the shallows, while a bus, aeroplane, yacht, and various other items (even a computer station!) have also been introduced. Both the bus and aeroplane can safely be entered by appropriately trained divers.
SARDINE RUN 2010    SARDINE RUN
7 July – 12 July 2010
Port st. Johns
R6600.00
Includes:
•Accommodation: Self Catering, 3, 4 or 10 bed dorms at Jungle Monkey Backpackers.
Or upgrade your accommodation to a Double room or Luxury Tent.
(Please contact us if you would like to your accommodation.)
•The boat departs every day at 8am until late depending on conditions.
•A lunchbox with sandwiches, juice and a chocolate
•Unlimited diving and snorkeling as conditions allow
*additional days can be booked at R1600 per day extra
Shark Specialty With Big B    Shark specialty Umkomaas
16, 17 and 18 july 2010
Agulhas house
2 nights – 3 dives BF incl.
Single: R3000.00
Sharing pp: R2810.00
Blue vision
2 nights – 3 dives BF incl.
Sharing pp: R2400.00
FullGear rental R230.00 per person per day
SODWANA BAY 11Sodwana Bay is part of the Greater St Lucia Wetland Park which is a world heritage site. The area has been a protected reserve for many years, ensuring large fish populations as well as pristine corals.
Sodwana Bay has an impressive fish diversity on the reefs, with over 1100 species having been positively identified. These reefs are of the most southerly coral reefs in the world. The fact that no silt-bearing rivers are close to the area ensures that the corals are pristine and the visibility good.
Sodwana Bay is rated by international divers as one of the top 10 dive destinations in the world. The maximum summer water temperature is 28°C with an average of 26°C while the minimum winter water temperature is 17°C with an average of 22°C. Visibility ranges from 8m to 40m (depending on the time of the year) with an average of 12m. Visibility is reduced in winter due to the increased plankton in the water. This however leads to increased sightings of Whale sharks and Manta rays.
Humpback whales are a common sighting during their annual migration from June to November. Sodwana is also one of the preferred aggregation sites of the pregnant ragged-tooth shark from November to March.
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