September Newsletter

Oh Gust!   

The phrase where the month of August got its name from, I’m certain. 

Howling winds in the 20-30 knot range.  One day from the east, next day from the west. It’s like watching a Wimbledon tennis match. With the ball never being out.  

I was sitting out on the reef (on a boat, obviously – otherwise I would sink) in the middle of this tennis match one day when I saw the whole town of Margate (to the south of us) come flying past me, trailing a couple of cars, a block of flats and only three houses (weird that – thought there would have been more), a semi truck and a Metro train, complete with conductor hanging on.  Knowing what month this was though, I wasn’t too worried or surprised, because I knew the next day it will be blown back down south again. And it was, followed by the whole town of Richards Bay (to the north of us).

This time round, I must admit, Margate looked a bit worse for wear, and the conductor was missing.  The next day Richards Bay tumbled back north again, and so on.  

This is not a Tale of Two Cities, albeit perhaps a tall one.

But I do think I am getting the point across. Am I? 

Historically it’s always been a risky time for attempting to dive, as the weather can really throw you a curve ball and the sea can get a bit “on”. We did however succeed in fulfilling nearly all of our obligations to our customers to get them out there, under there and back again safely.  

The current was predominantly reverse, and the visibility ranged from 6-20m, most days being 8-10m.   Temperature was, for August, a warm 21-22 degrees Celsius.  

We also experienced some huge westerly groundswell, especially on the 24th, when I recorded 7m swells out at sea. It was very impressive to watch waves 6-7m high break three deep along the entire length of the Shoal, bowling top to bottom on the Pinnacle Ridge, all the way down to Eelskin. It looked like the surf zone.  

If you are wondering ‘so where did you dive?’ and before you start accusing me of exaggerating – which I NEVER doJ, we did a baited shark dive in 35m of water. Any reef structure shallower than 25m had waves breaking on them. Very impressive and something I haven’t experienced in years – and oh yes, the launch was a slight adrenalin rush too!

(That is a VERY high spray off a broken wave … Picture courtesy of Mick Clarke)     

 

All being said a good busy month for us with a lot of dodging waves and wind!

Now don’t let this put you off, come experience an adrenalin rush – at no extra charge!

Besides, we are now officially in Spring, so spring out of your chair and get rushed!

 

Enjoy our oceans,

Basie

The Aliwal Shoal, a wonderful first

I distinctly remember the first time I came to visit what is colloquially referred to as “the Shoal” by your average local diver. It was a last minute decision that would have a far reaching influence on my life. No really, I mean it!

Basically, my travel companion at the time (you know who you are) and I were travelling through Southern Africa in the winter of 2011. It was early July, we were in Lesotho and it was cold, really cold!

Trying desperately to warm up by a fire, we got to talk with some people who advised diving the Aliwal Shoal. We were looking for an excuse to expedite our return to a warmer part of Southern Africa, this seemed like a superb opportunity.

Long story short, a couple of days later, we booked with Aliwal Dive Centre and arrived in the late afternoon, eager to dive the next day. We weren’t very experienced divers at the time and it was going to be our first time exploring the Indian Ocean.

That morning, we took to the beach and were greeted by the legendary surf here. The local skippers are either savants or totally insane, but they make wading through it look like the simplest of tasks. After reaching backline, it was a matter of minutes before we were back-rolling into the blue. Destination: Raggies cave.

 

 

Seeing ragged tooth sharks for the first time is spectacular, seeing so many at once is extraordinary! The cave was alive with them. Visibility was a reasonable 10-15 meters and we were enjoying ourselves tremendously. We felt on top of the world, which is ironic because we were below the surface of the ocean - but I digress – and reluctantly tore ourselves away from our vantage point as the time to surface drew near.

Sitting on the boat feeling al happy, I did not yet know this specific dive would be a pivotal moment that would impact my future career as a diver tremendously. We’re now in 2013 and I’m back in Umkomaas for the 4^th time. I’ve become a Dive Master here, made some good friends and consider this place to be my home away from home.

If the world is my oyster, the Aliwal Shoal is my pearl! I hope to see you very soon at the launch site! And after the dives, I'll explain to you why French fries aren't really French to begin with! My name is Johan, I'm from Belgium and I'll be a dive master here for a little while longer.

Dive Show 2013

Dolf and I represented Aliwal Dive Centre at the Dive Expo this year. Neither of us had done this before and did not know what to expect. Apparently this year the dive show was a lot smaller than it has been in its previous years. The Dive Expo used to be part of or run in conjunction with the National Boat Show, so the break away from the boat show could be negative or positive. Obviously it could be negative because the show no longer has the number of visitors that it used to have, or it could be positive because now only the niche market comes to visit and all efforts are focused onto the right people.

 

 

For me the show proved to be very beneficial. It was great to meet people face to face to whom I had previously only spoken to via email or telephone. It was also wonderful to see old faces and remind everyone that we are still going strong. I picked up a new BC at an incredible price; a case of in the right place at the right time (Thank you Hilary).

So to all of you who visited us at our stand, we hope to see you here soon to redeem your vouchers!!

 

-Matthew

August Newsletter

Another month flew by, and we are all older. Yes, deny it as much as you want, but let’s admit it – this morning when you looked in the mirror you got a fright. As you do every morning before all the panel beating and spray painting commence. The good news is it is only going to get worse. Every month.  For the rest of your life. Unless you are close friends with a plastic surgeon.

With that joyful thought in mind, here is some trivial information on what has been happening on the East Coast of Kwazulu Natal, just to get your mind off the ageing process.  Ja right.

Diving in 20 metres visibility, glassy seas, warmest winter in years, sunbathing, swimming, and surfing - all under blue, sub tropical skies.  Now ask yourself: How has my month been??

Ok, enough of that – if you are getting depressed because you have aged and you have missed out, the answer is simple – you can change one of these. Which one that is, I’ll leave up to you to figure out. Again, unless you are close friends with a plastic surgeon, no brain power required there, so come and dive. We accept old people. And plastic ones.

Now, to tell you something informative, the conditions have been fairly good, with some pearler days, and some not so pearler days. Overall we’ve mostly had a light to medium reverse current, 10-20 metre visibility, water temperatures of 21-23 degrees Celsius and light winds. Lots of Humpback Whales around, dolphins and of course the Ragged Tooth Sharks. They are all over the reef, with reports of up to 20, just on North Sands alone. There must be a dentist there.  Lots of medical personnel mentioned here.

The Blacktips are still loose – and by that I don’t mean easy - on the baited dives, with some Duskies and Zambezis thrown into the mix.

I’ve also spotted big Manta Rays on several occasions, and even a Minke Whale. The Shoal was a busy place this month.

On a different note, we are hoping to see you at the Dive Show from 16-18 August 2013 at the Coca Cola Dome in Northgate, Stand C24.  Pop in and say hello. Or goodbye. But only after you’ve said hello. This only applies if you live in the Gauteng area of course.  Not saying hello and goodbye (you should do that anyway if you were raised properly) but popping in at the show. We don’t expect you to jump on a plane from across the Big Waters just to check out the show. If you have cash to burn, rather come do the real thing on the Aliwal, not the virtual one at a show.

We are running a competition at the Show – first prize is a Toyota Hilux 3L D4D 4x4 Double Cab, second prize a 7 day trip to Mauritius for two.

These prizes were sponsored by Make Believe Travel Agency in Nigeria, and the only requirement to enter is your credit card number, complete with expiry date and cvc number. Nothing to it – you can win this one hands down.

OR

You can enter our other competition at the Show, where you can either win an Open Water Dive course, including accommodation, if you’ve always wanted to learn to dive, or, if you are a qualified diver, a 3 night 5 dive package for two. Sponsored by us. We are not located in Nigeria.

Enjoy our Oceans

-Basie

Aliwal Sharks

We are slap bang in the middle of “Raggie” season. This year has been a slow start, but the docile puppy-dogs seem to be arriving at a slow pace. Recently I ended a dive at North Sands where we were pleasantly surprised to run into a group of Ragged Tooth Sharks. Whilst hovering in mid-water I was excited to count fifteen sharks in one spot. As we moved along the sands more and more sharks kept on appearing out of the awesome blue. Raggies can now be spotted all over the reef. I have seen them at their usual hang outs, Cathedral and the very popular Raggies Cave. But I have also seen them in some unsuspecting places like as far south as Tiger Cave on Eel Skins and quite a few on the Inside Edge.

The Raggies are not the only sharks that we have been seen on the Aliwal Shoal. A group of divers saw a small school of Hammerheads swim over the top of False Cathedral.  Often Oceanic Blacktips are seen on the Inside Edge; or even circling the divers on a safety stop from one of our wrecks, the Produce or Nebo. Whitetip Reef Sharks are always a pleasure to see, although they are not as easy to spot as our toothy friends but are still not uncommon on the reef. If you are looking for a Guitarfish I would suggest a dive at Eel Skins. I have often seen the Greyspot Guitarfish in this area. And I have been lucky enough to see a group of Great Guitarfish around South Sands. Lately on our Baited Dives we have not only been joined by the Oceanic Blacktips but it is also a regular occurrence to be joined by two or three Dusky Sharks. The Dusky Sharks that we see look very similar to the Blacktips but can be identified by a rounder snout. I saw my first Bronze Whaler (or Copper Shark) on a recent Baited Dive. This shark also looked similar to the Blacktips, but it was the bigger tail fin that gave it away. We can’t forget the Mike Tyson of sharks, The Bull Shark or Zambezi. Last time I saw this shark it swam by our bottom drum, it has also been seen around Shark Alley on the reef. Diving with Tiger Sharks will always be an experience to cherish. We are out of season for these big sharks, they prefer warmer waters. And finally there is the shark that I want to see. The Great White Shark. I know one person who has been diving the shoal for thirteen years and encountered a white eight times; and another person who has been diving the shoal for ten years who has never seen a white. I can only imagine what it must be like to be in the presence of a white. I look forward to that day.

-Matthew

New Diving Website Now Live!

Scubaverse is here!  www.scubaverse.com is the ultimate resource for divers from all over the world.

Whatever your interest in diving, the Scubaverse website has it covered, with all the latest diving news, reviews, great competitions, and regularly updated content on subjects such as travel, training, equipment and accessories, underwater photography and videography, marine life and conservation, events, health and safety, wreck, tech, and cave diving, freediving, commercial diving... and lots more.

A whole host of well-known names from the world of diving will be contributing editorial content to the website; however, anyone can get involved by submitting articles, blogs, photos and video - so if you’re interested in sharing your own opinions and experiences with other divers, then let us know by emailing us at contact@scubaverse.com – we’d love to hear from you!

You can also find Scubaverse on Facebook, Twitter, and Google+:

https://www.facebook.com/Scubaverse

https://twitter.com/ScubaverseMedia

https://plus.google.com/104328197270315853895/about

Fathers Day

Happy June everyone! Can you believe we are already half way through the year - I could have sworn that Christmas was just yesterday! Yes, time waits for no-one, so don't putt off for another day what you can do today! We also find ourselves in the month dedicated to our wonderful and caring Fathers! If you can, do something special for your Dad's on Sunday 16th of June, even if it is just taking him a cup of tea, making a phone call to say you care, or just remembering all the good times that you shared. Happy Fathers Day to all the awesome Dads out there! I hope you get spoiled rotten - and don't forget - you can always spoil yourself and your great wife and kids to a dive! Let us know and we will do the rest! See you soon!

-Clare

The Not So Common, Common Lobster

The lobster that I am writing about here is the Hawaiian Red Lobster (a.k.a Red Dwarf Reef Lobster or Red Reef Lobster).  And for all the ichthyologists out there, you can stop scratching; the scientific name is Enoplometopus occidentalis.

Even though this species is said to be common it is definitely a rare find. If you ask all the old timers who have been diving The Aliwal Shoal for years and years if they have seen one on our reef; they will say ‘No’. Until recently that is. We have found another ‘secret spot’ with four of these little critters.

 

The Hawaiian Red Lobster is nocturnal. So, during the day, when we go diving, the lobsters’ are hiding in cavities and crevices in the rock. This does not mean that you cannot see them.  They are still exposed enough so you can make them out clearly and even see the hairs all over their body. But, they are irritated by light. This can be noticed when a torch is shone directly on to them. When this happens they retreat way back into the rock so that they can no longer be seen. This is why we deter any visiting divers not to shine their torches directly onto them, and rather shine their torches just to the side. We don’t want to scare the lobsters away permanently.

You will notice in my photograph that the lobster only has one pincer. Some of the Hawaiian Red Lobsters have one pincer while others have two. In the “secret spot” one lobster has one pincer; two lobsters have two pincers; and I haven’t been able to get a good look at the fourth one to see how many it has. We are not sure why this is.

When you see the size of the lobsters you will see that they are not worth taking. They are too small to braai. If it is taste that you are after then you must come speak to Dolf. Dolf will take you on a free diving expedition to catch some crayfish. This lobster has no value in the fishing industry but it is said to be highly prized in the aquarium trade industry.

I would like to thank Haakon Saestad and John Dench of the Toti Social Divers for the information they provided on the Hawaiian Red Lobster.

-Matthew

June Newsletter

We’ve had an overwhelmingly positive response from the May newsletter, which is always good, as it was slightly different to the previous ones.  With all of you crawling out of the woodwork, I was surprised to see we actually have a readership of more than 5. How much more I am not at liberty to say or in a condition to hope for.

To be honest, there were negative responses as well.  Exactly two. Obviously the definition of “sense of humour” and “tongue in cheek” is a very subjective one to some.

Just to clarify, I was the unscrupulous author of that newsletter, not Matthew, so he is not to blame. I am of course talking - or should I say writing - to the 2 of you who didn’t like it. I actually don’t know why I am writing this, as after your last unpleasant experience, you won’t even begin to read the newsletter.  If you are reading this sentence right now, then you can colour me confused. What colour that would be, is up to you.

One thing I do realize is that our one overseas reader – yes I am making a huge assumption that the official reader count is now 6 – might not understand some of the South African humour, and for that I have no answer.

Ok, real-time issues: What a wasted month for the diving industry on the Shoal. Never has so many lost out on so much in such a short time. No, no rip off from Winston Churchill.

 The whole of Umkomaas was like a ghost town. Not saying there are ghosts here, although some of the local residents are far advanced enough in years to qualify. And buildings too, for that matter. But I digress.  Those of you that managed to rip yourselves away from your desks will agree.  Not that I am digressing, but about the conditions. Probably one of the best months in years as far as conditions went. We’ve had two weeks straight of no wind (at writing of this, going on week three), flat, glassy sea, and at least 15-20m visibility. Current on a couple of days mid month a bit strong, but mostly light and made for great diving. Temperature still high for this time of year, 22-24 degrees Celsius.

Not boding too well for the Sardine Run at this stage. They need colder water. Which begs the question: Why on earth do they call it the Sardine ‘Run’? How do you run if you have no legs (excluding the recent news headliner athlete off course) AND how do you run on water?? Bit of a silly name for it. Sardine Swim surely sounds better. Wow, all that alliteration in one sentence would have made my English teacher proud. Pity its 30 years too late. And she said I’ll never get it right.. pfft.  I guess we should then call the upcoming Comrades marathon this weekend a “Human Run” to keep it uniform. Sounds like Cuban Rum. Wow, I can talk nonsense.

You can tell my train of thought hasn’t left the station. I feel like I have to tell you something of importance but it is not happening. Maybe next month I’ll remember. Maybe I’m part of the Umkomaas Ghosts already. Residents, not buildings.

 

Enjoy our Oceans!

 

-Basie

MAY/JUNE SPECIAL

MAY/JUNE SPECIAL

Do your Open Water, Advanced or Rescue Course with us and students qualify for up to 40% discount on accommodation for the duration of the course.

Contact us now to make your bookings.

May Newsletter

Apologies to the 4 readers of this newsletter for maybe making you jealous. Those 4 readers do not include my mother, or half sister from my uncle’s brother side, who knows of someone down the street from them in Makwassie that once mentioned after a multitude of backyard mampoer that he knows of someone who actually reads this newsletter. Once. But hey, that counts. Makwassie?? There is no diving there..? That dude must have SERIOUSLY been bored.  Or drunk. Probably both. Not unlike you, reader no 5, who is reading this right now. Yes you, don’t look behind you, I’m talking to you. Not saying you are drunk, but definitely bored. Stop wasting time and go and do something constructive.

 

You are still here..?? Ok then, just to make you drool a bit... that time of year is upon us again with flat seas, mild weather and clean water. Up until July, or supposedly so. Best time of the year on this coast. But don’t come down, otherwise we are going to take your money.

 

These pictures were taken on the 6^th May, a perfectly glassy day. How comfortable was your office chair on that day? Careful that the fluorescent lighting doesn’t give you sunburn.

 

 

 

20 meter plus vis and windless. I took a couple of snapshots out at sea not to share with you, but to make you jealous. And maybe to act as an incentive for you to stop sprouting roots in that very chair and to come and dive. Before they have to hack away the cobwebs just to get you out of that chair.

 

Today, the 8^th, was exactly the same. You are missing out. But it’s ok, give that desk of yours a big hug. I am sure he appreciates all the time you spend with him, Quality time. Important.

 

The last couple of weeks the Baited dives were awesome with an abundance of Oceanic Blacktips and some nice playful Tigers. Now if you are picturing a striped furry feline with a tail, whiskers and a big growl, swimming around with Blacktip sharks – you would be 100% correct. Go and tell your friend in the white jacket.

 

What the reef diving has been like I would not know – I am on the boat remember, working hard on wrinkle number 523. Stubborn one that one.

 

One thing I did notice on the surface was two turtles playing leapfrog. Except the one on top didn’t leap high enough and got stuck on the one below. The idiotic expression on it’s face must have been from feeling like a nana in this display of lack of agility.  I assume that that would be the expression if a turtle felt idiotic. Or maybe that was an expression of feeling erotic. Can I say erotic in this newsletter? Well I just did. Twice. 

 

Hey reader no 5, they were NOT leapfrogging. Your burly friend in the white jacket is calling.

 

Enough, before our valued readership shrinks even more..

 

Enjoy our oceans!!

Basie, Clare, Matt & Dolf

 

 

New Structure

What has been happening down the South Coast at Aliwal Dive Centre?

On the 9th of April Pam and Mark left us to start their new adventure in the cold lands of England. We hear that they are doing well and are starting to settle down. Pam and Mark have been a big part of Aliwal Dive Centre and will always be remembered dearly and never forgotten.

With the departure of Pam and Mark; the valuable work that they performed at the centre has now been split amongst the remaining staff. Basie, Clare, the newest staff member: Dolf, and myself: Matthew.

Basie is no longer allowed to go spearing straight after his launches anymore. Much to his dismay, I believe, he now has to do “office time”. He is now running the show, the MMWC. This is not such a bad thing. Now Basie does not get upset if I lead longer dives. If I lead longer dives I am now taking away his office time instead if his spearing time. It is a win win situation. I now have a maximum dive time of 91 minutes.

Clare has her hands full now; she is looking after three boys. Clare is the most important person at Aliwal Dive Centre; as she knows everything about everything at the dive centre. She is busy teaching Basie, Dolf and I how to run the front desk. Or else she will never get a weekend again.

Dolf is a Jack-Of-All-Trades (and a master of some) I for one am very glad to have Dolf back; now I can delegate someone else to clean the stinky bait bucket… ha ha ha…

As for myself, I am still enjoying the lifestyle. Still learning as I go along and collecting a few certs under my belt.

-Matthew

MARCH / APRIL SPECIAL

DIVE PACKAGES

5 dive package = R1450.00 (R290.00 per dive)

8 dive package = R2180.00 (R272.00 per dive)

10 dive package = R2600.00 (R260.00 per dive)

Retail dive price = R330.00

Take a 5 dive package during the months of March and April and get a 6th dive at the package rate

Free kit hire, accommodation and breakfast

October Special.  Book and do your PADI Open water course or Advanced course during the month of October 2012 and get the following:-

FREE KIT HIRE
FREE ACCOMMODATION IN ONE OF OUR DORM ROOMS
FREE BREAKFAST

Book now so as not to be dissappointed.

National Dive Expo

Aliwal Dive Centre will be at the National Dive Expo from the 7th to 9th September.  Come and visit us on stand M20A and enter our competition.

Diving today was great with 23 degree water and 15 - 20 m viz.  5 Turtles were spotted on one dive amongst all the other creatures of the deep.  Congratulations to Katja Vinson for passing her PADI open water course.  School holidays are coming up - book early.

Happenings in June

What a great weekend coming up.  Top Gear are in town on the 16th and 17th AND it is Father's Day on the 17th.  Why not make a weekend of it and come diving.

The Raggies are most defintely here, how about doing your shark speciality.  Contact us for more details.

Pam

Hi check out this link that one of our customers sent us - absolutely awesome
http://divingaroundtheworld.wordpress.com/2012/03/30/diving-with-turtles-and-dolphins/

20m+ viz and 26 degree water. Remember the long weekends that are coming up. Book super early to secure your spaces. What awesome diving.

Aliwal is dressed to impress on this Valentine's Day. 20+m viz and 26 degree water. Come on and share this awesome reef with us.