Aliwal Shoal · South Africa · Cave & cavern · Reef · Drift

Raggies Cave

Ragged-tooth sharks rest in the caves from July to November.

Area photo: Georgina Jones · CC BY-SA 4.0

Raggies Cave is one of the caves cut into the Crown, the shallow main body of Aliwal Shoal, where the rock is broken up into small caves, ledges and swim-throughs rich in fish and invertebrates. Ragged-tooth sharks rest in holes like this one, and the current that runs along the shoal turns most visits into a drift past the openings rather than a static hover.

Also known as Raggie Cave.

Where it is and how deep

Depths on a shared scale to 40 m (130 ft); dashed lines mark common certification limits.

30.2619° S, 30.8279° EPublished position for this site.

The dive

The boats are RIBs with ten to sixteen seats, launched from the Mkomazi River mouth at Umkomaas, and they put you in over the Crown, the shallowest part of the shoal. The Crown runs from about 6 metres around the Northern Pinnacles to around 30 metres on its seaward side and averages 12.5 metres, and the cave itself is a shallow dive to about 18 metres. The rock here is anything but flat: small caves, ledges and swim-throughs cut through it, and it is rich in fish and in invertebrates, octopus included.

The sharks are the reason to be here. Ragged-tooth sharks, known locally as raggies, prefer holes, caves and depressions large enough to hold them, and they hang in the openings swimming slowly in a semi-sleep state. Come in low and settle rather than swimming at them. The shoal often runs a strong current from either the north or the south, so plan the dive as a drift: work past the openings, take what shelter the rock gives you, and keep moving with the group rather than fighting back to one feature.

Marine life and season

Sand tiger sharks
Octopus & cuttlefish

Month-by-month season rating for Raggies Cave
Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Good	Good	Good	Good	Good	Good	Prime	Prime	Prime	Prime	Prime	Good

Season follows Aliwal Shoal: The reef is dived all year round; ragged-tooth sharks congregate from July to November, bull sharks gather from December to April.

Know before you go

Ragged-tooth sharks in the cave swim slowly in a semi-sleep state and can bump against divers, so leave room at the openings and let a shark take the line it wants.
The current runs strong from either the north or the south and can reverse between days, so dives here are drifts and you should stay with the group rather than swimming back upcurrent.

Dive videos

Raggies Cave - Aliwal Shoal Scuba Diving 4K - July 2024 · South Africa Underwater on YouTube

Questions divers ask

When do ragged-tooth sharks gather at Aliwal Shoal?+

Two windows are published: July to November, when the sharks congregate on the shoal to mate, and May to August, when they migrate up the east coast of southern Africa and mate off KwaZulu-Natal. Either way it is the southern winter.

Do you need a permit to dive the Crown?+

Yes. A permit is required to scuba dive in any South African MPA, and the Crown sits in a restricted zone of about 2.5 square kilometres inside the Aliwal Shoal Marine Protected Area, bounded by twelve points on the 25 metre isobath.