Aliwal Shoal & Tala Game Reserve

A bit outside of Durban, you’ll find two completely different but equally worth-it experiences: Aliwal Shoal for diving and Tala Game Reserve for a more relaxed, close-up safari.

Aliwal Shoal is one of those dive sites where you genuinely have no idea what you’re going to see, it could be something small like an octopus or suddenly something very not small like a shark. Tala, on the other hand, is a small private reserve known for quieter, more intimate wildlife encounters (and, for me personally, very important: ostriches).

Both delivered. Big time.

Where to Stay

We based ourselves in Scottburgh, which is perfectly located for diving at Aliwal Shoal and still manageable for a day trip to Tala.

We stayed at Marilyn Court Flat 3, which cost around $25 per person per night. A big apartment with kitchen, affordable, and exactly what you need when you’re mostly out diving or driving around anyway.

Aliwal Shoal

Aliwal Shoal is not your typical colourful coral reef. It’s more of a rocky reef system mixed with sandy patches, but what it lacks in coral, it makes up for in big marine life. This place is especially known for:

• Ragged-tooth sharks (raggies)

• Blacktip sharks

• Bull sharks

• Occasional tiger sharks

• And basically anything else that feels like showing up that day

I booked my dives with Blue Ocean Dive Resort, one normal reef dive and one baited shark dive. You can book dives through WhatsApp. I paid in total 140 dollars for both dives including rental gear, which is quite expensive. However, it was completely worth it.

The baited dives don't happen every day, so you have to book it in advance to make sure you know exactly when it's happening. Since this dive centre gets a lot of visitors, baited dives happen quite often depending on conditions.

Diving in South Africa is already an experience before you even hit the water.

Most dives here are beach launches, meaning you head out on a pontoon boat straight through breaking waves in the Indian Ocean… which is, let’s say, not calm. Expect:

• Getting absolutely smacked by waves

• Questioning your life choices briefly

• Potential back pain

• And motion sickness if you’re unlucky (I was unlucky. Multiple times. It was BAD.)

Take seasickness pills. Seriously.

Dive 1: “Just a normal dive” (which it wasn’t)

Our first dive was a standard reef dive, and it already delivered. We had ragged-tooth sharks (raggies) cruising around the site, and if you stay calm and don’t act like a panicked fish, they get surprisingly close. They’re curious, not aggressive, which makes the whole experience feel more calm than you’d expect… despite the amount of teeth involved.

And yes, when there are raggies, there are sometimes teeth lying around, and yes, you can take them (even within a marine protected area).

Dive 2: Baited Shark Dive

This was the one I was really there for. Baited dives don’t happen every day, so you need to book in advance and hope conditions are good. Luckily, this dive centre runs them quite often. They drop two buckets of mackerel into the water and… well, that’s when things escalate.

Within minutes:

• Around 30 blacktip sharks showed up

• Constant movement everywhere

• Sharks weaving past you like it’s rush hour

And then, as a bonus, we had a bull shark join the scene, which definitely changes the vibe a bit. If you’re there in the right season, you might even get tiger sharks, but no luck for me this time. We stayed underwater for about 40 minutes, and the sharks stayed the entire time, completely unbothered by us. At some points, they were so close their fins were brushing past us. It’s one of those dives where you just sit there thinking: ok this is slightly ridiculous but also amazing

Tala Game Reserve

About an hour from Durban, Tala is a small private game reserve, and honestly, a really nice change of pace after the intensity of bigger parks. It’s known for:

• Ostriches

• Giraffes (very close encounters)

• Wildebeest, blesbok

• Rhinos, zebras

• And a surprisingly good spot for birding

Entry fees were around 120 rand per person + a vehicle fee, and you can easily self-drive the entire park.

We mainly went because I had one very specific goal: see ostriches up close (don’t ask, I just needed it).

And yes, we got them.

But the real highlight was, once again, something we didn’t fully expect, a private encounter with a group of 10+ giraffes. They came incredibly close to the car, completely relaxed, just doing their thing while we sat there like: why does this keep happening to us (not complaining though).

Final Thoughts

Aliwal Shoal and Tala are such a good combination if you’re around Durban. One day you’re in the water surrounded by sharks, slightly overstimulated and questioning your life choices, and the next you’re quietly watching giraffes and ostriches in a peaceful reserve.

Aliwal is intense, unpredictable, and absolutely worth it if you’re into diving and big marine life. Tala is the opposite, small, calm, and perfect if you want a more personal safari experience without the chaos of bigger parks.

Both felt very different from the typical “South Africa highlights,” and honestly, that’s what made them stand out.