In June 2015 Mick Todd and I dived Aliwal Shoal. This was the final leg of a three-week South African dive trip which had taken us from False Bay up along the east coast to Umkomaas just south of Durban. We had been plagued by poor diving conditions and a bad cold. Poor Mick had only managed one dive in the three weeks. Only the previous day we had both passed up a days diving at Protea Banks as the diving necessitated a negative entry and rapid descent. With our streaming head colds this would not have been wise.

But the worst of the cold was now behind us and “Aliwal Dive Centre RIB2” ferried us out to Aliwal Shoal, a large sandstone reef about five kilometres offshore. Our first dive was on the wreck of MV Produce, a Norwegian bulk carrier which had hit the reef in 1974. Our second dive was at Cathedral. Or more accurately near Cathedral as I think our dive guide made a navigational error. The highlight for me was seeing three Natal Seacatfish which are endemic to this coastline. I tried to get close to them but unfortunately that did not prove possible. But I did get close to a couple of Hawksbill Turtles and three “Raggies” otherwise known as Grey Nurse Sharks in Australia.