Oceanic Blacktip Sharks, dark brown-bronze in colour with a lighter underbelly, can be found in the warm temperate oceans of the world. Although normally difficult to get close to, bait can change that!

Aliwal Shoal, the highly rated dive site, lies approximately 5 kilometres off the coast of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, near Umkoomas. I was there as a member of Andy Murch’s Big Fish Expeditions’ “South African Endemic Shark Diving Safari 2022”. Also on the trip were fellow guests Tig, Jochem and Seb as well as Andy, our dive guide Ernest and our ‘above water guide’ Warren. We enjoyed four dives there but unquestionably the highlight was a baited dive with Oceanic Blacktip Sharks. In South Africa, they are found in the East coast estuaries of Kosi Bay and in open ocean, as far north as the tropics. Fast swimmers, they are medium-sized sharks with black-tipped pectoral, dorsal and tail fins.