Pictures
No pictures for this dive
-
Surface interval:5 mins
-
Temp: Surf 27°C Bottom 22°C
-
Dive type : Drift, Raggies Cave, Aliwal Shoal
-
Visibility: Good
Water: Salt
Recent Divers in Aliwal Shoal
Data provided by EOL.org
Species Identified
Ophisurus serpens (Linnaeus, 1758) (Eel)
Inhabiting the continental shelf on sand or mud bottom . Buried with only its head exposed . Also found in estuaries .
Inhabiting the continental shelf on sand or mud bottom . Buried with only its head exposed . Also found in estuaries .
Carcharhinus limbatus (Müller and Henle, 1839) (Black-tip shark)
The fast-swimming blacktip shark is an active fish that can be seen leaping out of the water and spinning before dropping back into the sea . This agile spinning behaviour is thought to be used while feeding on small scho...
Read More
The fast-swimming blacktip shark is an active fish that can be seen leaping out of the water and spinning before dropping back into the sea . This agile spinning behaviour is thought to be used while feeding on small schooling fishes, such as herrings or sardines. The sharks propel themselves vertically, up through the school, spinning and snapping in all directions until they breach the surface . As well as feeding on schools of small bony fish, the blacktip shark occasionally preys on squid, cuttlefish, octopi, crabs and lobsters . Blacktip sharks often occur in large schools, which with their highly energetic temperament, can result in competitive feeding frenzies when confronted with immense shoals of fish or the waste of a shrimp trawler being dumped overboard . Mating in the blacktip shark occurs from May to June, and pregnancy lasts for about one year . The viviparous blacktip shark gives birth in shallow, coastal waters, to between one and ten pups in May or June. The young remain in the calm, food-rich nursery area until autumn .
Taeniura lymma (Forsskål, 1775) (Bluespotted ribbontail ray)
Blue-spotted stingrays live alone or in small groups , migrating in large schools into shallow sandy areas on the rising tide in order to feed, and dispersing back into the ocean as the tide falls to shelter in the coral c...
Read More
Blue-spotted stingrays live alone or in small groups , migrating in large schools into shallow sandy areas on the rising tide in order to feed, and dispersing back into the ocean as the tide falls to shelter in the coral crevices of the reef . Feeding most commonly occurs during the day, but sometimes also at night , and the diet consists largely of worms, shrimps, crabs, molluscs and small fish . Prey is often detected through electroreception, a system which senses the electrical fields produced by the prey . Not all small fish and invertebrates are potential prey, as blue-spotted stingrays can often be found at 'cleaning stations', areas of reef where large fish line up and tiny fish or shrimp pick off their dead skin and parasites . In courtship, males often follow females, using their acutely sensitive 'nose' to detect a chemical signal emitted by the female that indicates she is receptive. Breeding occurs from late spring through the summer, and gestation can last anything from four months to a year . Reproduction is ovoviviparous, meaning females give birth to live pups that have hatched from egg cases inside the uterus . Up to seven pups are born per litter and each juvenile is born with the distinctive blue markings of its parents in miniature .
Dermochelys coriacea VANDELLI 1761 (Leatherback Turtle)
Adult leatherbacks feed mainly on jellyfish and other soft-bodied species . They are exceptional amongst reptiles because they are partly able to maintain an elevated body temperature via thermal inertia and a specially or...
Read More
Adult leatherbacks feed mainly on jellyfish and other soft-bodied species . They are exceptional amongst reptiles because they are partly able to maintain an elevated body temperature via thermal inertia and a specially organized blood supply system in their shoulders . These features allow leatherback turtles to travel to cold waters and to dive to depths greater than 1,000 meters in search of prey . To nest, females emerge at night on nesting beaches to lay their eggs. Using their rear flippers they excavate deep 'boot shaped' nests into which roughly 100 eggs are laid. Around 20 percent of the eggs in each nest are small and yolkless . Individuals return to nest every few years, but within one season a female can lay four to ten clutches of eggs . The sex of the hatchlings is influenced by incubation temperatures: hotter nests produce all females; cooler nests produce all males .
All the data in this dive will be erased (profile, notes, fish list...) and cannot be recovered. Are you sure?
You need to select at least one dive to import your dives in Diveboard.
This dive will be copied into your own logbook.
Please select which details you would like to keep.
This dive has been copied into your own logbook.
We are participating today in the startup contest Techcrunch Disrupt. Support Diveboard by voting for us!
All it takes is a click!
This popup will only show once. Don't forget to vote before closing it!
South Africa
Date: 2019-11-23 - 09:15
Max Depth: 20m Duration: 30mins
Saw a few Raggies , a turtle , some ribbon stingray and a mantaray along side with a potato bass it was awsome