Natural processes, such as the fossilization of sand dunes, created Aliwal Shoal thousands of years ago. Lying between three and five kilometres off the Umkomaas shoreline, Aliwal Shoal, with its warm water and diversity of tropical fish, is rated as one of the top ten dive sites in the world and is the best dive site in South Africa after Sodwana. The site is renowned for its sharks, especially the ragged tooths that like to lurk in the caves along the shoal but fortunately they tend to populate here during their gestation period, during which time they are not aggressive.