Aliwal Shoal
The rocky reef Aliwal Shoal is about 5 km off the coast of KwaZulu-Natal , South Africa . It emerged from a sand dune about 80,000 years ago. With the shifting of the continental plates and rising sea levels , the dune was flooded. Aquatic plants and marine animals populated the new habitat. Over the thousands of years, the subsoil solidified more and more through growth of mussels and corals .
Aliwal Shoal got its name after the sinking of the three-masted ship Aliwal in 1849. The wrecks of the ships Nebo (sunk in 1884) and Produce (sunk cargo ship in 1974) lie near the reef.
Hard and soft corals now inhabit Aliwal Shoal. However, the sea in this region is too cold for tropical coral diversity. The reef is home to many different species of tropical and subtropical fish species and other marine organisms such as sea turtles , dolphins , humpback whales . Between August and November, many sharks gather at Aliwal Shoal to mate. Various species of rays such as the blue spotted rays also use the area to meet at the mating season. The reef is supplied with plankton by ocean currents.
Individual evidence
- ↑ http://www.sharkinfo.ch/SI1_00d/aliwal.html
- ↑ http://natgeotv.com/de/suedafrikas-geheimnisvolle-unterwasseroase/mehr ( Page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
Coordinates: 30 ° 16 ′ 1.2 ″ S , 30 ° 53 ′ 14.3 ″ E