Rating – High Season
There is no main season to dive the Inside Edge. Inside edge gets a comfortable year round 7/10.
Rating – Low Season
Not rated
Rating – As A Dive
Not rated
Description
Inside Edge, as its name suggests runs roughly North to South along the shoreward side of the Aliwal Shoal. It is an excellent dive in the right conditions.
It is suitable for a mixed group of divers as it has a gently sloping gradient but does have caves and drop off’s which caters for even the most adventurous advanced divers.
In places it has some of the most spectacular topography that the Aliwal Shoal has to offer, along with the marine life to match. When it is a toss up weather or not to dive specific sites such as Produce or The Cathedral due to current.
The Inside Edge is a perfect alternative as it stretches along for approximately 3km. It is a very easy dive for a Divemaster to lead for if you are headed North you simply keep the reef on your right hand side and visa versa
It is best when there is a gentle current as you simply drift along and enjoy the ride. If there is no current it is a difficult dive to do, but always produces the goods.
With Great fish life and topography. A very positive point regarding the Inside Edge is that it caters for a broad spectrum of divers as the drop off is not to extreme and therefore caters for Openwater divers to Advanced divers.
Location
Not specified.
Depth
The depth varies between 14m to 26m. As a personal preference I would advise divers to stay at 18m as there are caves and swimthroughs along this contour that wold be missed if you stayed at the bottom.
Works Best
As previously stated it works best in a slight current that you can gently drift along with. It depends on the strength of the current as to where the skipper should drop you as you may run out of reef before the end of your dive.
There is also some work for the DM on this dive. If you are diving the Inside Edge in a strong South – North current and you run out of reef, and have an experienced DM.
Some will be able to get the group together before the end of the dive, and swim them around the northern tip of the reef and hide from the current to enjoy the rest of the dive.
Famous For
The most notable feature of the Inside Edge is the Aliwal Express. This is the sometimes-extreme current that is present on the Aliwal Shoal.
Some divers say that on a clean day with strong currents it is probably the closest thing to flying unassisted that man will come to.
Dangers
Apart from the usual marine hazards such as Scorpion Fish etc. Divers have to be constantly aware of their depth and their air consumption. Due to the gentle gradient one often plans an 18 dive only to find oneself at 26m and low on air.
Visibility
Not specified.