A diverâs magical find shows âcleaning stationâ of highly endangered devil rays in KZN
By Travel Reporter
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Aliwal Shoal, one of two Marine Protected Areas (MPA) on the KwaZulu-Natal South Coast, is a world-renowned dive site attracting adventurers looking to swim with hundreds of sharks of varying species, including black tips and ragged-tooth sharks.
It has emerged that Aliwal Shoal is also home to several highly endangered shortfin devil rays that use the area as a cleaning station.
Michelle Carpenter, a KZN diver and PhD student specialising in sharks and rays, discovered the Aliwal Shoal devil ray cleaning station in 2020. At the time, she didnât realise how many rays lived in and frequented Aliwal Shoal.