Mozambique

Mozambique offers world-class diving along 3,000km of seemingly endless coastline.

Much of the coast remains unexplored and adventurous travellers are being rewarded with some truly unforgettable experiences.

The country is situated on the east coast of Africa, bordered by South Africa and Swaziland to the south, Zimbabwe to the west, and Zambia, Malawi and Tanzania to the north.

Located in the Tropics, Mozambique’s weather is warm and humid, especially during the summer months – October to April – when it can become uncomfortably so. A good time to visit is during the winter months of May to September, when the air is cooler and the water still warm.

This former Portuguese colony gained independence in 1975 but was then caught up in a bloody 17-year civil war, which eventually took it from being one of Africa’s richest countries, to one of its poorest by the time the country gained peace in 1992. Despite the setbacks of recent floods and droughts, Mozambique is recovering as fast as it declined and it now has one of Africa’s fastest-developing economies.

Following the war, much of the early diving centred around Ponto D’Oro and Ponto Malangane, located close to the border with South Africa. The small motel and tented camps that quickly sprang up continue to host visiting South Africans and overseas tourist alike. Sites such as the Pinnacles once attracted many sharks. That was until the Taiwanese long-liners moved in. Dive sites are reached via RIBs launched through the surf. The surf launches in Mozambique are usually less dramatic and less energy-sapping than those that take place in South Africa.

Bass City, one of the most popular dive sites, is named after the friendly potato bass, and Three Sisters is a stunning dive on which you will find a beautiful archway covered with soft corals. As with nearly all of the Mozambique coast, whale sharks are common here between November and May.

Several hundred kilometres to the north, off Inhambane, some of the best diving in Mozambique can be found. Inhambane was where Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama first came ashore in Mozambique some 500 years ago. Back then, he called the place ‘Land of the Gentle People’. You’ll find the people are still both gentle and friendly – as long as you don’t point a camera at them!

Manta Reef, some 20km from Tofo beach and just 12km from Guinjata Bay, is a world-class dive site. It is centred round two amphitheatres, which play host to just about every fish you would want to see, from schools of colourful big-eyes, grunts and goatfish to squadrons of devil rays, barracuda and, of course, mantas. The latter are virtually guaranteed as these are some of their favourite cleaning stations. Other popular sites for mantas include the Office, where you may also find shark activity if you’re lucky; and Paindane, a beautiful drift dive over spectacular corals and vast numbers of fish, rays and sharks. Sadly, Paindane is popular with the fishermen too. Sherwood Forest, named after the masses of green coral trees to be found there, is also well worth a look.

Accommodation is in a variety of well-appointed lodges situated between 10-20km from town, usually reached via dirt roads. To get to Inhambane you can drive overland but it is best to fly in from South Africa, either from Lanseria near Johannesburg, or Nelspruit, which is close to the Kruger National Park – this makes a great stopover if you fancy seeing Africa’s topside big five.

Around 180km north from Inhambane lies Pomene, where the diving is equally spectacular but the accommodation standards are not so hot. The reefs of Zambia and Sylvia Banks rise from the depths of more than 40m to a shallow 6m, and attract swarms of tropical fish, which in turn attract game fish such as marlin, sailfish and giant kingfish. Mantas and whale sharks are also common here.

Still further north is the Bazaruto Archipelago, a string of beautiful islands that offer the quintessential tropical holiday, in five-star accommodation on palm-tree-shaded beaches. The scenery is stunning and the diving isn’t bad either. The northern reefs of Bazaruto, Rainbow Runner and Twelve Mile Reef are both great for game fish sightings. Off Benguerra Island, Two, Five and Six-Mile Reefs are all good. Two-Mile offers some amazing snorkelling, while at Kingfish Alley (The Gap) you can sometimes spot dugongs.

Wherever you dive in Mozambique you are bound to find something special. Much of the coast remains unexplored, and now is the time to visit.

When to go
All year round. Between May and November the air temperature is in the more pleasant mid-20ºC range. It can become very hot and humid in the summer months between November and April, when temperatures can reach as high as 40°C. The water temperature never falls below 21°C ,and averages around 24°C.

Equipment
A 5mm wetsuit is ideal.

Marine life
Best to go between November and May for whale sharks. Humpback whales can be seen from June to September.

Key Dives
Manta Reef and the Office: big manta cleaning stations
Zambia: sharks and game fish
Paindane: drift dive with whale sharks, guitar, black-tip and reef sharks.

READERS VERDICT

JAN REYNIERS
Experienced Diver

‘After more than 1,500 dives all over the world, Mozambique went from unlisted, to the top three in my book. On one dive I drifted along a slope and had a feeling there was something there. I looked up and, just behind me, very close, were two magnificent whale sharks. At Paindane Express I went from excitement to ecstasy as I saw both white-spotted and bowmouth guitarfish, zebra shark, dolphins, a huge grouper and, to round off the dive in style, a very friendly whale shark. Things got even better when we dived Manta Reef. This place really makes you feel at one with nature, especially when you look into the eyes of a massive manta, then at a squadron of mobula flying over you on their way to distant places – then you smile and know what diving is all about.’

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Scuba Diving Mozambique