The best of the best - Mozambique Diving Spots

[Where2Next]

I am really struggling with where to go diving at the end of October. I have just about narrowed it down to every dive spot in Mozambique, lol! I have read lots of reviews of several sites and opinions are all over the place. I think a lot of people are giving opinions based on snorkeling, they seem to think diving and snorkeling go hand in hand. We have 8 nights, and we wish to stay in one spot. Any first hand feedback on diving these spots in late October would be appreciated.

Inhambane (Tofo Beach area)
One of the islands in Bazaruto (thinking benguerra)
Vilanculos (access to the Bazaruto islands from the coast)
Pemba
One of the Quirimbus Islands
I have eliminated Ponto do Ouro

If money was not a factor, what would you choose and why? Thanks in advance for your opinions!

 

[cephalopod2]

If money was not a factor I would book in the Quirimbas. Why? They are seriously remote. Not a lot of people travel there and even fewer dive there. When I've been lucky enough to visit seriously remote locations, even when the diving was not best in class, I found the overall experience luminous and haunting.

The Moz trip after that I would book Tofo, in whale shark season for variety. I dove Tofo in Mar 2014 on the recommendation of an extremely well travelled friend and enjoyed the macro and mantas. The Tofo whale sharks are typically only seen while snorkelling and are smaller than Galapagos whale sharks (if that matters to you - I see from your profile you have dove Darwin and Wolf). Most people believe the better Tofo sites are the deeper sites further from shore; these are basically 100 ft square profiles, so limited bottom time, even on Nitrox. In March between stormy weather and high winds cancelling some dives, plus LAM delays, 11 days on the ground was not enough. However if you were already in the local time zone and acclimatized to the anti-malaria meds, with good weather 10 days might be enough to really dig in to Tofo diving.

The folks I met in Tofo who had just come from Vilanculos said they preferred the diving in Tofo.

Where I have dove is in my profile for context. I have not dove the Quirimbas (nor have I dove Moz in Oct) but if money were no object I would have.

 

[Where2Next]

Thank you for taking the time to reply. You have given me some direction! I think going to Tofo at the end of October would put us in/near whale shark season - so that would be fun! We did see a monster in Galapagos - but I only saw 1. The vis was really atrocious the week we dove.

I am going to do a bit more research on Quirimbas - the safari portion seems to be eating up quite a big portion of our budget - ouch!

 

[cephalopod2]

Happy to help Where2.

If you do decide on Tofo, I have a couple earlier posts with info about the dive op options (including their bottom time limits, Nitrox, etc), the estuary trip, accommodations, etc - for example Recommendations for Tofo in July

I believe May-Oct is 'humpback season', Not sure how common whale sharks are in Tofo in that time but hopefully someone with more Moz experience will chime in, or you may find info in past posts on this forum.

Please let me know what you decide on in the end! Yours is a great problem to have.

 

[Where2Next]

I shall ... and it tis!

Thanks for the link - I'll check it out!

 

[johnnyafrica]

I dove in Tofo, Vilanculos and Quirimbas.

Mozambique has some fantastic diving. The north however is the true gem of the country as tourism hasn't really taken form here yet. ALsol, the nicest beaches I've ever seen are in this archipelago. The underwater life in the quirimbas is fantastic as well. Very colorful reefs and big schools of fish.

Tofo is nice too especially if you're after mantas and whale sharks (depending on season of course) but it is a much more discovered place as it's a favorite getaway for South Africans.

Vilanculos wasn't anything spectacular in my opinion but worth a look if you're in the area.

Anyway, feel free to check out my blog too if you want to read about my trip there. Sadly, I had just started diving when I went to Moz so didn't have a camera with me

 

[Where2Next]

Thanks Jonny for the info, and I read your blog posts too. Sounds like one of many fabulous trips! Did you dive in the Bazaruto islands? One of the reasons I want to go there is because of the dugongs. Did you see any?

 

[VictorSaZa]

Hi Barracuda and other people in the forum,

My name is Victor and I'd like to ask you about diving in Mozambique. I know the thread is old but you seem to me the most reliable source of opinion about scuba diving there after some hours of googling.

I'm travelling with my girlfriend next September to Mozambique for diving. We'll go first for two weeks of "inland tourism" to South Africa, and afterwards move to Mozambique for diving. Initially we thought about going to Quirimbus, but now we are not sure. We knew it would be expensive but maybe not as much as it appears to be, and that's a factor, for sure. But the point that worries us the most is that we're not sure we will find a diving-focused infraestructure over there. I mean, we could make the effort and expend a big about of money staying at Iboh, where we've found a relatively affordable lodgement. But we're not sure we'll find a dive center who we'd be able to join for diving different islands and/or a big enough number of sites. Even if the dive centers of the big, more expensive, resorts would accept us in their boats; they seem to dive only nearby their own islands. It seems they are more oriented to "sun and beach" tourism for rich people, so I don't know if it's a suitable area to do some 10-15 dives for 7-8 nights of stay (our plan). Could you recommend any dive resort (truly specialised) in the area, even if expensive? (or any other way to stick to our planning)

If we finally have to rule out quirimbus; I see most of you prefer Tofo. Our second idea was Bazaruto, but we're now reconsidering it, so I'd like to ask you some questions about them:
-I guess we shouldn't expect to see dugongs or humbbacks underwater in any of the places, unless being really lucky. But where could we have bigger chances? (that includes Quirimbus)
-Where will we have more chances of whale shark encounters? Which of the places has better macro and walls?
-Could we dive different spots and islands of Bazaruto from Vilanculos? any recommended dive center &/or logement?
-Do you think splitting our stay (half in Vilanculos/Bazaruto and half in Tofo) is a reasonable option for those 7-8 nights?

Thank you very much for your attention and help and please excuse such a long post!

 

[Coelacanthic]

It might be a bit late, but have just returned from Situ, north of Pemba. As usual, the diving was great. As there are only 7 chalets,. the diving and accomodation is not crowded. This is my 7th trip.,

 

[Umuntu]

It might be a bit late, but have just returned from Situ, north of Pemba. As usual, the diving was great. As there are only 7 chalets,. the diving and accomodation is not crowded. This is my 7th trip.,

Situ is a wonderful little oasis !

And all solar powered with no generators within earshot.