Diving Mozambique ... seeking info

[giggs]

hi , i have just git back from tofo beach this was a second stint there.. wass great and lived up to many whaleshark and mantas.. i dove with peri peri divers again and it was great they are linked with the scientists in the area which helps.. all the great info ever needed.. go to tofo its awesome

 

[Ste Wart]

Thanks Deefstes ... I was hoping you'd weigh in. Plans are just beginning, and destinations are still very flexible. One thing I'm concerned about is boat entries/exits. We're all pretty good divers, but older folks ... and one in particular has knees that just don't work as well as they used to. From what I've read, most dive ops do beach entries in RIBs, and the diving conditions can be a bit rugged. That may influence our decision if it is the case. Of more concern is getting back onto the boat after a dive.

I've also noticed on a couple websites that dive ops put some pretty stringent time limitations on dives (30-45 minutes, typically). That's pretty short ... is there a reason, and is that the norm? Our dives at other destinations we've been to typically fall into the 60-70 minute range ... even with AL80's.

Also, does anyone in that part of the world use nitrox? Being older folks, we have a preference for nitrox over air when it's available.

Any info from someone who dives there is truly valued ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

I used to work in Tofo. There is no way around the beach entry's if you dive with the dive ops there. This usual means pulling the boat into waist deep water, then the captain jumps up and points the boat into the surf. Ladies up next and then guys. You do have to have a good spring to get into the RIB. Getting back in the boat is usually easier as the surf doesn't affect the dive sites, the ride in to the beach is always memorable

As for the Dive times. There is not much multi-level opportunities off of Tofo ( no idea for the rest of the coast). For instance Manta Reef; the main draw in Tofo, is 27 metres pretty much the whole dive. You just can't get a long dive time out of that depth. Other dives were deeper, I forget the name of the divesite, but it had a max dive time of 19 minutes , however it was a 36m dive shallowing slightly.
When I was there the diving was quite pricey, mainly due to the economic hiccup of 2008. However that did not excuse the fact that a tank of Nitrox cost 10 euros, was blended in a standard tank.

However whatever else there is to say about the set-up in Tofo. The diving is stunning. The fish life incredible and the currents will make you s**t yourself. The negative entries on all dives are adrenalin filled dive-bombs to the ocean floor. Hope you can equalise quickly!!!

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

Thanks all for your feedback. After sharing it with my friends, we've decided to look elsewhere ... possibly a southern Red Sea liveaboard.

I'd still like to try Tofo sometime ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)