SA/Mozambique in Feb?

[Malene]

2) Difficult diving. The same like in SA, but probably unknown for the most other people. Every day you must launch this boat and then go 30-50 min under the sun to the dive site. If it's double-dive launch, then you'll stay on the boat for few hours, because you should have some time between dives. And african sun will quickly explain you that it was a mistake.
3) Random. This Is Africa. can happen any time at any place. You're waiting 2 hours for start, because the engine on the boat is broken? TIA. You had an amazing dive yesterday, but today the same place is a with no fish and 10m visibility? TIA. You can't go diving for 3 days, because the ocean is upside down? Wellcome to Africa.
4) Reefs. You can find nice fish and other animals (sometimes, see p.3), but the reefs here are . This is just rocks with small corals. Sometime without any coral. And if someone tell me, that it's a good reefs, then he just didn't see the really good reefs.
5) Price. For this money you can easy find the better place for diving. MANY PLACES (maybe this is not about the people from SA, who can come here with the car, without visa and so on).

Yes, I can say that I've seen nice stuff here. Mantas, Leopard Sharks, Tunas, Turtles, Morays etc... BUT that was few times and I'm here for 2 months. And what is about people, who come for 1-2 weeks? You should be very lucky to see something.

Waoo... Such a positive attitude, you'll make a great DM! Please make sure you tell us where you'll be working... :sly:

 

[SEABEAST]

What the problem my friend? You wanna hear beautiful lie? Sorry, but I hate people who talk all the time. For me diving it's not about money. Honest attitude is better than positive attitude.

 

[ToPpS]

Well I'm heading up to Ponta over valentines weekend with my Dive club. It'll be my first time diving in Mozambique so I'm hoping that the diving is actually half decent.

If you want something different from your trip to SA, you can try Tiger Shark diving. It's like white shark diving but without the cage. There are a number of operators that offer the experience at Aliwal Shoal.

Blue Wilderness | Home
:: The Shoal ::
:: Blue Vision - Tiger Shark Diving ::
:: Oceanworx - Aliwal Shoal, South Africa ::

 

[MUBJ]

Hey Seabeast. Thanks for a truly honest post. I would like to hear others experience on mozambique as well?

I am tired of hearing everybody talking about world class diving... World class diving is dependent on a lot of factors and one is definitely the eye of the beholder. Another is sheer luck.

I rate for example Indonesia/Philippines far higher diving wise than the Maldives/Fiji/Red Sea/Great Barrier Reef and wont go near the Caribbean again. Costa Rica was probably like you describe Moz. Diving was unpredictable. Bad viz, not many corals and colors but that one dive seeing a wall of rays marching towards you and making a swim through made the whole trip worth it.

I was looking to go to the quirimbas or bazaruto archipelago but your post is making me reconsider because it is NOT cheap to go there from Denmark.

 

[SEABEAST]

I spoke with a man who had Bazaruto experience and he wasn't very happy with this place. It's ok, but expensive. Accommodation and diving there are more expensive than anywhere else in Mozambique. And diving is not better. That what he said. I was looking to this place also, just to have my own experience, but unfortunatelly I'll go home on the next week.

p.s. Some photos from today. Not all the time it's the like this, but the most time. Maybe in winter season it will be better.

 

[bloo]

I dived in Morrungulo, this is a place between Inhambane and Pomene. Probably this is the best place for diving in Mozambique. Many years nobody dived here, because there was no road to this place... BUT after my Red Sea and Maldives experience it's a ........... for many reasons:
2) Difficult diving. The same like in SA, but probably unknown for the most other people. Every day you must launch this ...... boat and then go 30-50 min under the sun to the dive site. If it's double-dive launch, then you'll stay on the boat for few hours, because you should have some time between dives. And african sun will quickly explain you that it was a mistake.
3) Random. This Is Africa. ..... can happen any time at any place. You're waiting 2 hours for start, because the engine on the boat is broken? TIA. You had an amazing dive yesterday, but today the same place is a ..... with no fish and 10m visibility? TIA. You can't go diving for 3 days, because the ocean is upside down? Wellcome to Africa.
4) Reefs. You can find nice fish and other animals (sometimes, see p.3), but the reefs here are ...... This is just rocks with small corals. Sometime without any coral. And if someone tell me, that it's a good reefs, then he just didn't see the really good reefs.
5) Price. For this money you can easy find the better place for diving. MANY PLACES (maybe this is not about the people from SA, who can come here with the car, without visa and so on).

Yes, I can say that I've seen nice stuff here. Mantas, Leopard Sharks, Tunas, Turtles, Morays etc... BUT that was few times and I'm here for 2 months. And what is about people, who come for 1-2 weeks? You should be very lucky to see something.

Ouch, that's harsh. Especially as you only dived in one spot of such a big country and coast line! I've been there twice (Punto du Oura) and couldn't disagree more on every single one of your points.

Punto is also very easy to get to. Hired car up to border from where you can get a transfer costing very little.

I can also highly recommend Phambuka Dive Camp - great people who run & operate it.

As for Sodwana, I can recommend Reefteach.

 

[Big fish63]

Well I'm heading up to Ponta over valentines weekend with my Dive club. It'll be my first time diving in Mozambique so I'm hoping that the diving is actually half decent.

If you want something different from your trip to SA, you can try Tiger Shark diving. It's like white shark diving but without the cage. There are a number of operators that offer the experience at Aliwal Shoal.

Blue Wilderness | Home
:: The Shoal ::
:: Blue Vision - Tiger Shark Diving ::
:: Oceanworx - Aliwal Shoal, South Africa ::

hi topps, can you let me know how your trip goes at ponta... also i was just wondering since you seem to dive in s.africa a bit have you heard of aqua planet on shelly beach?

 

[Cape of Good Hope]

I dived in Morrungulo, this is a place between Inhambane and Pomene. Probably this is the best place for diving in Mozambique. Many years nobody dived here, because there was no road to this place... BUT after my Red Sea and Maldives experience it's a for many reasons:
2) Difficult diving. The same like in SA, but probably unknown for the most other people. Every day you must launch this boat and then go 30-50 min under the sun to the dive site. If it's double-dive launch, then you'll stay on the boat for few hours, because you should have some time between dives. And african sun will quickly explain you that it was a mistake.
3) Random. This Is Africa. can happen any time at any place. You're waiting 2 hours for start, because the engine on the boat is broken? TIA. You had an amazing dive yesterday, but today the same place is a with no fish and 10m visibility? TIA. You can't go diving for 3 days, because the ocean is upside down? Wellcome to Africa.
4) Reefs. You can find nice fish and other animals (sometimes, see p.3), but the reefs here are . This is just rocks with small corals. Sometime without any coral. And if someone tell me, that it's a good reefs, then he just didn't see the really good reefs.
5) Price. For this money you can easy find the better place for diving. MANY PLACES (maybe this is not about the people from SA, who can come here with the car, without visa and so on).

Yes, I can say that I've seen nice stuff here. Mantas, Leopard Sharks, Tunas, Turtles, Morays etc... BUT that was few times and I'm here for 2 months. And what is about people, who come for 1-2 weeks? You should be very lucky to see something.

Hey man no need to generalise your racist attitudes based on a few people you've met. Perhaps if you chill out a bit you'll find that things start to look better underwater too.

Secondly if you're going to compare every dive you do from here on out to the red sea, you're surely in for a horribly unfulfilled diving career. And in any case, this is Africa, buy a big hat, some sunscreen, a rash guard and HTFU.

I agree prices are not cheap here for what you get, this is an industry focused on small market tourism, so you pay dollar based prices (unless you know the secret african password that is )

 

[gubbins]

Conditions are certainly not easy and you wont be pampered, but that's hardly the point of visiting Mozambique anyway. It's an adventure, and the journey there and the people you meet on the way are as much of the experience as the diving itself.

Boat launches through surf are required due to, well, the surf, which is a draw for many non-divers anyway. The sun is hot, just like you'd expect, and the boats don't have roofs so take a hat and a sarong to keep the sun off between dives (factor 50+ spf too!). Service can be a bit slow and unpredictable, but this is typical in most elements of Mozambican life - try catching a local bus and expecting it to keep to the timetable!

It's fun and adventurous. The diving can be incredible with mantas and whalesharks. The country is fantastic along with the people and it would be a real shame to go there purely for diving and neglect to see life on land.

Recommend Tofo/Inhambane, Vilanculos, Pemba, and Mozguide.com for a great source of info.

 

[batman diver]

im off to mozam next weekend , staying @ ponte malongane , the weekend and 5 dives is gonna cost me R1500 , thats like wat $200 ... so dunno were expensive comes in , iv been there four times in the last year vis is generally 30m+ water temp is 25-27 deg , mozam is about the relaxation , its not service now and rush rush rush , u go there to chill , there are no malls in ponta malongane or cinema's its just pure nature and lots of bars .... like heaven if u want beautiful reefs go to sodwana , if u want fish and more fish go to ponte , also if u get chance in mozam to a dive called pinnacles ,,, usually see rays and zambezi's
ill keep u posted when i get back about how the trip was