Diving in Mozambique
Tofo and Bazaruto: manta cleaning stations, whale sharks all year and humpback whales in winter
Mozambique — diving at Tofo: reef manta cleaning stations, whale sharks year-round, humpback whales from June to October, the Bazaruto Archipelago. Dive resorts, prices and seasons.
Why divers come here
- Tofo — one of the few places in the world with permanent reef manta cleaning stations
- Whale sharks feed along the coast all year; the encounter is on snorkel from the boat
- Humpback whales from June to October — mothers and calves stay close to shore
- The Bazaruto Archipelago — a national park of dune islands and the last viable dugong population in East Africa
- Manta Reef and Manta Pools — 20–30 metres, big pelagics and rays
- Few divers and small-scale infrastructure: a dive centre and a boat rather than a crowd
What you'll meet underwater
Reef mantas and giant oceanic mantas
Whale sharks (all year, most often October to April)
Humpback whales (June to October)
Dugongs in Bazaruto National Park
Hammerheads, grey reef sharks, the occasional tiger
Turtles, eagle rays, guitarfish
Bottlenose and spinner dolphins
Soft corals, sponges and coral gardens on sandstone reefs
Photos: credits and licences
- Reef mantas and giant oceanic mantas — Shiyam ElkCloner, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Whale sharks (all year, most often October to April) — Abe Khao Lak, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Humpback whales (June to October) — Juan Cruzado Cortés, CC BY 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Dugongs in Bazaruto National Park — Gejuni, CC BY-SA 3.0 de, Wikimedia Commons
- Hammerheads, grey reef sharks, the occasional tiger — Kris-Mikael Krister, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Turtles, eagle rays, guitarfish — Brocken Inaglory, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Bottlenose and spinner dolphins — NASA, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Soft corals, sponges and coral gardens on sandstone reefs — Haplochromis, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
Practical information
- Best season
Diving all year. Mantas and whale sharks are most frequent from October to April, when the water is warmer and there is more plankton
humpback whales pass from June to October.
May to September is cooler with clearer water and a rougher sea
- Water temperature
- 22–29 °C
- Visibility
- 10–30 m
- Wetsuit
5 mm year-round — the water is cooler than people expect of Africa
3 mm at the height of summer
- Experience level
Open Water for the reefs
Advanced and open-water experience for the outer manta reefs — a surf launch from the beach, depths of 20–30 metres and currents that can be noticeable
- Getting there
There are no direct flights from Russia: the main route runs via Johannesburg or Addis Ababa to Maputo (MPM), then a domestic flight to Inhambane (INH) and about an hour by road to Tofo.
Some guests drive up from Johannesburg — a long haul, but it avoids the domestic flight.
The Tofo resorts meet guests at Inhambane.
- Airports
Maputo (MPM) — international, Inhambane (INH) — closest to Tofo, Vilankulo (VNX) — for the Bazaruto Archipelago, Johannesburg (JNB), South Africa — the main connection
- Visa
A visa is required. Tourists can obtain a visa on arrival at international airports or an e-visa in advance
the conditions change from time to time, so check the requirements before flying.
The passport must be valid for six months, and a return ticket and proof of accommodation are needed.
- Climate
Tropical, air 22–32 °C, rainy season November to March, dry and cooler from May to September
- Currency
Mozambican metical (MZN)
dive centres take US dollars and South African rand
- Language
Portuguese is official; English is spoken in tourist areas
- Time zone
- UTC+2
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