In this trip there are 7 days available for diving on 2 different locations.
Mozambique is gaining popularity as a dive and water sports paradise. Especily as a dive and water sports paradise. Especially the whale sharks and manta rays ensure that Mozambique is developing into a new touristy hot spot.

Tofo seems to be a heaven for the water sport lover. In it's front yard it harbours about 20 reefs underneath the surface, with exotic names like 'Arena', 'Oasis' and 'Manta Reef'. The deeper reefs tick off a very high 'big-boys-score'. Pictures on the wall of the dive center bear witness and make expectations rise.

Situated 25km from Tofo is Barra Point. Lots of palm trees, beautiful lagoons and mangroves create a true tropical scenery. Also Barra is blessed with about 15 different reefs, all ready to be explored.

All the dives are boat dives and you may have to work a bit during the launch from the beach. Conditions can be a bit choppy and currents or surge may occur. The temperature averages from 22°C in May up to 24°C in December, making a 5 mill full length suit with cap desirable. Visibility is about 15 meters and the depth ranges from 12 up to 25 meter. Sometimes one complains about poor visibility, but please keep in mind that if there were no plankton, there would be no big fish feeding. It is advisable to bring pills for motion sickness. The diving is not really seasonal. August can be a bit windy. Humpback whales are spotted from June up to October.

The trip includes 12 dives, based on own kit.

Equipment rental, courses and surcharges are not included.

Should you have your own dive equipment, we do advise to bring it, though it should not exceed the standard gear of a suit, BCD, regulator and mask/fins. The truck has extra baggage space allocated for this purpose.

In case of any non diving passenger, this trip can also be booked without the dive package. Should you be interested, intro courses can be provided at Tofo to give you a taste of the under water world. Some courses, like deep dive training, can also be arranged. Barra sometimes allows night dives. Please let us know your dive wishes when you make your booking.

Compass Travel offers an extra diving insurance. Mozambique does not have a deco tank and medical back up. In case of an emergency one has to fly to South Africa for treatment. The insurance is ZAR300 and covers most expenses up to ZAR300.000 Please let us know on the bookings form if the insurance is wanted. For more info please contact Compass Travel

For exchange rates, click

Whale sharks in Mozambique
The whale shark is the largest fish on this planet, easily reaching an average length of 12 meter. Despite its size, it is totally harmless to humans, as these 14 ton giants feed off plankton. Whale sharks live just beneath the surface of tropical and sub tropical waters. They flow with the current, mouth wide open, allowing the water to run through. Enormous gills filter the water for plankton. The leftovers are nibbled away by small fish catching a lift in the whale sharks mouth. Their size, gentle nature and the fact that they live just beneath the surface, allow these giants to be approached relatively safely. An experience which, should you be one of the lucky ones to have marked it on the been-there-done-it list, you will never forget. Mozambique is fortunate enough to host large numbers of whale sharks coming through each year. They are predominantly known as summer frequenters and as many as 25 whale sharks have been spotted in ½ hour boat rides. But even in winter, from April till November, the chances of an encounter are pretty good. During the winter of 2003, at least one sighting was made every single day from Tofo, the place to see whale sharks and manta Rays. An unknown high. The largest group in that season consisted of 15 whale sharks close to Tofinho Point, outside Tofo. They were indulging in enormous amounts of plankton and stayed for at least 3 hours.

The best way to experience all this, is to jump overboard with fins and snorkel. Only then does their true size become real. Seemingly undisturbed, the whale sharks just continues floating, at or just underneath the surface. It is very important never to make contact with them as your touch might damage the skin which makes them susceptible to infections.

Compass Travel has now been active in Mozambique for five years and has frequently witnessed these incredible creatures. If not in Tofo, in every trip we have run in 2002, 2005 and 2007 we hit jackpot and in 2003, 2004 and 2006 in all but one trip.In 2008 we weren't as lucky, we saw them in 5 out of 8 trips.

Manta's
The manta ray is the biggest ray we know. Exceptions up to 9 meter are registered, but on average they measure up to approximately 6 meter and weigh about 1350 kg. Like giant space ships they graciously slide through the water, sometimes even leaping out! Though related to the shark, they do not resemble those at all. They are flat, have sort of wings, knobs on their head and a short tail. Manta's have no teeth; they filter plankton out of the water just like whales.

These characteristics make them harmless to humans and an encounter at a depth of 20 meters very exciting. Manta's are usually solitary and prefer the open ocean. But sometimes they gather on spots we call ' cleaning stations'. These are spots where little reef fish live and like to nibble parasites off the skin of the manta. Tofo's waters have a number of 'cleaning stations', where the chances of spotting a manta are great. Recent counts have shown that there are over 300 manta's in the Tofo area. Sometimes dozens at a time hover over the reefs, as they undergo their cleansing treatment and indulge on plankton.

Compass Travel has been working in Mozambique since 2002 and has seen manta's on many occasions. If not in Tofo, we spotted them every trip run in 2002, 2005 en 2007 and in 2003, 2004 and 2006, in all but one.

What else did we see in the past?
The big attraction of diving in Mozambique is Big Game Fish. Most trips are run between May and December and we have not really noticed a change in sighting with the passing of the seasons. The exception would be the humpback whale, for which you should come between June and November. So far, in the previous year we have run 53 trips altogether and we logged manta's on 48 trips and whale sharks on 45. This doesn’t mean that every one saw them on all locations, but they were spotted in the tour. The record lies with a small group in April 04 who spotted them no less than 7 times. Turtles and dolphins we have literally seen without exception; we even snorkeled with dolphins on occasion. Sharks, different kinds, do pass sometimes, but not regular. The humpback we see in almost all tours within season. In December 03 we finally traced the rare Dugong and again in October 05, we even bumped into an estranged hammerhead. In all, statistics to dream off. The little things involve trumpet fish, yellowtails, clown trigger fish, barracuda's, Spanish dancers, lobsters, banner fish, morays (honey combed/ spotted), devil rays, scorpion fish, lion fish, parrot fish, angel fish, octopus etc.

Per trip we have 7 days of diving. In the past years we had 10 cancellations due to bad weather

*The diving is subject to weather conditions or other unforeseen problems.