| diving and description of divesites in Mozambique |
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Every diver will enjoy diving in the Tofo and Zovora area, whether he's an experienced or less experienced diver. The reefs form a wonderful underwater landscape with patches of hard and soft corals, colourfull fish, many rays, sharks, barracuda, jacks, tuna, turtles and many more. The big attraction of this place, that has gained a worldwide reputation in a very short time, are without a single doubt the Manta cleaning stations with many large manta rays and the largest fish on earth; the whaleshark. From june through october you can see humpback whales breaching close to your zodiac. Different kinds of sharks can be found, such as leopard sharks, Zambezi or bull sharks and even tiger sharks can be spotted. If you're tired of looking at the big stuff, there's always Harlequin shrimps, nudibranches, leaf fish or frog fish to be spotted. Most diving is done between 15 and 35 meters and Advanced Open Water Certification or equivalent is required. It is possible for divers with Open Water Certification only to do the Deep Dive Module of the Advanced Open Water Course and to join the group on the remaining deep dives upon completion. All the dive time is spent on the bottom and at the end of the dive you ascend to your safety stop at 5 meters and enjoy looking at the plancton, a large school of jacks or even a whaleshark or manta ray passing by.
A description of some of the dive sites: MANTA REEF Distance to Travel: 22 km Depth: 21 - 26 meters Max: 26 meters Bottom Time: 32 minutes Time of Travel: 50 minutes Visibility: 10 to 30m General: Tofo's showcase dive. World famous for the two Manta cleaning stations, first discovered by Carlos do Rocha in the 1960's. Since then this site has attracted marine biologists, cameramen and divers from around the world. GIANTS CASTLE Distance to Travel: 9km Depth: 26 - 33 meters Max: 33 meters Bottom Time: 21 minutes Time of Travel: 20 minutes Visibility: 10 to 30m General: A 6-7 metre tall wall running for two kilometers. The wall drops from 26 to 33 metres and runs North/South with the predominant current. When conditions are right this is a fantastic dive and often overlooked by divers who know of the more famous Manta Reef. THE OFFICE Distance to Travel: 14km from Tofo Beach. Approximately a 30 minute boat ride. Depth: 19 - 24 meters Max: 24 meters Bottom Time: 28 minutes Visibility: Ranges from 15m to 40m Topography: This is a rock pinnacle, 10 km’s straight out to sea and comes up from a depth of over 90 meters. The reef is made up of a number of ledges and gullies, part of which includes an extremely rare Manta cleaning station. This is primarily a drift dive with the current running from North to South. The cleaning station is situated on the Northern point of the reef and divers will be treated to the sight of Mantas being cleaned by Cleaner Wrasse. Also seen on this reef are a number of resident Leopard Sharks, White Tip Sharks and Potato Bass. As this reef is 10 km’s from shore, a vast array of game fish can be seen on most dives. Degree of Difficulty: A more difficult dive, due to current, therefore we recommend that you have at least 20 open water sea dives. General: An absolute must for Manta enthusiasts. Mantas may be seen on approximately 8 out of 10 dives, it is also the home of Leopard Sharks, White Tip Reef Sharks, Potato Bass, Giant Moray Eels, Turtles, Tropical Fishes and an abundance of game fish. © TofoScuba CHAMBER OF SECRETS Distance to Travel: 12km Depth: 14 - 21 meters Max: 21 meters Bottom Time: 40 minutes Visibility: 10 to 20m General: This reef is shaped like a horseshoe. At 14 meters around the top and 19 metres around the base it forms a ragged wall lined with 6 swimthroughs and numerous overhangs and caves. The center of the horseshoe is a flat, white sandy area frequented by Blue Spotted Rays, Blue Stingrays and Whip-Tailed rays. |
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| Last Updated ( Wednesday, 13 February 2008 21:06 ) |