Diving Mozambique & Aliwal Shoals in December

[FairyBasset]

Dear Divers,

am a single female planning to go to dive in Mozambique in December.
I have a flight booked into Maputo and out of South Africa.

Having done some research, I am thinking about diving in Tofo, Bazarruto and Punta D'oura in Moz and then trying to get down to Aliwal Shoals in SA.
I'm not sure how easy it would be to get around between Tofo, Bazarruto and Punta D'oura in Moz and then the best way to get to SA from MOZ.
Are all these Moz dive locations worthwhile visiting?
Is this perhaps too ambitious a timetable for 3,5 weeks?

Also is there the potential to see whalesharks at that time in Tofo?
What could I expect to see in Aliwal shoals in December?

If anyone has any advice, I would be grateful.
Thanks in advance for any help you can provide!

 

[ocdiver1]

I was just in Mozambique in mid November (Tofo and Zavora). Quite a few whale sharks in Tofo...we had as many as 7 in one day. Note this isn't on scuba...you'd have to be really lucky to see one that way...but all dive ops motor around on the surface interval on the two tank am dives looking for whales sharks then, when found, you can get in and snorkel with them. They tend to be pretty shallow for easy viewing and taking photos. While I have been to Aliwal, it wasn't at the time of year you are considering going.

I haven't personal been to Bazarutto or Ponto do Ouro, but Vilanculos for Bazarutto is easy enough from Tofo, LAM even flies this route. For Ponto do Ouro from Maputo, I know it's a good three hours out there due mainly to the condition of the roads. That does place you very close to the SA border..have you considered Sodwana Bay? Excellent diving and just across the border..you could probably be dropped at the border then picked up on the other side. Although your return home you state is from SA, you could backtrack to Maputo then fly to Joburg for your return flight. This would cause you to miss Aliwal, but might make your trip compact enough to include 4 destinations in just a 3.5 week trip. If you heart is set on Aliwal, it might be easiest to include Tofo and Bazarutto and throw out Ponto, making an already ambitious trip a little easier. The easiest way to get back into SA from Tofo or Vilanculos is via LAM's useful (but often pricy) flight to Joburg

I'll warn you about Mozambique visas..you absolutely cannot get them on arrival and they are quite expensive. Mine with being a US citizen was a whopping $140!

 

[John_ZAR]

I would advise you not to go to Ponto D'Ouro & Malongane in December as all the rubbish from SA go there and behave like pigs during this time. A bit further up is Ponta Mamoli, which is quieter and has nice accomodation. Mamoli will pick you up at the SA border at the Kozi Bay border post but getting to the border may be a problem as there are no flights to there. You can fly from SA to Vilanculos and Imhambane which are north of Maputo and have excelent diving and good accomodations. Aliwal Shoal can be your best ever dive or the worst dive ever depends on the day in the season and December is not the best time to dive there, the area has summer rainfall and the Umkomaas river can decrease visibility quite a bit if ther has been a lot of rain. There are ragged tooth sharks (grey nurse) on Aliwal in December, you may have the chance of seeing whale sharks there too, I never have but others have told me they have. There is a wreck there called the Nebo, which sank in the 1800's, which is really nice if you like that sort of think otherwise theres interesting marine life on the shoal.

As the previous poster said there is Sodwana bay and also further north is Rocktail bay, which is has really nice tented bungalows in the 'forest' and the diving is also good.

There used to be flights from Lanseria to Vilanculos and Imhambane, not sure if they are still being done, Lanseria is an alternate airport in Johannesburg region.

 

[widget]

I would say its a bit ambitious, pick one spot in Mozambique and work on that, rather try and spend more time diving in SA. In my opinion Tofu is a good option and you could spend a week there easily.
Flights in and out of Mozambique are haphazard to say the least and very often run very late, traveling around between spots by road is also not that easy, as has been said the roads are often atrocious. Traveling alone is not a problem, but setting a very busy schedule in Mozambique could ens up been a hassle.

As you are flying out of SA my suggestion would be do Tofu, fly to Durban and spend some time diving the Aliwal, then make your way to Sodwana and then back to fly out. Diving on the Aliwal is great, I have dived there for over 25 years and never tire of it, accommodation is plentiful and available to suit all tastes and needs. It will be easy to find an operator to take you up to Sodwana on an organised dive tour and bring you back again, this will save you needing to rent a car etc. Sodwana is so close to Ponto its really silly to even bother with it, Sodwana is far more accessible and the diving is just as good.

If you want to speak to the guys here - Moz Dot Travel | Tour Operator | Mozambique they specialize in Mozambique travel with an emphasis on diving travel, they may be able to give you some further information.

Just remember December is peak holiday season in SA, so one needs to be aware of this and expect crowds wherever you go, airlines, resorts, and dive boats will be at capacity, I personally like the atmosphere this creates, some may not, but this is a reality of December here.

 

[cephalopod2]

Flights in and out of Mozambique are haphazard to say the least and very often run very late, traveling around between spots by road is also not that easy, as has been said the roads are often atrocious.

Sage advice. My experience with LAM:

(1) [FONT=&amp]LAM TM 332 [/FONT][FONT=&amp] J[/FONT]ohannesburg - Inhambane (via Vilanculos):
Previous LAM flight leaving from our gate: delayed indefinitely. Passengers trying in vain to get info on how long the delay would be, mentioning they were going to miss other flights and land connections.

Our flight: delayed without advance warning, no indication how long the delay would be. Flight left maybe 45 minutes late in the end, without any boarding announcements. Due to a "mechanical problem", flight lands in Maputo, not a scheduled stop on the itinerary. We are delayed for hours without any information. Every time a passenger tracks down a LAM staff member a different explanation for the delay is given and the flight departure time is pushed back another hour or two. This stretches to 4-5 hours. Eventually a replacement captain was found but "stuck in traffic" - we were told the Vilanculous passengers would fly out, the Inhambane passengers would be stranded in Maputo overnight. No, it would be the reverse. No, everyone would be stranded. We were taken to a local hotel - they would call us the next morning with information. In the end we left around 10:30 AM the next day, arrived 24 hour late.

(2) LAM [FONT=&amp]TM 2333 [/FONT]Inhambane - Johannesburg:
My flight left more than 30 minutes early. My friends flying INH to Maputo were delayed about an hour.

Re. Vilanculos-Tofo by land, I met a diving couple who had booked a land transfer thinking it would save time and/or money. Cost was about the same as flying and most annoying to them, they had spent most of the day not driving in what should have been a much shorter trip. Multiple reasons were given, bottom line they were delayed for hours.

I met people working in the area who had experienced many delayed and aborted LAM flights; I met others who didn't experience these delays so YMMV.

 

[FairyBasset]

By the way, can anyone tell me the water temp in Togo in December. Thx!!

 

[ocdiver1]

By the way, can anyone tell me the water temp in Togo in December. Thx!!

in mid November this last trip water temps ranged 22-26

 

[chillyinCanada]

Brrrrrr . . .

 

[Jan Kruger]

I also agree with above posts that December in Southern Africa travel becomes hectic as it is our festive/holiday season.
First of all ... crossing the border will be very slow...thousands of people are on their way home .
Secondly ..the season in December might have warmer water temps but the weather might be less pleasant ...very hot ...upwards of 31 degrees Celsius ...lots of wind and choppy seas...diving will probably have to be done early in the morning.
Thirdly...mosquitoes ! Lots & lots of them.
Fourthly ...lots of divers ...very peak season locally

Diving in Mozambique is always very nice if you go with a reputable operator . So I would also choose 1 point for diving in Moz ....then go to Durban for Aliwal shoal & Protea banks...maybe go back to Sodwana for 1 or 2 dives ..diving will be hectically busy there as well.

Diving this area is much nicer during April ...May...June ...much better weather & very little traffic across borders. Less mosquitoes as well. The water temps should still be around 20-22 degrees Celsius. This is also the ideal time for seeing lots of Ragged tooth sharks at Aliwal....


I think you should research finding reputable diving operators..and get them to hook up in diving times & sites and to arrange for your movements to other sites of diving.

 

[johnnyafrica]

I've dived all along the coast of Mozambique: Tofo, Vilanculos, Pemba, and the Quirimbas (never made it to Ponta D'ouro).

For megafauna, Tofo is the spot to be, although the best time of year is during its winter. The Quirimbas int he very north have the nicest beaches I have ever seen in my life, and the diving is absolutely pristine with the most colorful corals I've ever seen. Vilanculos and the Bazaruto was okay, nothing to write home about but there is the possibility of seeing dugongs in the Bazaruto.