I have just returned from a fascinating self drive trip with some of our most valued clients up to central Mozambique. Although manta rays are in this area year round, we had heard that September is a good month for viewing them and departed in high spirits, but nothing could have prepared us for the wealth of experiences we encountered. Barra Lodge is set in one of the most picturesque areas in Mozambique, with spectacular views of the pristine beaches and crystal clear waters of the Indian Ocean. Situated 485kms from Maputo it is easily accessed by a pleasant drive on tarred roads from Maputo or by a quick flight from Lanseria to Inhambane.If driving, an overnight stop in Maputo is well worth it. Sample the delicious crab and prawn dishes at Costa Do Sol and enjoy a night of African music and song at Africa Pub.
At Barra Lodge, the rustic reed casitas, a stone's throw from the beach, offer comfortable accommodation with all necessary amenities and the lodge offers a number of activities for entertainment. We tackled the 'black run' trail on quad bikes making sure to stop at every pub along the way !!
Francois and Nicole run Barra Lodge's dive centre and were our dive leaders on our dive at The Office, Barra's premier diver site. We began our descent and were immediately surrounded by swirling manta rays on our downward journey. At 26m we remained suspended just above the sand alongside the manta cleaning station on top of the reef in front of us. We watched enthralled as a giant manta, up to 6m wide, glided lightly onto the cleaning station, hovered while being cleaned, and took off again, slowly and elegantly flying directly over our heads. Another one followed, and more, in a continuous circle, keeping neatly in formation as if coming in to land on an airport runway and taking off again. The calm conditions and no work on this dive combined with the slow, graceful, effortless flying movements of the mantas left me with beautiful, relaxed and peaceful 'slow motion' impressions of this exquisite dive.
Upon our return to The Office for a second dive, the same magnificence was accompanied by the background song of whales.
The advantage of a self drive trip is being able to explore the surrounding area with ease. The next day we drove to nearby Tofo - a quiet, scenic little beach town just south of Barra Lodge, where Diversity Scuba makes it's home. This professional PADI Dive Centre is run by experienced instructors Garry and Joanna, who deliver nothing less than the world class diving they promise! We were in good spirits from the day before's diving and had no expectations - afterall what could possibly beat a good day at the The Office.....
After feeding us and briefing us we headed off to Manta Reef, the most renowned dive site in this area. Garry casually reminded us to bring our snorkels along in the case of a whaleshark sighting. I was taken aback - most of us had never seen a whaleshark and although I had read about their visits to this area I had never imagined we might see one. We didn't dwell on the idea knowing all too well that a whaleshark sighting is somewhat of a rare occasion these days.
Imagine our complete bewilderment when Garry stopped the boat just off a point in the shoreline where the current is strongest providing plankton rich water, and pointed out a whale shark, then another, and another - no less than 7 whalesharks in the area surrounding the boat !!
A rush of adrenaline and mad scramble for fins later and we were overboard, clumsily finning away to try and keep up with the elegant swimming ease of these gentle giants. After a while of snorkeling literally centimetres above one of these magnificent creatures I turned around to find another a small distance away, literally heading straight for me. Heart pumping I remained frozen in place by the magnificent view of an enormous mouth getting ever larger as it approached me, followed by a gigantic body which at the last second gently swerved and passed me on my left. As I swam alongside a tiny eye moved in it's socket, following my movements curiously.
At least I had had a bit of warning, another in our party was so busy photographing a whaleshark beneath him that only when he sensed something directly behind him did he turn around to find himself nose to nose with this magnificent monster ! Garry explained to us that these creatures are curious and it is not uncommon for them to investigate divers closely and even lift their heads out of the water to tap the boat gently for inspection.
I stopped counting the many more whalesharks we encountered on the way to Manta Reef, an aptly named and fabulous dive site which opened our eyes to the hidden treasures of the African coast. The surface of this offshore reef is at about 18m surrounded by a sandy bottom at 30m and scattered pinnacles rising out of the sand form the reef's border. We descended onto 'The Canyon' as this side of the reef is named, and with current pumping, found refuge by swimming just above the sand in single file through a long, narrow canyon formed by the wall of the reef and the pinnacles forming a wall alongside. Looking upwards mantas floated over the canyon, their forms occasionally blocking out the strip of sunlight above us.
At the end of the canyon we spotted 2 spanish dancers in broad daylight and 2 crocodile fish. As we ascended to the top of the reef we stopped by a cleaning station and delighted as giant mantas swirled right in front of us. Another unbelievable dive was enhanced by further whale shark encounters on the boat ride back, to the point in fact where we declined to get back into the water with them due to sheer exhaustion ! September to March is the ideal time to see these magnificent creatures in these waters although they may be spotted throughout the year. Just to add the finishing touches, an escort of humpback and bottlenose dolphins accompanied us for the rest of the ride home !
We spent over 3 hours out at sea for the second dive on Manta Reef, all taken up by snorkeling with whalesharks, spotting a whaleshark on scuba, manta rays cruising around us and even a squadron of devil rays passing overhead blocking out the sun, reminding me of a battle scene directly out of a Star Wars movie.
Feeling totally satisfied and completely fulfilled after a mere 2 days of diving, and having most of our wishlist creatures incredibly ticked off, we all agreed that even if we never dived again it wouldn't matter, for these experiences could surely never be surpassed. At this stage we were reminded that there is always the possibility of seeing a very rare dugong in this area and this alone was reason to get back into the water.
Of course we did invariably dive again the next day at Guinjata Bay, and the treasure chest was by no means empty !
Guinjata Bay is located just south of Inhambane and fly in packages are also available. This area is a gold mine, offering excellent accommodation on the hillside and providing easy access and magnificent views of the beaches below. Deep sea fishing, saltwater fly-fishing and scuba diving are some of the activities offered with the emphasis not only being on having a good dive, but on understanding, preservation and conservation of the reefs.
Morne, who runs the dive centre at Guinjata Bay, confidently proclaimed that we hadn't dived Manta Reef until we had dived it with him, and after carving an exact model of the reef in the sand for his detailed briefing we believed him ! The model complemented his complete dive plan, highlighted every pinnacle, all of the 3 cleaning stations and even every hole in which a moray has it's home !
On our way to Manta Reef we spotted an unusual protrusion at the end of a rocky outcrop extending from the shore. Getting closer we noticed it was a whale tail extending from the surface. Upon advancing it gently disappeared under the surface only to appear a few metres away again quite close to the shoreline. June to September is the best time to see migrating Humpback Whales in this area.
The skipper switched off the engine and we drifted slowly closer to it marveling at the beauty of the dark surface and bright white underside of this humpback's tail. To our delight a second tail appeared right next to the first. This phenomena is called 'sailing' and truly their tails seemed to me like two huge sails beckoning us to come closer. By this time we were less than 10m away from the whales and as we watched in stunned silence Morne' urged us to put on our snorkeling gear and quietly slip into the water to see if we could get any closer than we already were.
Finning slowly we managed to get closer and closer - at one point when I looked up out of the water the two tails were towering above me. Looking back into the water their gigantic bodies were no more than 3m away and although the visibility was poor I could make out their heads touching the sand at the bottom. All along their vertical bodies small silver fish were busily cleaning them and as we got too close they slowly evened out and with one gentle wave of their tails they were gone, leaving us gaping in awe.
We dived the 'Manta Pinnacle' side of Manta Reef in excellent conditions, the surface of the reef being at 18m and the sand at 24m. Upon descending we were surrounded by shoals of different fish and Morne pointed out the 'Moby Dick' of moray eels he had promised in the briefing. He was huge and contentedly having his teeth cleaned by cleaner wrasse. Morne showed us minute anemone crabs and led us expertly through the crevices and swim-throughs of this magnificent reef. We watched from the tips of the pinnacles surrounding the reef as giant mantas were being cleaned at the cleaning station on the reef just in front of us.
Moving over the reef we came across the second cleaning station and as I tucked down into a sandy crevice, a giant manta floated and circled a few times directly over my head, my bubbles tickling his spotted belly.
We moved on reaching the third cleaning station, alongside which is a strip of sand. Morne had told us to position ourselves as flat and as still as possible over this strip. As the 8 or more giant mantas in the area began to get comfortable with our presence they gradually came in closer and closer to us, eventually moving in extremely closely around us and over us. My last impressions of this memorable dive is of 4 manta rays swimming in a tight figure of 8 formation below us as we began our ascent, and the odd manta cruising past us closer to the surface as if in a final farewell. Two whalesharks presented themselves on the boat ride back to the shore creating more wonderment and offering some last photo opportunities.
This was to be our last dive and after an incredibly cheap and scrumptious meal of crayfish at Guinjata, we headed for home with a wealth of memorable moments and heavenly experiences to share, while leaving behind only bubbles ......
This trip was organised by John thanks for a great trip mate contact him john@guinjatabay.co.za also check out Mozambique Diving lot of good info on Mozambique
At Barra Lodge, the rustic reed casitas, a stone's throw from the beach, offer comfortable accommodation with all necessary amenities and the lodge offers a number of activities for entertainment. We tackled the 'black run' trail on quad bikes making sure to stop at every pub along the way !!
Francois and Nicole run Barra Lodge's dive centre and were our dive leaders on our dive at The Office, Barra's premier diver site. We began our descent and were immediately surrounded by swirling manta rays on our downward journey. At 26m we remained suspended just above the sand alongside the manta cleaning station on top of the reef in front of us. We watched enthralled as a giant manta, up to 6m wide, glided lightly onto the cleaning station, hovered while being cleaned, and took off again, slowly and elegantly flying directly over our heads. Another one followed, and more, in a continuous circle, keeping neatly in formation as if coming in to land on an airport runway and taking off again. The calm conditions and no work on this dive combined with the slow, graceful, effortless flying movements of the mantas left me with beautiful, relaxed and peaceful 'slow motion' impressions of this exquisite dive.
Upon our return to The Office for a second dive, the same magnificence was accompanied by the background song of whales.
The advantage of a self drive trip is being able to explore the surrounding area with ease. The next day we drove to nearby Tofo - a quiet, scenic little beach town just south of Barra Lodge, where Diversity Scuba makes it's home. This professional PADI Dive Centre is run by experienced instructors Garry and Joanna, who deliver nothing less than the world class diving they promise! We were in good spirits from the day before's diving and had no expectations - afterall what could possibly beat a good day at the The Office.....
After feeding us and briefing us we headed off to Manta Reef, the most renowned dive site in this area. Garry casually reminded us to bring our snorkels along in the case of a whaleshark sighting. I was taken aback - most of us had never seen a whaleshark and although I had read about their visits to this area I had never imagined we might see one. We didn't dwell on the idea knowing all too well that a whaleshark sighting is somewhat of a rare occasion these days.
Imagine our complete bewilderment when Garry stopped the boat just off a point in the shoreline where the current is strongest providing plankton rich water, and pointed out a whale shark, then another, and another - no less than 7 whalesharks in the area surrounding the boat !!
A rush of adrenaline and mad scramble for fins later and we were overboard, clumsily finning away to try and keep up with the elegant swimming ease of these gentle giants. After a while of snorkeling literally centimetres above one of these magnificent creatures I turned around to find another a small distance away, literally heading straight for me. Heart pumping I remained frozen in place by the magnificent view of an enormous mouth getting ever larger as it approached me, followed by a gigantic body which at the last second gently swerved and passed me on my left. As I swam alongside a tiny eye moved in it's socket, following my movements curiously.
At least I had had a bit of warning, another in our party was so busy photographing a whaleshark beneath him that only when he sensed something directly behind him did he turn around to find himself nose to nose with this magnificent monster ! Garry explained to us that these creatures are curious and it is not uncommon for them to investigate divers closely and even lift their heads out of the water to tap the boat gently for inspection.
I stopped counting the many more whalesharks we encountered on the way to Manta Reef, an aptly named and fabulous dive site which opened our eyes to the hidden treasures of the African coast. The surface of this offshore reef is at about 18m surrounded by a sandy bottom at 30m and scattered pinnacles rising out of the sand form the reef's border. We descended onto 'The Canyon' as this side of the reef is named, and with current pumping, found refuge by swimming just above the sand in single file through a long, narrow canyon formed by the wall of the reef and the pinnacles forming a wall alongside. Looking upwards mantas floated over the canyon, their forms occasionally blocking out the strip of sunlight above us.
At the end of the canyon we spotted 2 spanish dancers in broad daylight and 2 crocodile fish. As we ascended to the top of the reef we stopped by a cleaning station and delighted as giant mantas swirled right in front of us. Another unbelievable dive was enhanced by further whale shark encounters on the boat ride back, to the point in fact where we declined to get back into the water with them due to sheer exhaustion ! September to March is the ideal time to see these magnificent creatures in these waters although they may be spotted throughout the year. Just to add the finishing touches, an escort of humpback and bottlenose dolphins accompanied us for the rest of the ride home !
We spent over 3 hours out at sea for the second dive on Manta Reef, all taken up by snorkeling with whalesharks, spotting a whaleshark on scuba, manta rays cruising around us and even a squadron of devil rays passing overhead blocking out the sun, reminding me of a battle scene directly out of a Star Wars movie.
Feeling totally satisfied and completely fulfilled after a mere 2 days of diving, and having most of our wishlist creatures incredibly ticked off, we all agreed that even if we never dived again it wouldn't matter, for these experiences could surely never be surpassed. At this stage we were reminded that there is always the possibility of seeing a very rare dugong in this area and this alone was reason to get back into the water.
Of course we did invariably dive again the next day at Guinjata Bay, and the treasure chest was by no means empty !
Guinjata Bay is located just south of Inhambane and fly in packages are also available. This area is a gold mine, offering excellent accommodation on the hillside and providing easy access and magnificent views of the beaches below. Deep sea fishing, saltwater fly-fishing and scuba diving are some of the activities offered with the emphasis not only being on having a good dive, but on understanding, preservation and conservation of the reefs.
Morne, who runs the dive centre at Guinjata Bay, confidently proclaimed that we hadn't dived Manta Reef until we had dived it with him, and after carving an exact model of the reef in the sand for his detailed briefing we believed him ! The model complemented his complete dive plan, highlighted every pinnacle, all of the 3 cleaning stations and even every hole in which a moray has it's home !
On our way to Manta Reef we spotted an unusual protrusion at the end of a rocky outcrop extending from the shore. Getting closer we noticed it was a whale tail extending from the surface. Upon advancing it gently disappeared under the surface only to appear a few metres away again quite close to the shoreline. June to September is the best time to see migrating Humpback Whales in this area.
The skipper switched off the engine and we drifted slowly closer to it marveling at the beauty of the dark surface and bright white underside of this humpback's tail. To our delight a second tail appeared right next to the first. This phenomena is called 'sailing' and truly their tails seemed to me like two huge sails beckoning us to come closer. By this time we were less than 10m away from the whales and as we watched in stunned silence Morne' urged us to put on our snorkeling gear and quietly slip into the water to see if we could get any closer than we already were.
Finning slowly we managed to get closer and closer - at one point when I looked up out of the water the two tails were towering above me. Looking back into the water their gigantic bodies were no more than 3m away and although the visibility was poor I could make out their heads touching the sand at the bottom. All along their vertical bodies small silver fish were busily cleaning them and as we got too close they slowly evened out and with one gentle wave of their tails they were gone, leaving us gaping in awe.
We dived the 'Manta Pinnacle' side of Manta Reef in excellent conditions, the surface of the reef being at 18m and the sand at 24m. Upon descending we were surrounded by shoals of different fish and Morne pointed out the 'Moby Dick' of moray eels he had promised in the briefing. He was huge and contentedly having his teeth cleaned by cleaner wrasse. Morne showed us minute anemone crabs and led us expertly through the crevices and swim-throughs of this magnificent reef. We watched from the tips of the pinnacles surrounding the reef as giant mantas were being cleaned at the cleaning station on the reef just in front of us.
Moving over the reef we came across the second cleaning station and as I tucked down into a sandy crevice, a giant manta floated and circled a few times directly over my head, my bubbles tickling his spotted belly.
We moved on reaching the third cleaning station, alongside which is a strip of sand. Morne had told us to position ourselves as flat and as still as possible over this strip. As the 8 or more giant mantas in the area began to get comfortable with our presence they gradually came in closer and closer to us, eventually moving in extremely closely around us and over us. My last impressions of this memorable dive is of 4 manta rays swimming in a tight figure of 8 formation below us as we began our ascent, and the odd manta cruising past us closer to the surface as if in a final farewell. Two whalesharks presented themselves on the boat ride back to the shore creating more wonderment and offering some last photo opportunities.
This was to be our last dive and after an incredibly cheap and scrumptious meal of crayfish at Guinjata, we headed for home with a wealth of memorable moments and heavenly experiences to share, while leaving behind only bubbles ......
This trip was organised by John thanks for a great trip mate contact him john@guinjatabay.co.za also check out Mozambique Diving lot of good info on Mozambique
