Scuba diving in Inhambane is amongst the best in the world, with reefs close to every beach, including the world famous Manta Reef and Galleria. Regular sightings of giant manta rays, whale sharks, turtles and other teeming marine life make this one of the best gap year diving destinations in the world. This is an intensive diving trip in the best place in the world to dive with whale sharks. Cheaper and a lot more dives than the conservation project too.

“The best thing about this trip was overcoming fears, meeting new friends, getting to know a new skill, seeing amazing places. Diving is a skill for life which is fantastic.”
Sam Pizer
“The diving was fantastic, plus I got to go on a few Snorkel trips with whale sharks too ;))”
Katie L.

 

Whale Shark Diving Mozambique

If you love diving, amazing beaches and want to dive with whale sharks, manta rays and experience one of the best diving locations in the world (according to the Lonely Planet) then this is the trip for you! We run this Amazing Value for Money programme in conjunction with some of the worlds experts with great records of success for locating and diving with whale sharks. You will stay close to the stunning beach of Tofo and dive every day. Besides diving there is plenty to keep you occupied, from snorkelling excellent coral reefs, to surfing, kitesurfing and horse riding.

Whale Shark Diving Mozambique Highlights Include:

  • Diving with whale sharks every day!
  • Ideal spot for watching humpback whales.
  • Located in Tofo the best place in the world to watch whale sharks.
  • Unlimited ocean safaris to snorkel with whale sharks.
  • Accommodation, breakfasts and all diving gear included.
  • Diving at registered PADI Dive Centre.
  • Accommodation with restaurant and bar and lounge areas.
  • Option to do courses from Discover Scuba up to Dive Master.


Photos

Itinerary

Please note this course assumes you already have your open water certificate for diving. If you do not already have an open water certificate or another diving qualification we can add the cost of an open water course to the price of the trip. Please let us know at the time of booking whether you will need this.
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There is no set itinerary with this programme, but a typical day might be as follows.

Get up nice and early to enjoy the continental breakfast at your resort close by the Indian Ocean, if you are really early you will see an impressive sun rise over the ocean, but knowing the night life in Tofo that pleasure might be a one off!

Then head  to the dive centre to grab your equipment before heading out on an ocean safari.

The ocean safari takes place every day at 10.30, and is your best bet for interacting with a whale shark any where in the world! All snorkelling gear, including rash vests are included.

Part of this briefing is devoted to educating our swimmers on the importance of correct interaction between us and the whale shark. Remember, no touching the whale sharks ever (their skin is sensitive to human bacteria).

Then its out on to the beach for the launch, there is usually a buzz of excited nervous anticipation with the group, wondering how many you will see today, and whether manta rays will make an appearance. You can very often swim with manta rays and dolphins on the safari.

The guides are highly skilled at tracking the whale sharks, and before long you will be able to enter the water with them (video of a whale shark swim – not set in Tofo).

After the safari, it is back to the dive centre, and lunch, fresh barbecued fish to satisfy your appetite after a morning of chasing an 18 metre fish in the deep blue.

Then dive time!

You have 27 dives available to you on the 4 week trip (or 20 on the 2 week option), you decide when you want to go locally, but you should always consider that you should dive after the ocean safari not before (because you still have nitrogen in your bloodstream), so afternoons are better for diving, unless you are skipping the ocean safari for the day.

There are up to 16 scuba dive sites that can be explored, and new sites are being discovered regularly. Depths vary between 10 to 40 meters; and every scuba diver will be able to dive in Tofo, even though deeper dives are for advanced scuba divers only. So quite often, people upgrade to do their advanced open water course before they go or locally (you can pre-book this before you travel).

Visibility does vary underwater, but sometimes it is 30 metres! It all depends on plankton, currents, wind and tides, but is usually between 5 and 30 meters. The water temperature varies from 23 to 29 degrees Celsius depending on the time of the year.

The underwater world around Tofo Beach carries large amounts of nutritious plankton, attracting many different species of marine life. Leopard sharks, sea turtles, devil rays, honeycomb morays, potato groupers, sea moths, frog fish, Spanish dancers, scorpion fish, barracudas, crocodile fish, nudi branches, and harlequin shrimps, it is consider to be one of the best dive locations in Africa.

The Small Eye Stingray is the worlds largest stingray, and was recently identified in Tofo by marine biologist Dr. Simon Pierce. The species is a common sight off Tofo, one of the only places it has ever been sighted alive.

If you are not a qualified diver yet we can upgrade your booking with an Open Water Dive course for £350.

After your dives

Then it is beach time! Or surf time, or kitesurf time, or just good old fashioned, book in a hammock with a cold beer. A little chill out to regain some energy (snorkelling and diving is tiring but feels so good!) and then a show before dinner with your new backpacker mates. There is always something happening in Tofo, and there are always temptations to party in the evening. Whether you join in the fun or not is up to you, because when that sun comes up tomorrow, you can do it all over again. Still, diving is probably the worlds greatest hangover cure anyway…

Trip Frequently Asked Questions

Why should I go to Mozambique to dive with whale sharks?
The answer is simple: there is no better place in the world to swim with whale sharks than Mozambique. Diving with a whale shark is one of the greatest experiences for anyone into their diving. Although they are massive in size, their gentle nature instantly puts you at ease. This is a once in a lifetime feeling and there is no better place in the world to discover this than Mozambique. You will most likely dive or snorkel with dolphins and manta rays too. Can it get any better?
Where on Mozambique will I be located?
You will be staying in a place called Tofo. Tofo is quickly becoming one of Mozambiques favourite diving destinations. It offers great training grounds for new divers and a large array of deep and shallow sites for the already qualified divers. A couple of the deeper reefs offer manta  raycleaning stations, large schools of pelagics, devil rays, frog fish, leaf fish, morays and giant groupers. National Geographic recently voted Tofo as one of the prime whale shark and manta ray viewing sites in the world..
How often can I get to see whale sharks?
We are fortunate to have an exclusive arrangement with one of the best dive shops in Tofo. They allow you unlimited access to whale shark safaris. So basically when the boat launches and if it is not completely full you have a space on the boat. Only on very rare occasions is the boat full, so this basically means you can go out on a whale shark safari every day. During a safari you can see up to 30 whale sharks. Also in a trip you often see manta rays, dolphins and humpback whales. They are not based on a reef, but in an area of open water we call Whale Shark Alley (7km stretch between Tofo Point and Praia Do Roche). We have the biggest population of male juveniles worldwide. (7m – 9m).
Are the dives specifically for tracking whale sharks?
No, we should mention here that the ocean safaris are specific to tracking whale sharks not the dives. The dives are on the reefs and there are plenty of interesting things to see, our favourites include the weird looking Guitar Shark! That’s not to say that you might not see a whale shark or two!
Tell me more about the ocean safari?
In the mornings, we go on ocean safaris to freedive with whale sharks. It is a two hour trip looking for as many whale sharks as we can find. Once we have found one we snorkel with it for as long as it hangs around, then get back in the boat and go find another one. As an Xtreme Gap customer you are able to go out on the safaris as often as they run, unless the boat is fully booked. Please note we do not launch unless we have 4 people on the boat, because of the costs of fuel. This is not very often as there are always new backpackers arriving who come here for that reason. If it does happen we push everyone forward to the next day to get a group together. This can happen for weather reasons as well.
What are the facilities of the dive centre?
  • Registered  PADI Dive Centre.
  • Courses from Discover Scuba up to Dive Master.
  • 3.5 metre training pool.
  • Classroom.
  • Gear service facilities.
  • Full range of rental diving gear.
  • Nice bar and restaurant facilities.
  • Cosy accommodation very close to the beach
What is the difference between our whale shark diving and conservation project?
The whale shark conservation project is based on a scientific research study and includes an Open Water diving course and up to 3 boat launches per week, this can involve snorkelling or diving. You also stay in a volunteer lodge on the beach with all meals included. The whale shark diving trip is all about diving and getting as close as possible to the whale shark. There is much more exposure to whale sharks and other large marine life,with 27 dives included and unlimited ocean safaris. You stay in a backpack lodge on the beach that that has a great social scene.
Which meals are included?
Breakfasts are included, but other meals are not. There is a communal kitchen if you want to prepare yourself something, and loads of places to eat in the area for a couple of ££’s a day – so not expensive. Eating out is a social event, and we would be restricting your chance to meet like-minded travellers and make friends if meals were included.
Do I go in scuba gear on the ocean safaris?

On the ocean safaris, you do not need to go in scuba gear, you snorkel or freedive. If you have never been in the water with a whale shark, here is the reason why you do not do this in scuba gear. Whale sharks are surface feeders and descend to 25 metres and back up to the surface regularly, they are also reasonably fast in the water as well (they swim around the same speed as someone doing a leisurely front crawl). In scuba gear it is really hard to keep up with them from the drag on the equipment, and the fact that they ascend and descend so much would make it dangerous if you attempted to follow them up and down (you might get the bends). While most divers are aware of this, you would be surprised how many experienced divers just lose it when they see one, and start maintaining erratic profiles to keep up with the whale sharks. If you are snorkelling, not only is it easier to keep up with them, but you are free to duck and dive with them and ascend at any rate.

As you do this in the morning, you are free of residual nitrogen and can do this as much as you want, in the afternoon you can go diving, surfing or chilling on the beach.

Are whale sharks dangerous?
Absolutely not! They are big but they do not even have teeth. They are extremely impressive though, and being lucky to see one, and swim with one once, is never enough.

I am not a qualified diver yet..can I still join?
Yes you can, we will train you from zero to hero.

Can I do anything else there?
Yes, you can. Fishing, surfing, ocean kayaking and exploring along some of the worlds most unspoilt coastline. Not bad.

What about malaria?
Inhambane is in a malaria zone, we advise you take malarial tablets and consult your GP or travel clinic before you go.

If Africa is so cheap how come this is so expensive?
Africa may be cheap, but diving in Africa is not, well, not if you are diving with a reputable company that looks after their equipment and customers! All the dive equipment has to be brought in from South Africa and we put you up in a nice backpacker resort.  If you want the trip of a life time then you really do get what you pay for, and this is exactly that, very few other places in the world will get you this much whale shark exposure in such a beautiful setting.

How do I know if this trip is for me?
If you want to dive or learn to dive in one of the best places in Africa, and have a lot of whale shark and manta ray interactions and live by the beach in a beautiful, buzzy backpacker location then this trip is for you! Remember with this programme you get unlimited whale shark safaris, no one else offers that. However if you are concerned about not being met at the airport, and want a guaranteed group and are not big into diving, then the whale shark conservation project might be better suited. Just remember you pay a lot more, and have much less exposure to whale sharks with the conservation project. If you are up for adventure and are happy to find your own airport transfers, then this trip is for you.  With local transport the transfer costs about £3, one way, and is ridiculously easy…….

Price

2 weeks £1,452
3 weeks £1,749
4 weeks £1,991
6 weeks £2,558
8 weeks £2,910
12 weeks £3,943
Extra 4 Weeks £1,053

 

Included

  • Total of 27 dives in 4 weeks (or 20 in 2 weeks) with dive leaders trained to track whale sharks
  • All dive equipment
  • Unlimited ocean safaris with guides
  • Snorkel equipment
  • Accommodation based on a private African hut (very basic)
  • Breakfasts
  • Detailed pre-departure pack
  • Locally based co-ordinators on hand to give assistance
  • 24 hour emergency number

Excluded

  • Evening meals
  • Flights
  • Visas
  • Sleeping bags (bring a pillow case to stuff)
  • Scuba Dive Training Course (Available on request approx £350  per course)
  • Transfers to and from airport.

Dates

You can start this trip any time please contact us for startdates