|
|
|
Here we have descriptions of all of the dive sites and marine life accessible through Diversity Scuba. Click on the links below to jump to the descriptions, then click on the Booking Form link to book a trip to Tofo Beach and experience the sites for yourself! Scuba diving with Diversity Scuba will be the most exciting thing you ever do...
Whalesharks, Dolphins and Humpback Whales
Manta Reef
The Oasis is another stunning reef at around 24m with numerous overhangs and shallow caverns and excellent hard and soft corals. There are two main cleaning stations here that attract the large mantas and it is often possible to see leopard sharks resting on the sandy bottom. Also in residence are white tip, black tip and silver tip reef sharks. Other large rays such as devil rays, blotched fantail rays and Jenkins whiprays are common. Large giant and honeycomb morays curl up in crevices. Potato groupers are curious enough to get very close to divers. On closer inspection, the corals offer hiding places for spiny lobster, egg cowries, Spanish dancers and large scorpion fish. Shoals of bigeyes, yellow snapper, goldies and sometimes barracuda drift over the reef.
Galleria is a long wall where currents sometimes create an exciting drift dive. The bottom of the wall is at 30-35m and the top of the reef is between 26-28m. Giant mantas can also be seen on this site, cruising along the wall which provides shelter for various rays, shoals of red-tooth trigger fish, goldies, lobster, scorpion fish and so on. Large potato groupers come in very close to inspect divers. Fragile green tree corals hide all kinds of morays from large honeycomb to small geometric and white-mouth. The wall provides perfect cover for large, rarely seen frog-fish. Devil rays and sometimes small reef sharks can also be seen.
Table Top is a deeper site with a curving wall - down to 40m at the bottom and 30m on the top of the reef. Beautiful green tree corals are home to hundreds of goldies and fairy basslets, many kinds of morays and so on. The ever present potato groupers are just as curious on this site. The wall gives shelter to schools of Moorish idols and banner fish. The occasional manta ray will cruise past.
Crocodile Rock is named for its many large crocodile fish that lie on the bottom on flat rocks and sandy areas. The top of the ref is at around 14m with large craters going down to around 16m. The craters provide excellent shelter to all manner of marine life - schools of snappers and bigeyes hang almost motionless, various types of angel fish, butterfly fish, large bright yellow trumpet fish, clown trigger fish, large common lionfish and so on. There are many types of box fish and puffer fish. Overhangs and crevices provide shelter for lobster and banded coral shrimp. Blue spotted Kuhl's stingrays and scorpion fish lie still on the bottom next to egg and tiger cowries
Praia da Rocha (Beach of Rocks) is a fringing reef with excellent hard and soft corals. The reef slopes up to the surface and the corals at 5m are beautiful, but this area can only be dived when there is little surge. The outer edge of the reef is at about 18m. The pinnacles of rocks form excellent gullies and swim-throughs with overhangs, caverns and large crevices. There are beautiful Spanish dancers, nudibranches and cowries. Honeycomb and zebra morays hide in the cracks and very large spiny lobster can be found sheltering under shelves of rock. White tip reef sharks, turtles and eagle rays can sometimes be found here, plus many other reef fish, schools of barracuda, snappers and sweetlips. Praia da Rocha is a good site for encountering whalesharks during peak season.
The Arena is very similar in topography and marine life to Crocodile Rock but the craters are deeper with higher walls. The deepest areas are around 20m with the top of the reef between 14m and 12m. The large craters make ideal sheltered homes for many different reef fish and the walls are covered with hard and soft corals. Excellent swim-throughs!
Clown Fish Reef is right in the bay at Tofo and the shallowest of our reefs at 11m maximum. The reef is protected in the bay and makes for an ideal nursery and there are many juveniles - iridescent juvenile emperor angelfish, tiny lion fish, baby octopus, small scorpion fish and so on - many fish, perfect miniatures of the adults. There are many different species of anemone and clown fish. Very nice hard corals and some soft corals.
Max Depth: 28m Amazon Reef is our farthest site and one of the most spectacular, making a visit to this reef well worth the longer journey time to get there. Amazon is a stunning horseshoe shaped reef with a maximum depth of 28m on the sandy/rocky bottom inside the horseshoe, and the reef top depth varying between 22m and 24m. The site is an excellent one for spotting white tip reef sharks and leopard sharks, of which there are several residents. Also in residence is a large loggerhead turtle and also sometimes a green turtle or two. Schooling barracuda circle above and huge, table sized fantail rays guard the borders of the reef. Other rays sometimes include devil rays and the occasional giant manta. There is a stunning array of beautiful reef fish in staggering numbers, plus hunting blue-fin travelly and yellow-fin tuna on occasion, and many colourful nudibranches and cowrie shells.
Krakatoa is close both in proximity and topography to Praia da Rocha but can be dived more frequently as it is not affected by surge. Maximum depth is 18m and our drop point is right in the middle of this site. High walls and rock formations with colourful hard and soft corals form an arena and are home to huge honeycomb moray eels, large spiny lobster, strange and beautiful cuttlefish and octopus and fascinating nudibranches. Krakatoa has interesting swim-throughs and reef sharks can sometimes be found resting under the overhangs. This is a very relaxing dive with all of the stunning reef fish from the area in abundance.
Whalesharks are mostly summer visitors with the best time of year to see them here being November until March. Whalesharks are gentle creatures, non-aggressive plankton feeders that can reach up to 12m in length with average lengths of 8-9m. During November and March, numbers of whalesharks are high with up to 20 individual sharks being spotted during 30 minute boat journeys. The whalesharks cruise along, at or just below the surface so its best to simply snorkel with them. It is very important not to touch or ride the whalesharks as human touch removes a protective mucus from their skin which can lead them to catch serious infections. During the winter months there are fewer whalesharks in the area but it is still possible to see them on occasions. Very little is known about the lives and behaviour of these sharks.
Humpback Whales visit the area from as early as June until as late as October. The whales spend the summer months in Antarctic waters feeding on large amounts of krill, then migrate up the east coast of Africa to mate and give birth. After a gestation period of around 12 months, females give birth to one calf which is suckled for another 11 months. Females then fall pregnant again. The whales often jump fully out of the water (breaching) and slap their tails and fins on the surface which is behaviour associated with mating. While diving, it is possible to hear them 'singing' to one another - a sound that can be heard from up to 2km away!. It is important not to disturb these creatures, especially mothers and calves, so boats are advised to keep a respectable distance of no less than 20m away.
Dolphins can be seen in Mozambican waters most of the year but June, July and August are very good months for them. There are various species of dolphins in this area including bottlenose dolphins, common and humpback dolphins. Dolphins are rarely seen alone but usually in groups known as pods - sometimes in very large numbers. Female dolphins slap the water with their tails to encourage younger dolphins to keep up with the pod. Dolphins have been seen riding the waves almost in to shore and playing at the bows of diving and fishing boas. |
