Mozambique

We visited Mozambique as part of a Blue Ocean Diving World Tour trip. I had originally booked the trip before Di and I got together, and Di joined later when someone dropped out and a place became available. The trip was organised through a tour operator using Piri Piri Divers in Mozambique.

We flew with British Airways from London to Johannesburg, then took a connecting flight into Vilanculos in Mozambique. From there, we had a long minibus transfer down to Morrungulo, where we spent the first week diving.

Morrungulo was a small, quiet place to stay and the accommodation was lovely. Our room was underneath the main living area and had a balcony with a great view out to sea, down the slope towards the beach. It felt peaceful, remote, and very different from a more commercial dive resort.

The food during the first week was excellent. As vegetarians, we were really well looked after. There was always a vegetarian option available, and the chef would speak to us the night before about what they had in stock and what they could cook for us the following day. Every meal was different, every meal was good, and we genuinely could not fault the food there.

The dive centre at Morrungulo was very well fitted out. There was no dedicated camera room, which was a shame, but there was enough space in our room to sort and look after camera gear. We each had our own dive boxes, there was plenty of space to change, and the team handled the logistics well. Our kit was loaded onto the RIB, which was then hauled down onto the beach and prepared for launch.

Getting to and from the boat was part of the experience. We had to walk down a slope to the beach, which was not too difficult on the way down and took around five minutes. Coming back up after diving, in the heat of the day, was more of a challenge.

The boat launches were interesting. You had to get into the RIB while it was being pushed into position by a tractor, then wait for the captain to pick the right moment between the waves before heading out through the surf. It was exciting, but it was definitely more adventurous than simply stepping onto a dive boat from a jetty.

Most of the dive sites were a long way offshore, often 45 minutes or more by boat. One of the main reasons for going at that time of year was the hope of seeing whale sharks and humpback whales during the surface intervals. On paper, the timing should have been perfect, but unfortunately the large animals had moved off earlier than expected that season, and we did not get the encounters we had hoped for.

The diving itself was often challenging. Many dives involved a negative entry off the back of the RIB, then dropping quickly and meeting the guide at around 20 metres. Once underwater, we saw reef fish, nudibranchs, and other smaller marine life, although not the big animals we had travelled hoping to see. Di had not expected much macro photography from the trip, but she was actually impressed by the number of nudibranchs we found, especially given that the larger marine life was absent.

At the end of the dives, we would usually surface in blue water, often from 20 metres or more, and wait to be picked up by the RIB. Getting back into the boat could be interesting, particularly for those of us who are not quite as young as we used to be. There was often a fair amount of being pulled, pushed, and hauled back on board.

Returning to shore was also memorable. Everyone had to hold on tightly as the RIB rode a wave back towards the beach before being quickly pulled up by the tractor. It was all handled well, but it added to the sense that this was proper expedition-style diving rather than a soft resort dive setup.

We had one non-diving day during the first week, and the team at the resort arranged for us to go into the local town in the back of their Land Rover. It was a really interesting experience. The town felt like a genuine small Mozambican village rather than somewhere set up for tourists, and it was lovely to walk around, see a bit of local life, and find a small bar for a beer or two before heading back to the resort.

Everyone at the resort was friendly, welcoming, and good fun. There was entertainment in the evenings, and the local team always seemed happy to join in and make the trip feel sociable. We really could not fault the people or the atmosphere during that first week.

For the second week, we transferred by minibus down to Tofo. The hotel there was also lovely, although it was not owned by Piri Piri Divers. The dive centre was next door, which made the diving logistics straightforward. We only ate breakfast at the hotel, and most evenings we went into the village, where there were plenty of local restaurants and we could always find vegetarian options that worked well for us.

The diving in Tofo followed a similar pattern: walking down to the beach, getting into a RIB, launching through the surf, and heading out to sea. Again, we were hoping for whale sharks, humpback whales, or other large marine life, but unfortunately they did not appear for us during that week either.

There was one day when the sea was very rough. The dive boats did still go out, but we decided not to dive, which turned out to be the right decision for us. Some of the group went out and came back after around half an hour without completing any dives, so sitting that one out was probably wise.

Piri Piri Divers sell this type of trip around the idea of the “Big Five Above and Below”. Unfortunately, we did not get the “Big Five Below” on this occasion. However, the above-water part of the trip made up for it in a big way.

After leaving Tofo, we travelled down the coast of Mozambique into South Africa and spent a couple of days in Kruger National Park. That was an excellent end to the trip. We definitely saw the Big Five, along with many other animals, and the safari experience gave the whole journey a strong finish. After Kruger, we had a half-day drive back through South Africa to Johannesburg before flying home to the UK.

Overall, Mozambique was a great trip, even though it was disappointing not to see the whale sharks, humpback whales, or other large marine life we had hoped for. The trip was well organised, the people were excellent, the group was good fun, and travelling with friends from the dive centre made it even better. The diving was more adventurous and physically demanding than some resort-based trips, but that was part of the experience.

I would definitely recommend this trip, especially for divers who enjoy travel, adventure, RIB diving, and the chance of big animal encounters. You just have to go with realistic expectations: nature does not work to a timetable, and sometimes the big stuff simply does not show up. Even so, we had an amazing time, and if the whale sharks and humpbacks are there next time, it would be a very special trip indeed.