Diving Mozambique: mantas, whale sharks and where to find them

Mozambique's coastline runs for roughly 2,700 kilometres along the Mozambique Channel, and the diving changes completely as you move up it.

The far south: Ponta do Ouro

Reefs like Doodles, Bass City and Pinnacles sit close inshore, reached by boats launched straight through the surf. Ragged-tooth sharks, potato bass and turtles are the draw, along with a resident bottlenose dolphin population. Best from May to November.

Inhambane: Tofo and Barra

The most famous diving in the country. Offshore cleaning stations at Manta Reef and Giants Castle attract reef and giant manta rays year round. Whale sharks feed along this coast, most reliably October to March. Ocean safaris — snorkel-based surface trips — mean non-divers get access to the same animals.

Bazaruto Archipelago

Inside a national park, with coral gardens and Two Mile Reef offering some of the best snorkelling in the country. The archipelago also protects one of the last viable dugong populations in the western Indian Ocean, though sightings are rare and should never be promised.

The north: Nacala, Pemba and the Quirimbas

The least-dived part of Mozambique and, for many, the best. Nacala's deep bay gives steep walls close to shore. Pemba's reef starts metres from Wimbe beach. The Quirimbas offer wall diving into deep water with very few other boats anywhere in sight. Visibility peaks between August and November.

Diving responsibly

Good operators here follow clear rules around megafauna: no touching, no chasing, no blocking an animal's path, no flash photography, and a limit on how many people are in the water at once. If an operator offers to guarantee an encounter or lets swimmers crowd a whale shark, dive with someone else.

Also worth knowing: several areas are inside national parks, where conservation fees apply per person per day, and removing shells or coral is prohibited.