Tusk Till Dawn Adventures

F.A.Q'S

Scuba Diving Info

South and East Africa offer some spectacular scuba diving opportunities. Here's how we found things in the places we visited...

South Africa - Sodwana Bay - General Information
There are a number of dive operators at Sodwana Bay. If one is staying in the National Park's campsite, it is just easier to stay and dive with Coral Divers; they have a shuttle service from their door to the beach and back again! Sodwana gets VERY busy over the holiday seasons and dive sites can get quite crowded.

There are lots of different sites to dive on, ranging from shallow (14m+) sites to really deep dives. Sites further out from shore attract a surcharge but are less frequented by divers. We enjoyed incredible vis. of 20m plus in crystal clear waters of warmer than 22^oC in May and June. Medium to strong currents and surge are not uncommon.

South Africa - Sodwana Bay - Sodwana Bay Lodge
We dived with Sodwana Bay Lodge. Greg, Bronwyn and Karl took very good care of us and the operation is well-run. The staff took care of all our equipment and nothing went astray. We will be back to dive with them again! Dives cost R165.00 per dive with a R40.00 charge for airfills. They also offer Nitrox.

Mozambique - Ponto do Ouro - General Information
There are a number of reefs to dive on from Ponto, however many of our dives were in Molongane Bay which means a long boat ride. Ponto is very busy during holiday season and dive sites can get crowded. Visibility can range from 25m+ in perfect conditions to less than 3m in certain circumstances. Medium to strong currents and surge are not uncommon. We dived in waters warmer than 22^oC in May and June.

Mozambique - Ponto do Ouro - Devocean
This very professional operation offers accommodation, great food and have a superb dive team. To date, they were the most expensive folks we have dived with at R200 per dive plus R50.00 for airfills. However, they really are a slick operation with a good boat and great skippers.

Mozambique - Ponto do Ouro - The Whaler
Situated in the campsite at Ponto do Ouro, The Whaler is more of a budget operation at R160.00 per dive and R40.00 per airfill. They have almost no steel cylinders, using mainly aluminium cylinders.

Mozambique - Guinjata Bay
From Guinjata Bay you can dive "Manta Reef", one of the Top Ten dive sites in the world. The dive team of Derek, Nicky and Rueben were fantastic. They are enthusiastic and fun, but still very professional and responsible. They also have brand new ScubaPro equipment for hire. We can't wait to get back there on our return journey!

Guinjata offers a range divesites from fairly shallow (14m+) to deep dives (30m+). "Batfish" is a really nice dive site for open water divers, with "Manta Reef" and "Green Tree" being exceptionally good dive sites for advanced divers. "Manta" and "Green Tree" attract a distance surcharge and are about a 25 minute boat ride from the resort. The vis. was in the region of 10 - 15m and a little murky due to the prevailing weather conditions, but the water was warmer than 22^oC in June.

Mozambique - Barra Lodge
Diving with Barra Lodge was another wonderful experience. We dived with Jan and Petra who were both relaxed and fun, but were also very responsible. Barra Lodge has a limited number of steel cylinders so put your name down for one as soon as you arrive. We will return here too!!

There are two very shallow dive sites just off shore, Buddies and Anchor. These are both at less than 10m and give the opportunity for long, relaxed dives where there is so much to see. Further out and towards the Tofo area there are a number of dive opportunities in the region of 14m and deeper. "The Office" and "Sherwood Forest" are great dive sites for advanced divers. The sea cleared up as we travelled from Guinjata Bay and we enjoyed vis. of further than 20m in clear to slightly murky waters. The coldest the water ever got in June was 23^oC.

Malawi - Cape Maclear, Lake Malawi - Scuba Shack
Canadian Glenn Campbell, with his Japanese wife, Nahoka, run a professional dive operation at this freshwater altitude dive site. They are both very knowledgeable and are patient and understanding instructors. In general, Lake Malawi is one of the most inexpensive places to do dive courses, such as US$180 for the Advanced Dive Course or the Nitrox Course. They have a range of CressiSub gear, in very good condition, for use by visitors. All dives are US$30.00 inclusive of gear and airfills (there is no reduction in cost for those who have their own gear).

Diving in freshwater is very different from the ocean. The main attraction here is the small cichlid fishes, the rock formations and the swim-throughs. There is no surf, surge or strong currents to worry about, but there is also a lot less colour and less to see than in the "Big Blue". The water was 22^oC in July, but as it is freshwater, you'll need a 5mm wetsuit to stay comfortable.

Zanzibar - Nungwe Beach - Sensation Divers
Diving is not cheap in Zanzibar, but packages for multiple dives does bring the price down. A single dive starts at US$50 which includes equipment hire & airfills. If you have your own stuff you can usually negotiate a discount, and at Sensation Divers in Nungwe, they also give a 10% discount for payment in cash - US$.

Diving in Zanzibar means nice warm water; it rarely goes below 22 degrees Celsius. The weather is fairly fickle these days - proof of global warming! - but diving on a cloudless day means an incredible dive with vis. in the 15m - 25m range. The corals, both hard and soft, are abundant with great and varied fishlife. There are a number of good dive sites; just ask the operator about the sites with the best vis. at the time you are there.

In Stone Town there are two dive operators to choose from, a choice of three in Nungwe and only one option at Kendwa Rocks. We found Sensation Divers to be the friendliest, but their hire BCD's are a little old and frayed around the edges.

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