Diving Tofo in Southern Mozambique… Praia Do Tofo (Tofo Beach…) is really quite a special place. Located some 16 km from the provincial capital of Inhambane, it has an excellent combination of rich, vibrant reefs and the opportunity for incredible encounters with manta rays and whale sharks.
Tofo owes its amazing biodiversity to its location at the southern end of the 1600 km long Mozambique Channel.
Flowing through that channel is the complex Mozambique Current. A phenomenal flow of water, that produces several huge counter-cyclonic eddies as it exits the channel – near Tofo…
Those eddies basically suck up the rich nutrients from the deep waters to the south. Creating the life-force for Tofo’s vibrant reefs and its megafauna visitors!
Besides the chance for encounters with whale sharks and manta rays. The other thing that is really special about Tofo, is that it’s the base for the highly respected Marine Megafauna Foundation.
First founded in Tofo back in 2008 by Simon Pierce and Andrea Marshall, the Marine Megafauna Foundation (MMF) has grown significantly each year.
To the point that it now plays a major role in the understanding and conservation of whale sharks, manta rays and other creatures such as the small-eye stingray. MMF staff in Tofo conduct briefings on different aspects of their work three evenings each week. Which are great ways to understand a lot more about these special creatures!
Tofo itself is a laid-back place, with has an assortment of restaurants and local watering holes that make for some pleasant evenings after the days diving is done. Check out the Need to Know: Tofo and Need to Know: Diving Tofo pages for more information.
Tofo Megafauna
On the southeastern seaboard of Africa, Mother Nature has conspired to create almost the perfect underwater biological storm.
East of Tofo major oceanic currents converge and create huge quantities of zooplankton, the life source of megafauna – Read more
Tofo Manta Rays
What is special about diving Tofo is the number of manta rays in the general area. With about 750 individuals identified.
Plus an estimated total population of around 1400 – whereas at other major aggregations 300 to 400 manta rays is the norm – Read more
Tofo Whale Sharks
Whale sharks are almost a fixture in the Tofo area. Drawn there by the constant availability of zooplankton – their principal food source.
Understanding whale shark migration of is still work in progress, but it seems clear that the Tofo plays a significant role – Read more
Megafauna Foundation
There are two things that are really special about Tofo. First being that it is a fantastic place to see manta rays and whale sharks!
But the second one is that Tofo is the base camp of the quite exceptional Marine Megafauna Foundation – Read more
Tofo Dive Sites
There are about 15 significant sites dived on a regular basis in the area around Tofo. Those sites can be divided into two main groups.
Offshore sites, involving boat journeys of between 30 to 60 minutes. And the inshore ones 10 to 15 minutes from shore – Read more
Tofo Diving Overview
Before you go – what you need to know to dive Tofo… First of all the diving is done “South African style” with rigid inflatable boats (RIB’s).
The boats are launched through the surf, then ran up the beach at full speed on return. Exciting the first time you do it – Read more
Need to Know: Tofo…
The first thing to know about Tofo is that its location is fantastic. At the southern end of one the finest beaches in Southern Mozambique.
By local standards Tofo is a prosperous place. It owes that prosperity to the rich currents of the Mozambique Channel – Read more
Megafauna Article
The Mozambique megafauna was why I went to Tofo. But what I discovered was a lot more, with vibrant reefs and excellent biodiversity.
But Mozambique is a poor country recovering from years of civil war. It has “issues” impacting on that megafauna… Read more
Death on the Beach
The southern end of Tofo beach is where the local fishermen return to from their overnight trips to the offshore reefs.
It is a busy but still peaceful place early morning. And the very last thing I expected to see was death on the beach… Read more
