From Quinga to Mecufi: Dive Sites

Diving off Ilha de Moçambique is limited to two reefs, a long wall with resident Napoleon Wrasses, Clown Triggers and Schools of Barracuda, and the remains of a 16th century wreck of a wooden ship that yielded Ming china. One and two seater kayaks are available for hire which is a great way to explore the island from the sea.

Baixo do Pinda.

It is impossible to sum this area up in one small piece of writing. If you go to Google Earth and navigate to Nacala Bay in Mozambique, it's basically just above where the narrowest point between Madagascar and Mozambique occur. You will see on the satellite image a very light blue, turquoise like patch, just north of Nacala. This is Baixo do Pinda. It is somewhere in the region of 5km wide and 10km long. It looks as though it could be the 8th wonder of the world. Not many have dived this amazing natural creation, but those that have, report of spectacular sites and amazing pelagic life. I know I will be going back their to see for myself. Made famous by Prof. JLB Smith who conducted the majority of his research for his fish book Smiths Sea Fishes. The current can be very strong, but is predictable. An experienced topman is required. The training level can be from Open Water upwards, but this is definately not a place for the novice. Marine life is very diverse in this region, Humpbacks are prolific in winter. There are several wrecks covered in Malabar Bass, shoals of Barracudas, Kng Fish, Napoleon Wrasse, with an abundance of beautiful corals in shallow water. There have even been sightings here of the deep living Bluntnose Six Gill Shark, a shy creature who swims from depths as deep as 2000m, to the shallows to feed at night.

Nacala Bay.

The tropical reefs are known to be varied and hold a great assortment of corals and plenty of fish life, different to the southern reefs. There are dive sites of walls, slopes and mounds with some running for long stretches. A few reefs have spectacular corals and others are barely reefs, but still packed with interesting 'stuff', from shallow to deep. Summer months yield the gamefish - Barracuda, King Fish, Sailfish and Wahoo. While Winter, from July-Oct, brings the Humpback Whales right into the bay and Sun Fish move up from the deep on one reef in the months of May-July. Night dives are stunning, right off the beach, offering up Spanish Dancers, Octopi, Nudibranchs, Mollusks, Crabs, Lion Fish and much more.

Bay Diving's new liveaboard dhow lets you explore other remote areas - both above and below the water.

Year round there are frequent sightings of unusual and photogenic critters, perfect for the macro enthusiast - Seahorses, Frog Fish, Mauritian and Paper Leaf) Scorpions, Ghost Pipe Fish, Seamoths, plenty of Lion Fish of various species, many types of Shrimps and Ribbon Eels. Dolphins are abound, but no sharks or other large pelagics come into the bay. You can dive here year round, protected from the seasonal prevailing winds.

Night dives are stunning, right off the beach offering Spanish Dancers, Octopi, Nudibranchs, Shells, Crabs, Lionfish and much more.

This region has year round diving conditions with temperatures from 24C to 29C.

Bonito Reef (Andre's), Nacala.
Available From:	Kualala Dive Centre and Bay Diving.
Comments:	At the bottom of this site you will find a cave with a resident Malabar Bass. The dive normally ends up on the Kualala Gardens.
Distance From Launch:	300m.
Depth Range:	15m to 32m.
Current:	Not a concern most of the time, in this area, as it is so close to shore and in a protected bay. N.B. It can be strong, and must be considered, if shore diving is done on a spring high for you won't be able to walk back along the beach.
Experience Level:	Dependant on area to be visited. Can be from Open Water and up.
Topography:	Dense coral gardens in the shallows lead to sloping sandy banks ending in rocky outcrops at depth.
Marine Life:	Look out for Batfish, Anglers, Mauritian, Leaf Fish, Ribbon Eels and a wide range of tropical fish that will keep you searching for more.
Type of Water Entrance:	Shore entry.

Kualala Gardens, Nacala.
Available From:	Kualala Dive Centre.
Comments:	Perfect for Resort Divers and great for snorkelling.
Distance From Launch:	100m.
Depth Range:	3m to 12m.
Current:	Not a concern in this area as it is so close to shore and in a protected bay.
Experience Level:	Good training site, for those that wish to learn and up.
Topography:	Coral Garden unaffected by the constant netting due to the "crater" that the garden rests in.
Marine Life:	Full of coral, Goldies, Chocolate Dips, Damsels and Lion Fish.
Type of Water Entrance:	Shore entry.

NUFR - Nacala's Ultimate @#*! Reef, Nacala.
Available From:	Bay Diving and Kualala Dive Centre.
Comments:	Long deep wall dive If dived right, you can stay with the coral all the way up to 8m and then do your safety stop on the sand where there is a galaxy of seastars.
Distance From Launch:	5km.
Depth Range:	21-40m wall, reef up to 8m.
Current:	Can be present, makes for gentle drift, normally not noticeable.
Experience Level:	Experienced, good for Advanced Deep training.
Topography:	Stunning wall formations and big blue yonder.
Marine Life:	Resident brindle bass, passing gamefish.
Type of Water Entrance:	Back roll from a boat.

Stables, Nacala.
Available From:	Bay Diving.
Comments:	So called because of the seahorses.
Distance From Launch:	1,5km.
Depth Range:	24-34m.
Current:	Can sweep you away from this small reef.
Experience Level:	Experienced. Conditions generally murky and depth, limits bottom time to around 20 minutes.
Topography:	More a collection of boulders and a strange hole emitting fresh water attracting loads of life.
Marine Life:	Apart from the seahorses, always something to surprise. Huge Scorpions, Lion Fish and Eels, Crocodile Fish, quite often Dolphins and seasonally Barracuda.
Type of Water Entrance:	Roll Back from boat.

The Wall, Nacala.
Available From:	Bay Diving.
Comments:	Deep and exciting.
Distance From Launch:	9km.
Depth Range:	14-50m.
Current:	Can be relatively strong.
Experience Level:	Experienced and trained in deep diving.
Topography:	Coral filled slope leading to a dramatic wall and swimthrough.
Marine Life:	Varied. Expect something big down there.
Type of Water Entrance:	Roll Back from boat.

The Point, Nacala.
Available From:	Bay Diving.
Comments:	Can combine Open Water and experienced divers on this reef as you have a choice of shallow or deep.
Distance From Launch:	6km.
Depth Range:	7m-45m.
Current:	Various points can make you work a bit.
Experience Level:	Open Water to Experienced.
Topography:	Sloped coral to dramatic drops.
Marine Life:	Turtles and Groupers, Stingrays.
Type of Water Entrance:	Roll back from boat.

Pinnacle, Nacala.
Available From:	Bay Diving.
Comments:	Your best chance to see shoals of gamefish inside the bay.
Distance From Launch:	1km.
Depth Range:	17m-35m.
Current:	Can be present, you need to know when to dive this.
Experience Level:	Open Water to experienced.
Topography:	Round sloping reef. As a high point in the deep bay it attracts the gamefish.
Marine Life:	Summer King Fish, Barracuda, King Mackeral, Wahoo. Also bottom dwelling Scorpions, Frog Fish and Nudibranchs.
Type of Water Entrance:	Roll back from boat.

Nemo's, Nacala.
Available From:	Bay Diving.
Comments:	Brilliant shore dive for everyone. The most experienced divers rave about this..
Distance From Launch:	Walk in.
Depth Range:	Gradual slope down to 20m.
Current:	Minimal.
Experience Level:	No-one is beyond this.
Topography:	Slope with bommies of corals.
Marine Life:	Everything a macro photographer or fish fundi could want - Ghost Pipe Fish, Frog Fish, Leaf Fish, all sorts of Nudis, crazy critters all over the place and many Triggers.
Type of Water Entrance:	Shore.

Paradise Reef, Nacala.
Available From:	Kualala Dive Centre and Bay Diving.
Comments:	A boat is required to get here as it is on the opposite side of the bay to where the dive centres are located.
Distance From Launch:	About 2km from Kualala and 7km from Bay Diving.
Depth Range:	3-30m.
Current:	Can be present but not a major concern as you are still inside the main bay.
Experience Level:	This site is a good all rounder for any experience level. Discover Scuba Diving clients, if with Bay Diving, will usually do the Open Water section of their experience here.
Topography:	Coral Garden with plenty of lettuce coral this slopes dropping down into the bay where you will find a slightly different landscape of coral undulations and bommies and tons of lettuce coral. Best in the shallower parts for fish life.
Marine Life:	Full of coral, Goldies, Chocolate Dips, Damsels, Lion Fish, Malabar Bass and Marbled Groupers, Crayfish and Boa Snappers.
Type of Water Entrance:	Roll back.

Napala Drop Off, Nacala.
Available From:	Kualala Dive Centre and Bay Diving.
Comments:	This is one of the most dived spots in Nacala Bay, it's a real treat. A boat is required to get here.
Distance From Launch:	About 2km from Fernao Veloso.
Depth Range:	5m to 45m.
Current:	Can be present but not a major concern as you are still inside the main bay.
Experience Level:	Dependant on depth to be visited can be from Open Water and up. It is possible to go deep here so be careful of your depth, check your gauges frequently.
Topography:	Lots to see and towering cliffs plus different levels at 20, 30, 40 and 45 metres.
Marine Life:	A chance of catching a glance of the elusive Sun Fish.
Type of Water Entrance:	Roll back.

Baobab Point, Wall and Abyss Reefs, Nacala.
Available From:	Kualala Dive Centre.
Comments:	An excellent site for the advanced or techie diver. Unfortunately Nacala, and for that matter all of Mozambique, has not yet developed itself to a level where tech diving can be supported. We will keep you posted for when this situation changes.
Distance From Launch:	Unknown.
Depth Range:	20m to 90m+.
Current:	Can be present but not a major concern as you are still inside the main bay.
Experience Level:	This is an advanced divers set of sites.
Topography:	Part of a chain of small underwater mountains.
Marine Life:	Here is your best chance of seeing the Sun Fish.
Type of Water Entrance:	Roll back.

Melala and Mutiva, Nacala.
Available From:	Kualala Dive Centre.
Comments:	These reefs are still very much unexplored, their are amazing coral gardens to be discovered hear. Unfortunately commercial shell exporters based in Maputo have stripped this reef resulting in an invasion of crown of thorns and urchins depleting this once healthy coral. There is a disused shop in the Nacala City that is full of dead corals. It must be an area of 7m x 7m and the coral is piled 2m high!! How can our seas survive with this destruction going unchecked!?
Distance From Launch:	Unknown.
Depth Range:	8m to 18m.
Current:	Can be strong, making a drift dive of several kilometers.
Experience Level:	Available to all levels.
Topography:	Shallow coral gardens with sloping sandy banks and rocky outcrops at depth.
Marine Life:	Full of reef fish and a home for Rock Cod.
Type of Water Entrance:	Roll back.

Jeppa Bay and Djidji, Nacala.
Available From:	Kualala Dive Centre.
Comments:	Jeppa is on the opposite side to Djidji and Djidji is an extension of the Melala and Mutiva reefs which is a little deeper and for the more experienced divers.
Distance From Launch:	Unknown.
Depth Range:	20m to 35m.
Current:	Not a concern.
Experience Level:	Advanced and up.
Topography:	Coral Gardens, sand banks and rocky outcrops.
Marine Life:	Jeppa Bay diving is spectacular due to corals and fish being relatively untouched and visibility spectacular. Amazing brain corals and shoals of a variety of Trigger Fish which seem to love this area.
Type of Water Entrance:	Roll back.

Relanzapo, Nacala.
Available From:	Bay Diving and Kualala Dive Centre.
Comments:	Bay Diving accesses this from their dhow. Kualala will be using a ski boat purpose built for diving. Spectacular drift diving out in the open sea with amazing visibility and the chance to see the bigger pelagics.
Distance From Launch:	Unknown.
Depth Range:	There are two ledges of 10-12m and 18-24m running parallel to the shore.
Current:	Although strong on the right tide, you will be taken along the reef, not off it. Brilliant drift dive. Expect strong currents. Arm yourself with good training for this one. You will need experience of open blue diving and how to reduce disorientation.
Experience Level:	Advanced and up.
Topography:	Coral gardens, sand banks and rocky outcrops.
Marine Life:	King Mackerel, Dorado's, Wahoo and Tuna.
Type of Water Entrance:	Roll back.