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Published: September 14th 2010
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Weather spoiled my Mozambique experience. The idea was to visit all these various beaches along the Indian Ocean but when cloud blocked out the sun for most of my stay I decided to just stick to Viliankulo and Tofo. Both known for its diving.
Viliankulo is close to the Bazaruto island which is the more ideal place to stay but since its about $300 a night I stayed in Zombie Cucumber in Viliankulo which despite having mattresses on the floor it was the best hostel and sleep that I have had in a while.
There are many islands to choose from but Bazaruto is the best one where diving or snorkelling is combined as a tour. Diving costs an expensive 100-euro to get 2 dives with some poor quality equipment. Easily the worst so far in my short diving life. Tanks were rusted, my mouthpiece was already chewed off and at one point under water when I tried to spit something out of my mouth, the mouth piece was all over the place and was hard to put back on, it took two goes to put back on. A slightly nervous moment.
Underwater and there were plenty of
turtles - Loggerhead, Oxbill, Green - But I’d seen turtles before I hadn’t seen a ray then a Devil ray gracefully swims beside us. There was a Bowmouth Guitar shark spotted but I wasn’t sure what I was looking at as it was camouflaged in the water.
The second dive was pretty ordinary just a giant potato bass Grouper towards the end. I was forced to make my own fun so I followed some angle fish so close that I could see the clear sphere of its eyes. One time the fish turned around looked at me did a fish kiss and swam off. The diving wasn’t much but it sounded like it was a bad day from what other people were talking about. Instead the highlight was the island itself.
In between dives you were able to stop off at Bazaruto Island. 1 large dune that took about 15 minutes to walk up. At the top there were two varying views -inland is an oasis of greenery surrounded by sand dunes. The other view behind is turquoise water layered by the changing depths of the sand below. Together with sun shining I finally hit what I wanted
from Mozambique. It was low tide; so low sand islands would show up. One group of fisherman played a game of beach cricket. I was very jealous at the time (possibly still am.)
Tofo (further south) was a cheaper and better experience for me regarding diving and easy access to a nice beach. Unlike Vilanculos’ ugly beach with rubbish and glass Tofo you could cut and paste to Australia.
Tofo is one of the very few surfing beaches in the country and as well as that there is diving and Kite Surfing. This means the bar scene is quite lively when the night gets going. During the day the breeze does pick up and when the clouds were around. It was a jacket and long pants day but when the sun was out it was finally a chance to get a tan in this continent.
These whole cliché’s that Africa have like people starving so I must not be able to eat well here - I haven’t eaten so well. Africa’s cheap - To travel not really, accommodation is more than other places I’ve been to. $15-20 for a dorm bed sometimes. That’s a private room with
TV, bathroom and breakfast in some regions of the world. Africa hot? The winters are cold here even when its sunny and you are in the shade. Mozambique at times was the first place apart from Durban that it felt like African heat. I would be the whitest in all of my travels by the time I got to Tofo.
I went on two dives in Tofo but could have done more had my bank not cancelled my credit card. Amazing I left Australia with 4 cards and managed to finish the first part of Africa with 1 working. The first dive was at ‘The Office’. I had a slightly late night the previous night and the 8am departure didn’t sit well especially with the knowledge that we were to stay out at sea for 1½ hours between dives.
I deflate my BCD and did a negative entry 22m down and I look around and there is this massive shadow coming towards me. It seemed 10m wide or more just gliding in slow motion. It was my first manta ray sighting. Had I not been diving and needed my mouthpiece in my mouth to breathe I probably would
have dropped my jaw in amazement. Also along the way were various honeycomb moray eels in glorious Parramatta blue and gold. Various schools of fish swam by like fusilier and blue-banded snapper - It was an enjoyable dive.
What was unenjoyable was the wait for the second dive. It started before I even surfaced from the water. The safety stop 5m below still had the affects of the swell above. By the time I took my fins and tank off and got onto the boat. I was leaning over vomiting bringing up a second instalment of the omelette that took 45 minutes to be served 90 minutes earlier. It tasted almost as good the second time.
I was told to look to the horizon but the waves block it at times. I physically could not sit up on the boat anymore and swimming 11km to the closest land mass was not possible. Instead for 1 ½ hours I lay on the boat in the blazing sun clinging onto the slight hope of doing my 2nd dive. We did Giants Castle for the second dive and I had to quickly put my gear on, vomit on the side making
sure the current wasn’t going to where we were backing into. Dive master counted down 10 seconds later “Okay are you ready?” - Spew, spit, mask on, mouthpiece - “3,2,1, Go!”
Again Parramatta Eels everywhere with mouths opening. I was just going through a great dive moment - lionfish looking at me, I turn and this ah I don’t know the name of it. One problem with diving is that you are seeing all this nice stuff but can’t explain it. So we’ll say for now a long thin fish stops in its tracks to stare at me, Purple coral waving below. I join the group and a potato bass comes to swim beside me, in front of me and than hides behind coral before realising it’s not a good hiding position and swims off. Half way through the dive and it was over, the current was too strong and the dive was over which was disappointing and also a concern as I thought maybe I am dreaming here. You know with all the vomiting and laying in the sun no shade but I wasn’t.
The final destination was Maputo where the weekends go off apparently. The Mozambique
music I quite like but Tuesday and Wednesday aren’t the best days to go out. As a city I don’t have an opinion. It’s not great but not crap either. And I think that is how I would put Mozambique as a whole, neither here nor there. And that is because of the weather. The bus rides despite providing some great travelling stories are draining and make you think at times. Is it worth it? Maybe I’d be better off making a call if the weather was better.
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