Itinerary

There is no set itinerary with this programme, but a typical day might be as follows.

Get up nice and early to enjoy breakfast overlooking the Indian Ocean, if you are really early you will see an impressive sun rise over the ocean, but knowing the night life in Tofo that pleasure might be a one off! Then head next door to the dive center to grab your equipment before heading out on an Ocean Safari. The Ocean Safari takes place every day at 10.30, as are you best bet for interacting with a whaleshark any where in the world! All snorkelling gear, including rash vests are included. The highly skilled divemasters give a fifteen minute safety briefing before the before the launch. The safety aspect is actually more for the Whalesharks benefit, rather than your own, as you will not be in any danger what so ever. Whalesharks are non aggressive and despite their huge size, feed on plankton. They have no teeth. Part of this briefing is devoted to educating our swimmers on the importance of correct interaction between us and the whale sharks. Remember, no touching the whalesharks ever (their skin is sensitive to human bacteria).

Then its out on to the beach for the launch, there is usually a buzz of excited nervous anticipation with the  group, wondering how many you will see today, and whether Manta rays will make an appearance. Very often swim with manta rays and dolphins on the safari.

The Divemasters are hightly skilled at tracking the Whalesharks, and before long you will be able to enter the water with them (Video of a Whaleshark Swim - not set in Tofo).

After the Safari, it is back to the dive centre, and a bit of lunch, fresh barbecued fish to quench your appetite after a morning of chasing 18 metre fish in the deep blue.

Then dive time!

You have 28 dives available to you on the trip (2 per day), you decide when you want to go locally, but you should always consider that you should dive after the Ocean safari not before (because you still have nitrogen in your bloodstream), so afternoons are better for diving, unless you are skipping the ocean safari for the day.

There are up to 16 scuba dive sites that can be explored, and new sites are being discovered regularly. Depths vary between 10 to 40 meters; and every scuba diver will be able to dive in Tofo, even though deeper dives are for advanced scuba divers only. So quite often, people exchange some of their dive credits for an advanced open water course or pay for one locally (you can also prebook you advanced).

Visibility does vary underwater, but sometimes it is 30 metres! It all depends on plankton, currents, wind and tides, but is usually between 5 and 30 meters. The water temperature varies from 23 to 29 degrees celsius depending on the time of the year.

The underwater world around Tofo Beach carries large amounts of nutritious plankton, attracting many different species of marine life. Leopard sharks, sea turtles, devil rays, honeycomb morays, potato groupers, sea moths, frog fish, spanish dancers, scorpion fish, barracudas, crocodile fish, nudibranches, and harlequin shrimps, it is consider to be one of the best dive locations in Africa.

The Small eye Stingray is the worlds largest sting ray, and was recently identified in Tofo by marine Biologist Dr. Simon Pierce. The species is a common sight off Tofo, one of the only places it has ever been sighted alive.

After your dives

Then it is beach time! Or surf time, or Kitesurf time, or just good old fashioned, book in a hammock with a cold beer. A little chill out to regain some energy (snorkling and diving is tiring but feels so good!) and then a show before dinner with your new backpacker mates. There is always something happening in Tofo, and there are always temptations to party in the evening. Whether you do not not is up to you, because when that sun comes up tomorrow, you can do it all over again. Still, diving is probably the worlds greatest hangover cure anyway...