The potholed and bumpy road to Inhambane split off from the main road. No speed limits were posted anywhere, rendered unnecessary due to the road conditions. The terrain changed from lush green to sparse vegetation dominated by palms and sandy stretches.
Entering Inhambane, the green painted pier stretching into the water caught our attention. Across the water lay Maxixe, accessible by a ferry trip. We didn't stop to avoid being accosted by the helpful locals itching to sell us anything and everything under the sun or guide us to where we already knew we were going.
We made a circuit around a park, dominated by a statue of a revolutionary, immediately adjacent to the pier terminal. We made our way into the town and found an FNB ATM just off avenida de revolucao and drew some 'mets'. The ATM looked a bit like a piece of alien technology it was so out out place with the rather faded glory of the buildings around it. Cashed up we headed out of town towards Tofo.
A short drive later our tyres hit beach sand and we followed the road north along the back of Tofo. Signs sprang up advertising guest houses, dive operators. We followed the signs to Bamboozi and after a kilometer or two eventually stumbled upon it. The friendly English speaking manager checked us in and showed us our A-frame house. The structure was completely made of wood with woven palm frond roof. A patio overlooked the palm forest stretching as far as the eye could see into the distance.
Bamboozi seemed to consist entirely of palm covered dwellings of varying sizes, which seemed to be all but deserted. Where were the hordes of visitors that we were warned would descend upon Mozambique over the holidays? The nearby pool was completely empty and in a state of disrepair. The inside of the A-frame was quite dark even in the bright sunlight and offered a little bit of relief from the heat. We unpacked and settled in before changing into swimwear and heading for the beach.
We passed the restaurant, situated on top of the dune, which seemed to be completely deserted apart from the barman. But the view from the restaurant was spectacular, we stood taking in the unbroken stretch of beach, ocean and sky. We stopped for photos and laughed at the Bamboozi weather station which consisted of a hanging cocunut with a sign that read "if the coconut is warm - sunny, wet - raining, swinging - windy, underwater - tsunami".
A short descent via the steep wood covered ramp brought us down to the pristine beach, the soft sand squeeking underfoot. A short sprint carried us into the gentle waves and we spent some time cooling off.
Strolling south we passed a number of impressive houses on top of the dunes until we reached the Tofo dive center. A couple of sunburnt bodies lay strewn about on the hammocks and beach loungers. The dive center included some accommodation and a restaurant. Out on the sea some kite surfers were riding the waves and making impressive jumps high into the air. The wind was already so strong it was blowing sand from the beach into the building.
At the counter we were greeted by one of the friendly staff who took our details and signed us up for the dives. Free Nitrox was on offer but as we were not qualified so this was not an option. After some more discussion and bargaining we decided to do the Nitrox course and managed to get a good deal with dives thrown in. After picking up our course material we headed back to Bamboozi. We spent the evening making dinner, steak braai, and enjoying the sunset over the palms. The water to our A-frame got cut off so we showered in the main ablution block. After studying some more for the Nitrox course we hit the hay and secured our mozzie net to keep out any unwanted visitors.
We woke with the sunrise to another glorious day in paradise plus a few extra mozzie bites. After a quick breakfast we gathered our dive gear and made our way along the beach to the dive center. Dive master Dennis reviewed the course content with us and answered questions after which we verified the mix of our Nitrox bottles using an oxygen sensor. We got our gear together and attended the dive briefing. Plan was to head out to Reggie's reef. The boat trip took over half an hour and by the time we arrived everyone was worn out from the continuous pounding of the waves on the boat. We made our dive and had a couple of good sightings but unfortunately no manta rays or whale sharks. On the way back the DM suggested going back out immediately for another dive before the conditions changed and we indicated our interest. An hour or so later we were back on the boat with a team of 4 divers and Dennis the DM heading for sanctuary reef. This time we saw white top reef sharks, a spearing mantis shrimp, and a pair of huge moray eels. The visibility was getting worse and we headed back. I nursed a headache all the way back to the dive center and took a nap to recover. After a last knowledge review with Dennis, we headed for Bamboozi to refresh after a hard days diving.
At 6pm we took a drive to Casa Barry for the talk on mantas. We paid the 300 met cover charge for the 2 of us, a bit excessive but ultimately for a good cause. We found our seats as near to the fan as possible. A researcher introduced herself as Lizzy and started the presentation. What stood out in the talk is that there are actually 2 types of manta, reef and giant. They are distinguished by different markings.
Mantas are present across the world's oceans. Inhambane has the largest permanent population of mantas in the world. Mantas can be huge, up to 12 meters from wingtip to wingtip yet they are fast and graceful swimmers. They feed on plankton by swimming and letting water pass over their gill filters inside their mouths. Mantas can never stop swimming in order to keep breathing and they also can not swim backwards. Their eyes face to the sides but they have a blind spot directly behind them and as a result often get bitten in the rear by sharks, which is usually not fatal. Some mantas in Inhambane have been seen with up to seven bites!
We saw a vid of manta porn, which is awkward as the male has to bite down on the female's wing in order to hang on while they are both swimming, and he has to swim upside down in order to get their reproductive bits together. Apparently no manta birth has ever been captured on film and this is one of the holy grails of manta research. Mantas give birth to live young that are fully developed and do not need any further parental care to survive.
The presentation ended with some sad details of how people are killing mantas for traditional medicine and how environmental pollution such as fishing lines is bad for mantas. On a positive note there are many conservation efforts going on. After the presentation we drove back in the darkness, made a quick braai for dinner and fell fast asleep.
The next day I woke up early to study for our exam while Nix slept in a bit. It was a cool overcast cool day with occasional light shower of rain, somewhat of a relief after a couple of hot days. We made a delicious fry up for breakfast consisting of eggs, bacon and bread. With butterflies in our tummies, we headed down to the dive center and wrote the exam. I scored 100% and Nix only had 3 questions wrong! What a relief.
After a quick lunch I headed back to the the dive center and hired a surf board for 200 mets (R60) for two hours without any tuition included. Fortunately some random tourist surfer girl named Christina took pity on me and gave me a few pointers. We practiced the maneuver for getting up on the board on the beach for a couple of minutes before heading into the surf. Swimming on the board felt combersome at first but gradually got the hang of it. After a couple of missed opportunities I finally managed to catch a couple of waves and got a up a bit on the board! What an awesome feeling! My technique obviously needed a lot of work as I kept sinking on account of not standing forward enough on the board. The sea conditions started to deteriorate and it got harder and harder to swim out and the rain just kept falling. Eventually my time was up and I headed out while Nix snapped a couple of pictures. I was exhausted, but felt fulfilled having finally accompished one of my dreams.
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Location:Tofo, Mozambique
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