Scuba Diving Holiday in Mozambique

Mozambique, often referred East Africa's jewel hosts a plethora of undiscovered islands of are perfection – pure and simple. Mozambique often heard of in the news is only known to divers perhaps as one of the least explored scuba diving holiday destinations.
Now that every Tom, Dick and Gary enjoys their scuba diving holiday in the Maldives or Mauritius for half-term, those who like to take their Indian Ocean ‘straight up’ (hold the plasma TVs) must look further afield. If you can live without the glitz and the golf courses during your scuba diving holiday, Mozambique has 3,000km of squeaky-soft virgin beach – about 2,997km of which is footprint-free. The underwater world is even more to dream about for your scuba diving holiday.
‘Unspoilt’ is more than just an idea here; you can see the pristine-ness, on coastline fairydusted with a rainbow of seashells: hundreds and thousands of them, exquisitely shaped and in every shade from blush pinks to the inkiest indigo blues. It’s an awesome sight for anyone, as a scuba diver the sight creates a fluster of excitement for what is basking in the water below only to be discovered during the scuba diving holiday. This must have been what the rest of the world looked like before souvenir stallholders plundered the sands to make shell necklaces for shell-suited tourists.
Mozambique’s virginal state is cause for only muted celebration, however. There are no hawkers because there are no shops. There are no shops because there is no money. A civil war that raged through the 1980s denuded a destination that was once the continent’s most glamorous playground. So the pure shores immortalised in song by Bob Dylan (although, apparently, he has never actually visited) became a forgotten paradise, just as mass tourism began to bite deep elsewhere. However if your willing to go to the edge of Africa for an experience that will stay with you forever, then giving up shops and cheesy souvenirs is a welcome price to pay for the scuba diving holiday of a lifetime.
The upside is eco. Having slept through the big-hotel-building of its neighbours, Mozambique has woken up just in time to start from scratch, to a much more ethical template – as the great, green hope for responsible scuba diving holiday tourism. The country is sprouting stylish, environmentally-savvy lodges, each one garnishing its Robinson-Crusoe beaches with designer details and sustainable ideals that appeal to eco-warrior A-listers such as Leonardo DiCaprio, as well as honeymooners in search of the ultimate hideaway.
Happily, it’s a bit like having to choose between Daniel Craig and George Clooney during your scuba diving holiday – you can’t really go wrong. In the far north are the seductive charms of the Quirimbas archipelago: 32 breathtaking bouquets of 1,000-year-old baobab trees, and creamy sands, wrapped up with mangrove ribbons and drizzled across Perrier-clear waters busy with incredible marine life.
The villagers may be dirt poor (most live on 50p a day) but, as everywhere in Mozambique, they smile shyly as we saunter through streets radiating faded grandeur. Nobody begs. I stayed at Casa Lisa on my first night and from there I travelled to Tofo and stayed at Casa John (do you see the connection), the lodge is beautifully surrounded by the soundtrack of the ocean providing a unique serenity. I was told that i could leave my door and windows open when I slept, I had to anyway the lodges run an eco friendly program whereby all air-con is turned off at night.
The best underwater buzz during your scuba diving holiday is the Bazaruto archipelago in the south, which also offers the (admittedly remote) chance to swim with one of only three remaining populations of dugongs – the strange ‘sea cows’ thought to have been behind a thousand medieval ‘mermaid’ sightings. Active Diving (http://www.activediving.co.uk/) offer guaranteed scuba diving holidays to swim with these amazing creatures in Mozambique as well as with Whale Sharks – the gentle giants of the sea.
With a bit of hope and just a little luck, Mozambique will fare better than other newly developed scuba diving holiday destinations. The scenery certainly merits it; the citizens definitely deserve it; but, so far, only a few of us foreigners know about it.
To find out more about diving holidays across Mozambique, The Red Sea, Lanzarote and South Africa visit http://www.ActiveDiving.co.uk and quote: ART
Author: Emma Parker (04/08/08)

That’s all for now on a Mozambique scuba diving holiday