Is Tofo good for beginner divers?

Yes, partly: 2 of the 11 dive sites we document are suited to Open Water divers, including Krakatoa and Salon. The others need more experience or a higher certification.

What is the water temperature in Tofo?

The water is usually between 18 °C and 28 °C over the year.

What marine life can you see in Tofo?

Divers regularly see humpback whales (Jun–Nov), turtles, nudibranchs, groupers and moray eels.

How do you dive Tofo?

The nearest airport is INH. Ways to dive here: dive resorts and day boats.

Tofo

Diving in Mozambique

11 documented dive sites, 2 of them for Open Water divers. Known for humpback whales, turtles and nudibranchs.

Best months: Apr–Nov
Water: 18–28 °C
Levels: Open Water, Advanced, Experienced
Diving from: Dive resorts, Day boats
Nearest airport: INH

Photo: Erik Cleves Kristensen, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

When to go

Pick a month: the diving season, from published sources, and the typical weather.

Pick a month

Best
Good
Possible
Closed
Not documented yet

Tofo in October

Best season

Sea: 25 °C; at the surface
Air: 26 °C; 22 °C at night
Rain: 50 mm; average for the year
Wind: 17 km/h; on average

Typical weather, not a forecast: averages for 2021–2025 (air, rain, wind) and 2023–2025 (sea), data from Open-Meteo (ERA5 / Copernicus, Météo-France). Covers an area of roughly 10 to 25 km around the destination.

Year-round; drier, more stable Apr–Dec. Outer reefs can have strong currents and rough surface.

Source: travel.padi.com

Dive sites in Tofo

From the easiest to the most demanding. Levels with a dashed outline are estimates we are still verifying.

Open Water friendly

usual dive down to 18 m2 sites

Reef

down to 18 m

Krakatoa

A shallow coral reef with plenty of reef and game fish, and one of the best chances of whale sharks on the ride out and back.

Open Water
Whale sharks

Macro

down to 16 m

Salon

Open Water
Turtles

For Advanced divers

usual dive down to 30 m6 sites

Drift

down to 28 m

Manta Reef

Tofo's signature deep reef: a gentle north-south drift through an amphitheatre of pinnacles shrouded in fish.

Advanced
Whale sharks

Rock formations

down to 30 m

Hogwarts

Two big cleaning stations on the reef top serve giant and reef mantas, and the dive ends through a huge swim-through.

Advanced
Manta rays

Rock formations

down to 19 m

Marble Arch

A shallow sandy bowl ringed by walls and two archways, with green turtles under the overhangs and a chance of a passing whale shark.

Advanced
Whale sharks

Drift

down to 30 m

Outback

A slow drift along a main wall that grows larger and livelier, with three manta cleaning stations and yellow snappers at the first.

Advanced
Manta rays

Reef

down to 27 m

Reggies

Numerous cleaning stations give a chance of both manta species, with whitetip, grey reef and leopard sharks also possible.

Advanced
Manta rays

Reef

down to 28 m

The Office

Honeycomb morays tended by cleaner shrimps, whitetips sleeping in gullies and mantas at the cleaning stations.

Advanced
Manta rays

For experienced divers

usual dive down to 40 m3 sites

Drift

down to 30 m

Amazon

A remote L-shaped reef 21 km out where manta rays, eagle rays, leopard sharks, bowmouth guitarfish and whitetip reef sharks are not uncommon.

Experienced
Manta rays

Drift

down to 32 m

Giant's Castle

A wall drift where giant manta rays visit three cleaning stations and huge potato groupers come to check divers out.

Experienced
Manta rays

Reef

down to 33 m

Sherwood Forest

A rock dome topped by a cleaning station where thousands of golden anthias work, with giant or reef mantas and mobula flocks possible.

Experienced
Whale sharks

Marine life

When the big encounters happen, month by month.

Species	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Humpback whalesSource: tofoscuba.com
Whale sharksSource: tofoscuba.com
Manta raysSource: peri-peridivers.com

Peak season
Seen

Also reported here, season not documented yet:

Turtles
Nudibranchs
Groupers
Moray eels
Grey reef sharks
Hammerhead sharks
Leopard (zebra) sharks
Whitetip reef sharks
Dolphins
Eagle rays
Guitarfish
Mobula rays
Stingrays
Barracuda
Trevally
Frogfish
Ghost pipefish

Where is Tofo?

View on OpenStreetMapLocation: Tofo (Wikipedia)Map: Natural Earth

Nearest airport: INH
How people dive here: Dive resorts, Day boats

Tofo: frequently asked questions

When is the best time to dive Tofo?: The best months to dive Tofo are Apr–Nov. Year-round; drier, more stable Apr–Dec. Outer reefs can have strong currents and rough surface.
Is Tofo good for beginner divers?: Yes, partly: 2 of the 11 dive sites we document are suited to Open Water divers, including Krakatoa and Salon. The others need more experience or a higher certification.
What is the water temperature in Tofo?: The water is usually between 18 °C and 28 °C over the year.
What marine life can you see in Tofo?: Divers regularly see humpback whales (Jun–Nov), turtles, nudibranchs, groupers and moray eels.
How do you dive Tofo?: The nearest airport is INH. Ways to dive here: dive resorts and day boats.

About this page

Seasons and marine life come from the sources below. Site levels and depths marked as estimated come from our original catalogue and are being checked one by one. Conditions change: always confirm with a local dive centre.

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Photo: Sarah Lee on Unsplash

Photo credits

Tofo beach, Mozambique, Erik Cleves Kristensen, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Sunlight and bubbles in deep blue water, Sarah Lee, Unsplash License, on Unsplash