Dive
Sites
Tofo
Dive Sites
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Manta
Reef 24m to 28m
Manta Reef is probably one of the finest dive sites in
Africa. The reef offers a huge diversity of marine life
including numerous giant mantas (up to 6m in width) which
give the reef its name. The reef has north and south walls
with adjacent pinnacles of rocks creating gullies at depths
of 24m to 28m. The top of the reef is quite flat with
beautiful soft corals. The walls provide shelter for large
schools of yellow snapper, barracuda, bigeyes, fusiliers,
hundreds of bright blue, red-tooth trigger fish, tiny
goldies, fairy basslets and so on. Large potato and other
groupers inhabit overhangs and small caverns, along with
large trumpet fish, green turtles, sweetlips and so on.
The list of marine life is endless. The cracks and crevices
are home to scorpion fish, morays (giant, honeycomb, geometric,
yellow-edge and white mouth...), crocodile fish, Spanish
dancers and a whole array of nudibranches and cowries.
There are three main cleaning stations where huge manta
rays circle and hover to allow small fish to remove parasites
from their bodies. Playful devil rays and sometimes eagle
rays swim above the reef and on occasion its possible
to see white tip reef sharks and other rays.
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The
Oasis 24m
The Oasis is another stunning reef at around 24m with
numerous overhangs and shallow caverns and excellent hard
and soft corals. There are two main cleaning stations
here that attract the large mantas and it is often possible
to see leopard sharks resting on the sandy bottom. Also
in residence are white tip, black tip and silver tip reef
sharks. Other large rays such as devil rays, blotched
fantail rays and Jenkins whiprays are common. Large giant
and honeycomb morays curl up in crevices. Potato groupers
are curious enough to get very close to divers. On closer
inspection, the corals offer hiding places for spiny lobster,
egg cowries, Spanish dancers and large scorpion fish.
Shoals of bigeyes, yellow snapper, goldies and sometimes
barracuda drift over the reef.
Galleria
26m to 35m
Galleria is a long wall where currents sometimes create
an exciting drift dive. The bottom of the wall is at 30-35m
and the top of the reef is between 26-28m. Giant mantas
can also be seen on this site, cruising along the wall
which provides shelter for various rays, shoals of red-tooth
trigger fish, goldies, lobster, scorpion fish and so on.
Large potato groupers come in very close to inspect divers.
Fragile green tree corals hide all kinds of morays from
large honeycomb to small geometric and white-mouth. The
wall provides perfect cover for large, rarely seen frog-fish.
Devil rays and sometimes small reef sharks can also be
seen.
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Table
Top 30m to 40m
Table Top is a deeper site with a curving wall - down
to 40m at the bottom and 30m on the top of the reef. Beautiful
green tree corals are home to hundreds of goldies and
fairy basslets, many kinds of morays and so on. The ever
present potato groupers are just as curious on this site.
The wall gives shelter to schools of Moorish idols and
banner fish. The occasional manta ray will cruise past.
Crocodile Rock 14m to
16m
Crocodile Rock is named for its many large crocodile fish
that lie on the bottom on flat rocks and sandy areas.
The top of the ref is at around 14m with large craters
going down to around 16m. The craters provide excellent
shelter to all manner of marine life - schools of snappers
and bigeyes hang almost motionless, various types of angel
fish, butterfly fish, large bright yellow trumpet fish,
clown trigger fish, large common lionfish and so on. There
are many types of box fish and puffer fish. Overhangs
and crevices provide shelter for lobster and banded coral
shrimp. Blue spotted Kuhl's stingrays and scorpion fish
lie still on the bottom next to egg and tiger cowries.
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Praia da Rocha 5m to 18m
Praia da Rocha (Beach of Rocks) is a fringing reef with
excellent hard and soft corals. The reef slopes up to
the surface and the corals at 5m are beautiful, but this
area can only be dived when there is little surge. The
outer edge of the reef is at about 18m. The pinnacles
of rocks form excellent gullies and swim-throughs with
overhangs, caverns and large crevices. There are beautiful
Spanish dancers, nudibranches and cowries. Honeycomb and
zebra morays hide in the cracks and very large spiny lobster
can be found sheltering under shelves of rock. White tip
reef sharks, turtles and eagle rays can sometimes be found
here, plus many other reef fish, schools of barracuda,
snappers and sweetlips. Praia da Rocha is a good site
for encountering whalesharks during peak season.
The Arena 12m to 20m
The Arena is very similar in topography and marine life
to Crocodile Rock but the craters are deeper with higher
walls. The deepest areas are around 20m with the top of
the reef between 14m and 12m. The large craters make ideal
sheltered homes for many different reef fish and the walls
are covered with hard and soft corals. Excellent swim-throughs!
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Clown
Fish Reef 11m
Clown Fish Reef is right in the bay at Tofo and the shallowest
of our reefs at 11m maximum. The reef is protected in the
bay and makes for an ideal nursery and there are many juveniles
- iridescent juvenile emperor angelfish, tiny lion fish,
baby octopus, small scorpion fish and so on - many fish,
perfect miniatures of the adults. There are many different
species of anemone and clown fish. Very nice hard corals
and some soft corals.
Amazon Reef 28m
Amazon Reef is our farthest site and one of the most spectacular,
making a visit to this reef well worth the longer journey
time to get there. Amazon is a stunning horseshoe shaped
reef with a maximum depth of 28m on the sandy/rocky bottom
inside the horseshoe, and the reef top depth varying between
22m and 24m. The site is an excellent one for spotting white
tip reef sharks and leopard sharks, of which there are several
residents. Also in residence is a large loggerhead turtle
and also sometimes a green turtle or two. Schooling barracuda
circle above and huge, table sized fantail rays guard the
borders of the reef. Other rays sometimes include devil
rays and the occasional giant manta. There is a stunning
array of beautiful reef fish in staggering numbers, plus
hunting blue-fin travelly and yellow-fin tuna on occasion,
and many colourful nudibranches and cowrie shells.
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Krakatoa
18m
Krakatoa is close both in proximity and topography to
Praia da Rocha but can be dived more frequently as it
is not affected by surge. Maximum depth is 18m and our
drop point is right in the middle of this site. High walls
and rock formations with colourful hard and soft corals
form an arena and are home to huge honeycomb moray eels,
large spiny lobster, strange and beautiful cuttlefish
and octopus and fascinating nudibranches. Krakatoa has
interesting swim-throughs and reef sharks can sometimes
be found resting under the overhangs. This is a very relaxing
dive with all of the stunning reef fish from the area
in abundance.
The Salon 15m
Like a mountain range pinacle the max depth of 15m is
around the out side and the peak rises up to 10m. This
site gets it's name from all the various shrimps to be
found. Durban Dancing, White Banded Cleaner and Marble
Shrimps to name but a few. We can se Leaf fish hiding
in the hollows, Trumpet fish using you as a decoy. There
are various over hangs with a fishermans dream of Lobsters,
Lion Fish standing their ground and a mass of Butterfly,
and Angle fish darting around the sight. This is a favourite
for the Macro enthusiasts.
