Barra Lodge Dive Centre, Inhambane, Mozambique
One of the MOST exotic places you can dive, Mozambique, Africa. But you MUST BE FIT!!! All the diving from this area takes place from surf-launched, rigid-bottom Zodiacs. You must be able to help launch the Zod through the surf, be able to haul yourself into the Zod after the dive and love the adrenalin rush of riding a boat that is driven hard onto the sand when returning to the dive centre!!! The dive centre is on a gorgeous, white-sand beach and is associated with Barra Lodge. The Lodge has fancier bungalows and more basic ones. No AC in the basic units. They have private baths. The resort's restaurant is very good -- try the local giant prawns. Delicious! The diving is cooler water - you'll need at least a 5mm wetsuit. The dive centre has very good rental equipment and rental wetsuits. The area is known for it's humpback whales, mantas and whale sharks. But I also saw leopard sharks and cuttlefish (one of my favorite creatures). It is easy to add a few days of diving in Mozambique to a safari trip to South Africa. However, you will need to take Malaria medication, as the disease is a problem in Mozambique. To get to Barra Lodge, you'll fly into a nearby airport and then take a taxi or bus on dirt roads to the resort.