Diving at Ponta do Ouro in Mozambique with Dive the Big Five

Ponta Do Ouro is the southernmost tip of Mozambique and attracts many visitors every year with its friendly atmosphere, sandy beaches and excellent diving. The coastline stretching north from Ponta Do Ouro towards Ponta do Malongane is known for its marine life, beaches and dive sites. To add to the adventure access is by 4x4 only from the border with South Africa from where most resorts will collect their guests.

The Ponta do Ouro area of Mozambique offers diving for all levels of diver, with great sandy patches among the reef to start learning to dive all the way through to adrenalin Shark encountering dives. The area is renowned for its beautiful coral, game fish and invertebrates, throw in the Whale sharks, Hammerheads, passing Manta Rays and the friendly Potato Bass to make this a fantastic diving area.

All boat launches are done from the beach into the surf, so be prepared to partake and help out. Most of the dive sites are only a short boat ride away so you can get plenty time diving instead of riding to and from the dive sites, on the boat keep an eye out for the dolphins and whale sharks that cruise the bay.

Day 01:

Arrive King Shaka International Airport – Durban, own arrangements. Flight details to be advised. On arrival at King Shaka International Airport – Durban, you will be met by a representative of Dive The Big 5 for the 430km, 4h30, road transfer to the Kosi Bay Border post between South Africa and Mozambique. After clearing border formalities, you will be met on the Mozambique side of the border by a representative of Dive The Big 5 for the 45 minute road transfer, in a 4x4, to Ponta do Ouro. Please be advised that the border post between South Africa and Mozambique closes at 16h00 every afternoon. If your flight gets into King Shaka International Airport – Durban after 10h00, you will not get to the border in time to get to Ponta do Ouro. Overnight at Kaya Kweru on a bed and breakfast basis.

http://www.kayakweruresort.com/

Included:

[show_more]Arrive King Shaka International Airport – Durban, own arrangements. Flight details to be advised. On arrival at King Shaka International Airport – Durban, you will be met by a representative of Dive The Big 5 for the 430km, 4h30, road transfer to the Kosi Bay Border post between South Africa and Mozambique. After clearing border formalities, you will be met on the Mozambique side of the border by a representative of Dive The Big 5 for the 45 minute road transfer, in a 4x4, to Ponta do Ouro. Please be advised that the border post between South Africa and Mozambique closes at 16h00 every afternoon. If your flight gets into King Shaka International Airport – Durban after 10h00, you will not get to the border in time to get to Ponta do Ouro. Overnight at Kaya Kweru on a bed and breakfast basis. http://www.kayakweruresort.com/[/show_more]

Day 02 to day 08:

After breakfast, you will report to Gozo-Azul’s Dive Centre, which is a 5 minute or about a 800 meter walk from Kaya Kweru, to sign the necessary indemnity forms and to kit up for the first of your two scheduled dives on the reef off Ponta, weather permitting.

After signing the indemnity, kitting up, Gozo Azul’s staff load all the dive gear into a trailer, plus the divers, and all head off to the beach. Gozo-Azul’s staff then load the dive gear onto the dive boat, a “Rubber – Duck” or semi-inflatable or RIB, whilst the DM gives the divers a comprehensive “dive brief. The “Duck” (dive boat) accommodates 13 divers max, plus skipper, “top-side man” plus DM. After the dive briefing, everyone then assist in pushing the “Duck” into the surf, and off you go. This is a very tame launch by South African standards, as Ponta is situated in a protected bay. An easy launch.

All dives are fully “guided” dives. When you reach the dive site, (look out for dolphins, Whale Sharks and even whales on your way out to the dive site), you kit up, assisted by the DM, top-side man, and skipper, and once every diver is fully kitted and comfortable…. 1..2..3.. and you do a backward roll into the warm Indian Ocean. Temperatures never drop below 21ºC. Once all the divers have entered the water and are “bobbing” on the surface, with fully inflated BCD’s, and give the skipper the “ok”, they deflate their BCD, and drop to the ocean floor. Once all the divers are on the bottom, and have got their buoyancy right, they again give “the I’m ok” sign to the DM, who is with you on the bottom, and the dive begins, led by the DM with a SMB (Surface Marker Buoy). When the first diver gets low on air, at about 50 bar, they bid farewell to their dive buddy, let the DM know they are at 50 bar, and they ascend up the buoy line, which is still being held by the DM. Their buddy, if still with sufficient air, joins another group of divers, and the dive continues, until all the divers have ascended. The skipper and top-side man follow the surface marker buoy, and once the divers reach the surface, the divers hand up to the skipper their BCD, tank and regulator, take off their fins, hand these up, and the diver is then assisted into the boat by the skipper, and top-side man. Once all the divers and the DM are safely back on the boat, with the gear safely secured, they head back to Ponta. Again, be on the lookout for dolphins, Whale Sharks and whales on the ride back.

Ponta is blessed with at least 17 popular dive sites, such as Bass City, Texas, Shallow Malongane, Crèche, Kev’s Ledge, Maverick, Wayne’s World, Paradise Ledge, Steps, Checkers, Steve’s Ledge, Doodles, Aquarium or Three Sisters, Pinnacle, Cloud Break, Atlantis and Anchor, and many, many, more unnamed dive sites. See below. Reefs range in depth from 9 meters to 47 meters, thereby accommodating all levels of sport diver.

After the first dive of the day, you will return to Kaya Kweru for breakfast, and SIT (Surface Interval Time), before launching for the second dive of the day. After the second dive has been completed, usually at about noon, the afternoon is free.

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There are a number of “top-side” activities at Ponta, such as snorkelling trips, swimming with dolphins, sunset cruises, deep-sea fishing, quad biking, horse riding, and pub-crawling to Ponta Malongane and back. You will not get bored! A hang-over maybe, but never bored!

Please be advised that all dives in Mozambique are done as early in the morning as possible, as this is when the diving conditions are at their best. No wind, flat calm seas, usually little current, and good viz. As the day progresses, the wind tends to pick-up, whipping the sea and forming "white horses" making it very choppy and dangerous for diving. Please don’t expect to do more than two dive a day anywhere off the cost of South Africa or Mozambique. Additional dives and even nights dives are bonuses.

Also, remember that you are thousands of kilometres from the nearest medical facility and recompression chamber, with the result that all dive operators in Mozambique do not allow, "Pushing the limits" and prefer to err on the side of caution, so as to minimise the possibility of any dive accidents.

Overnight at Kaya Kweru on a bed and breakfast basis.[/show_more]

Included:

[show_more]Early morning tea and coffee before you launch; hire of tanks, weights and air-fills; services of a qualified dive master; 2 dives off the coast of Ponta do Ouro, weather permitting; breakfast at Kaya Kweru in between dives, or after the dives, if doing a 2-tank dive; weekly Mozambique Maritime Tax; ZAR 125 meal voucher at Kaya Kweru, per person, per day, which can be used at Kaya Kweru’ s restaurant for either lunch or dinner. Vouchers are only valid for a day and cannot be carried over to the next day; double/twin accommodation at Kaya Kweru in an en suite double room on a bed and breakfast basis.[/show_more]

Day 09:

At a time to be advised, depending on your flight departure time out of King Shaka International Airport – Durban, you will be collected from Kaya Kweru by a representative of Dive The Big 5 for the 45 minute, 4x4 road transfer to the Kosi Bay border post. After clearing customs and immigration, you will be met on the South African side of the border by another representative of Dive The Big 5 for the 4h30 road transfer back to King Shaka International Airport – Durban to connect with your onward flight home. End of services.

Please remember that international flights require that you check-in 2-hours before the scheduled departure time, and domestic flights require that you check-in 1-hour before the scheduled departure time. Please take this into account when booking your return flight home. You may need up to 8 hours, from departing Ponta to check-in at King Shaka International Airport – Durban!

This reef is famous for its friendly Potato Bass nicknamed 'Bert' there are several other large Bass around the reef but Bert is the only one that will swim with you. On the way down the mid waters are filled with game fish. The five rocks that make up this reef are covered with soft corals where Lionfish (often you will see over a dozen at once) and Sweepers lurk. In the overhangs you will discover Shrimp cleaning stations and Octopus, among the sand you will see Carpet Eels and various members of the Manta family.

The only Wall dive in the Ponta area, with a large overhang on the bottom where a Hawksbill turtle is often found napping, A big area of Maze Coral guards the entrance providing good protection for many juvenile fish, often Kingfish will sweep in to attack causing a flurry of activity amongst the young fish. Many species of Nudibranch are found all around the wall. On the top the ledges are covered with hard Coral and are inhabited with Mantis Shrimp, Zebra Eel, Star Fish and more.

At the point of the ledge is a gathering area for fish such as Yellow and Blue Rock-cod.

Covered in Warty Bush Coral and Maze Coral, this is part of the Malongane reef system, it has a large swim through where you will often find a Potato Bass lurking.

Frogfish love this area and can often be seen swimming around, while Zebra Morays hide among the Maze Coral, above you may pass the occasional Manta Ray. Game fish also lurk around, Wahoo, King and Queen Mackerel as well as Kingfish often dart in from the blue. See if you can spot the Torpedo Ray or Marbled electric ray on one of the reef ledges!

Referred to as Ponta's 'Home reef ' only a 10 minute boat ride from the shore, the reef is mainly soft Coral on a scattering of sandstone rocks. Probably one of the busiest reefs in the Ponta area often the reef cannot be seen for the amount of fish in the way! Honeycomb Rays nestle in the sand with Ribbontails and Blue Spotted Rays as companions, Sharks are seen around here Zambezi and Bull Sharks being the most spotted, joining them in the feast are Mackerel, Kingfish, Tuna and Queen fish all enjoying a piece of the action, sometimes you just have to sit on the sand and watch the action above you.