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Whale shark:
Rhincodon typus, the world’s largest fish species, cruise the ocean and follows seasonal concentration of plankton, with the coast of Southern Africa as a more or less exception to the migration as it is found here in most months of the year. Adventurous divers know to appreciate this and so we grab the opportunity to dive with whale sharks at the optimal peak of their presence.

We travel to Mozambique to get a closer look at this gigantic fish, the fascinating and harmless whale shark, which thrives in these waters. Over four days we take part in a research project where we, as recreational divers, contribute with data collection which scientists subsequently use to estimate the size of the population.

The whale shark safari and awareness course is another blue adventure offered by SharkSafaris.co.za that not only takes us to an exotic diving location, but where we also do important work to raise awareness about the plight of the whale shark while learning about this great shark from the pros.

Day 1: Traveling to Mozambique
Meet & greet at Johannesburg International Airport, then a short flight to Inhambane, where we transfer to the beach-side resort in Tofo that we operate from. Here you have a choice of three different types of accommodation. The first lecture on whale sharks is held in the evening.

Day 2: Diving/snorkeling with the whale shark
All dives are carried out from RIBs launched from the sandy beaches, with skillful boat skippers taking us to the sites where the whale sharks are spotted, either from the boat, or from the air in cases where we make use of a microlight aircraft to locate the sharks. The second lecture on whale shark biology is presented in the evening.

Day 3: Diving/snorkeling with the whale shark
Same modus operandi as the day before. Other species quite likely to encounter on our dives is the manta rays and pods of dolphins, in addition to bull sharks (Carcharhinus leucas) and myriads of other pelagic and warm-water reef fish.

Day 4: Diving/snorkeling with the whale shark
No two or more days of diving in these waters are ever the same and it never becomes routine to dive with large animals. Anything can show up on these dives -and it does. Whether it be sharks, mantas or whales, one is guaranteed spectacular diving of a different kind.

Day 5: Leaving Mozambique
Completion of whale shark awareness course, certification, last-minute shopping and snapping those last photos of this beautiful location and the new friends you met, then transfer back to airport and flying back to Johannesburg.

Prerequisites for certification: PADI Open Water Diver or equivalent.

The dives:

Temperature: Typically 20 - 28 degrees Celsius. 5 mm wetsuit is recommended.

Water visibility varies from 5 m (15ft) to 40 m (130 ft) with an average of 15 m (50ft).

The dives with whale sharks are very shallow and are sometimes best done snorkeling.

Seasonality: Optimum window for diving with whale sharks is from November to March even though the sharks are seen outside this time too.

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