African Ocean Safaris – The Big 4 of the Seas

I recently read a little article in Time Magazine called Think Big with an Africa Ocean Safari. And it reminded me that with a continent so full of magnificent wildlife on land, most of us don’t think of the fact that it is surrounded by an incredible under water scenery as well. So that left me with just one thing to do: I had to dive into the online ocean of information, to find out more about what sort of sea creatures we can see in Africa’s Under Water World!

The Time Magazine article was actually recommending Tofo, close to Inhambane in Mozambique as the perfect starting point. I already wrote a post about this wonderful little beach (including information on how to get there + where to stay) in this post: Tofo -- A Backpacker’s Beach Paradise in Mozambique. And considering that I loved this place even without going underwater once, it must be even better for you who are interested in watching great big swimming animals.

Before today, I didn’t even know that there is a thing such as the Big 4 of the Seas. Well, apparently there is, and the big 4 are: dolphins, manta rays, whales and whale sharks. And according to the article, you can see them all in Southern Mozambique! Though, I assume you’ll need good timing and some luck to see them all on the same trip. But what do I know? -Not much, so let’s learn more about this together.

Dolphins -- The family friendly whale

The Indian Ocean is full of dolphins, and not surprisingly, Mozambique is considered one of the best places to see them. A very popular and good spot is Ponta D’Ouro on the southern most point of Mozambique. Here you can go on 4 day tours that are completely focused on dolphins. And it is up to you if you want to go scuba diving or just have a leisurely swim with the dolphins!

Manta Rays -- The under water space ship

This huge fish must be the most spectacular looking of the Big 4. Looking like the winner of a space ship design contest, it flows through the oceans slowly and gracefully. And with a “wing span” of up to 7.5 meters (25 feet), they can be very intimidating for the scuba diver who swims up close to them. But if that’s the feeling you are searching, then once again, Tofo in Mozambique is a prime spot to watch them. I will leave the rest of the talking to this video below:

Whales -- When size matters

Whales are interesting to most people mainly for just one reason; their enormous size. Honestly, who would care about whales if they were the size of sardines? But, luckily for them, they are huge! And therefore also an amazing sight. The best places to go for whale wathcing are probably in South Africa and Mozambique, where you will find Humpback Whales, Southern Right Whales, Bryde’s and Killer Whales.

Whale Shark -- The largest fish in the world

With lengths up to 12 meters, this massive fish slowly drifts through the water with it’s mouth wide open to filter out the yummy whale shark food, plankton. And apparently this is a healthy diet, because they have a life span of about 70 years! If you want to see them in Africa, go to Mozambique, Madagascar or Tanzania.