Here's where you'll find the “Big Five” above and below the water. We've chosen Scuba Addicts to bring you a superior all round African adventure and dream holiday!
Join us and experience the Aliwal Shoal, Protea Banks and Tiger Shark Diving in South Africa.
To meet your adrenaline needs, ScubaAddicts have designed add-on itineraries so you can extend your stay and experience more of South Africa including Great White Cage Diving at Dyer Island or a Big-5 Game Safari in the Kruger National Park. All of this combines to provide you with an action packed, once in a life time experience!
The packages include accommodation, airport pick-ups, transfers, breakfast, diving and excursions.
| Number of Nights | Person | Non-diver | Single Supp |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 Night Extension | £558 | £270 | £56 |
Day 1: Arrive Durban -- Transfer to ScubaAddicts Lodge
Day 2: 2-dives either Aliwal/Protea/Tiger Shark Diving -- Overnight ScubaAddicts Lodge.
Day 3: 2-dives either Aliwal/Protea/Tiger Shark Diving -- Overnight ScubaAddicts Lodge.
Day 4: 2-dives either Aliwal/Protea/Tiger Shark Diving -- Overnight ScubaAddicts Lodge.
Day 5: 2-dives either Aliwal/Protea/Tiger Shark Diving -- Overnight ScubaAddicts Lodge.
Day 6: 2-dives either Aliwal/Protea/Tiger Shark Diving -- Overnight ScubaAddicts Lodge.
Day 7: Airport Transfers to Durban International Airport
| Number of Nights | Person | Non-diver |
|---|---|---|
| 3 Night Extension | £450 | £295 |
Day 7: Fly from Durban to Cape Town - Overnight Gansbaai
Day 8: Great White Cage Diving -- Overnight Gansbaai.
Day 9: Great White Cage Diving -- Overnight Gansbaai.
Day 10: Transfers to Cape Town International Airport.
| Number of Nights | Person | Non-Diver | Single Supp |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 Night Extension | £599 | £499 | £60 |
Day 1: Transfer to Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Game Reserve
Day 2: Game Drive in the Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Game Park
Day 3: Dive Sodwana Bay
Day 4: Dive Sodwana Bay
Day 5: Transfer to Durban International Airport
Combine both add-on excursions above for the 14 day ultimate adventure.
| Number of Nights | Person | Non-diver | Single Supp |
|---|---|---|---|
| 9 Night Extension | £1370 | £830 | £137 |
Day 1: Arrive Durban -- Transfer Port St. John’s -- Overnight Port St. Johns.
Day 2: Full Day Sardine Run Action -- Overnight Port St. Johns.
Day 3: Full Day Sardine Run Action -- Overnight Port St. Johns.
Day 4: Full Day Sardine Run Action -- Overnight Port St. Johns.
Day 5: Full Day Sardine Run Action -- Overnight Port St. Johns.
Day 6: Full Day Sardine Run Action -- Overnight Port St. Johns.
Day 7: Half Day Sardine Run -- Transfer Durban -- Overnight ScubaAddicts Lodge.
Day 8: Airport Transfers to Durban International Airport.
Prices are for guidance only and do not include international or internal flights.
Prices of these tours are based on per person, twin share, B&B, diving as scheduled, dive guide, weight belt.
Group discounts are available
Maximum 18 divers, 9 per group. Flights from the UK to Durban can be arranged by us for all tour options, subject to availability, from approximately £550.
Photos by David Green
“Fantastic week of shark diving, 8 species of sharks including whale sharks – what a result! The tiger shark diving was amazing beyond words! The dives were led without compromising safety for the divers and respect for the sharks. Fantastic service, great company and commitment to delivering the best diving – I can’t recommend you guys enough!”
Belinda Popolizio, Reading
The diving in Mozambique is absolutely phenomenal and a divers paradise. The warm waters (the water temperature ranges from 23C in winter to 29C in summer) of the Indian Ocean are teeming with life. We have over 1200 species of fish as well as manta rays, whale sharks, dolphins, turtles, migrating Humpback whales and the mythical dugong. The list is endless, the colours of the pristine reefs, beyond description and we even have uncharted reefs if you want to go exploring.
Whale Sharks (Rhincodon typus)
Nothing quite prepares you for an encounter with this gentle giant that wanders the ocean. It is the biggest fish in the sea and it looks like a shark but is the size of a whale (maybe that’s how it got it’s name!) They can reach up to 12m in length and can weigh around 20 tons! Here at Barra we are lucky to be on their migratory route and the best time to see them is between November and May when sightings are pretty much guaranteed, the rest of the year they are still present, just fewer in number.
The thrill of swimming with a Whale Shark is an unforgettable experience. Something in your soul goes incredibly quiet, and the feeling of being so close to such a big and gentle creature is something so privileged it will never leave you. When you daydream about this experience later with a huge grin on your face you’ll be there in the water again watching this incredible creature as it gently swims past inspecting you with an amused eye. Awesome, and because we know how fantastic this feeling is, we will go to the highest endeavour to make sure you also will experience this wonder. There are specific guidelines on how to interact with these creatures that we will brief you on and we also offer the PADI Whale Shark Awareness speciality course for snorkellers and divers that would like to know more about this beautiful beast.
Dolphins
Swimming with dolphins is an experience that every child and adult dreams of, lifting your heart and humbling your soul. Bottlenose and Humpback dolphins are our most common sighted species, they are the most likely to seek out interaction with divers, snorkellers and swimmers, and we usually encounter them in quite large numbers. They can be incredibly playful and you will see them riding the waves or racing the prow of the boat. The skipper will drop you in just ahead of them and you can enjoy the rush of seeing and hearing their chitchat of clicks and whistles. When diving, listen out for the calls and shrieks as a precursor to seeing these intelligent mammals on scuba, a breathtaking experience.
Manta Rays (Manta birostris)
These huge, flying creatures are almost a guaranteed sighting off this part of the Mozambique coastline because of the abundance of Manta cleaning stations in this area. We have cleaning stations at Manta reef, Office and Giants Castle, and sometimes on clear sunny days they can be seen feeding on the surface when the plankton rises in the afternoon. Diving with them has specific guidelines to ensure that they are not frightened, teased or harmed in anyway. But once at the cleaning stations your patience will be rewarded when vast numbers of Manta’s form a holding pattern over the stations, while waiting to be cleaned by small fish. They hover and swoop and come close enough to touch, but you mustn’t touch them for it removes a protective layer of mucus and may make them susceptible to infection. Here at Barra we have a PADI Manta Awareness Distinctive speciality course divers can enrol on if they would like to know more about these gentle animals.
Humpback Whales (Megaptera novaeangliae)
These massive creatures can be spotted off our shores, on their migratory route from, June until November. Covering a distance of 16000km, it is the longest known migration on earth. We look for the tell tale sign of water spouting from their blowhole, and the huge splashing from their acrobatics. These mammals can launch themselves completely out of the water (breaching), and engage in fluke (tail) and flipper slapping. We also listen out for their haunting song, which can be heard from a distance of 2km away, each song usually lasts between 10 and 20 minutes, and is repeated continuously for hours. It is the males that sing and it is thought to be part of the mating ritual. To show these creatures all due respect we try and keep a respectable distance between them and our boats, especially as the females, who are with their calves and are the larger of the sexes, can reach lengths of over 15m (almost twice as big as our boats!) They also weigh in quite heavily at between 25-40 tons! You can get close but not too close to these magnificent mammals, on one of our ocean safaris, that go out for two hours at a time, looking and listening for Whales in season.
Photo by David Green
Must be valid for at least 6 months.
Mozambique visa's must be obtained before you travel to South Africa.
Swaziland and South African visa's are not required.
No torches necessary for night dives as these are generally not done.
Dry suits are extremely uncomfortable when used for these conditions. 5/6mm wet suit sufficient.
Pocket SMB's are not compulsory but a good idea. They are inexpensive to purchase in South Africa.
Tank valves suit either standard A-clamp or DIN fitting regulators.
Windbreaker handy for boat trips.
Money changing available at all banks etc. South Africa and Mozambique use South African Rands.
French Fr is fine. Sterling and US Dollars either in Travellers cheques or cash.
Credit cards : Visa & MasterCard fully acceptable. AMEX and Diners in some places, Switch not at all.
Tap water is drinkable; no need for bottled water, except in Mozambique.
Food in practically all establishments is of excellent quality.
Security / Safety / Crime, is no need for concern.
Electricity is 220v. Adapters are needed for special equipment.
For U/W photographers; don't bother with a macro lens! Wide angle is best - mostly ambient lighting.
Both the Kruger National Park and Mozambique are considered malaria risk area's and Malaria prevention is a must. The Mozambican strain is resistant to Chloroquin, so please consult your doctor for the best preventative method.
Other activities can be arranged on site.
Horse riding, Kayaking, Parasailing, Sailing, Paddle-ski hire, Sundown mangrove cruise, Quad bikes.
Dive boats carry first aid kits and emergency oxygen. Nearest recompression chamber from Shelley beach is situated in Durban.
EMS includes Coast Guard / NSRI / helicopter / ambulance.
Mozambique : Medical facilities limited. Nearest chamber is across the border in Richards Bay. First aid kit & oxygen on the boat.