It is quite a wide bay, between the Manombolo and Fiherenana rivers mouths, with an over 40 km long coral reef, a big lagoon with 2 main passes (south and north), many small ones (be akio, fausse passe de Songoritelo...), mangroves at each end.
It offers a big number of dive sites with many different surroundings : inner lagoon - massif des roses (roses clump), jardin de corail (coral garden)-, in the pass - grotte Juliette ( Juliette cave), Akio (sharks), Cathedral..., and outer lagoon - Bevato, Tortuga, Snapper point...
We usually dive in the morning, as afternoons can be pretty windy here. But if it is not, we dive in the afternoon too. We go for one or two dives, then with a surfance interval on board. We can go for one diver - as we are not taxi-brousse and don't need a full boat to get started (we wouldn't dive in days!) - and no more than four. Pharmacy, water and oxygen are always on board.
You'll first discover scuba diving in a swimming pool, where the instructor will introduce you to basic principles and practice some easy skills underwater. And then you'll go down to twelve meters for a real dive in the lagoon to discover the really rich undersea life of the Mozambic channel.
DSD current price :1,687,500,000Ar / 375000€
Or in a faster formula that takes you straight to the lagoon, down to six meters, for 45 minutes of pure wonder.
First try current price :1,012,500,000Ar / 225000€
Ifaty - Outer lagoon - 25m -
Three hundred meters off the reef, we go down to sand at 25 meters, at the bottom of a wall, where begins a long coral platter. Really rich and dense site. You can see over a short distance a big variety of species. Blue triggers and surgeons schools; java and honeycomb morays, longfin bannerfishes, parrotfishes, glassfishes, lobsters, octopus, morays and humphead wrasses, jacks, sometimes an eagle ray or a turtle...
Bevato in pictures
Ifaty - Outer lagoon - 27m -
This is quite a nice stroll around a big rock where we find the usual coral fauna. Butterfly, longbanner, leaf, stone, angel, devil, lion fishes, triggers, morays, a lot of nudibranchs. Many species of groupers. A small arch with snappers and sweet lips...
Ifaty - South pass - 23m -
The dive begins inner lagoon. We drift along the north wall of the south pass : big coral and schools of fish (snappers,...). Then we go down to the Juliette cave, where a big moray called Juliette used to live (of course with Romeo, another big moray), and where live now, among glassfishes, a big grouper. The dive goes on amidst canyons and rocks : humphead wrasses, groupers, sting rays, eagle rays, jackfishes... and ends up far outer lagoon.
Grotte Juliette in pictures
Ifaty - Inner lagoon - 10m -
Our jewel two hundred meters south of Vatobe : amazingly well poreserved, three beautiful patches with all the species of coral you can find in the bay of Ranobe
Magnificent roses albeit somewhat invasive. Of course, the usual small reef fauna is present.
Vatosoa in pictures
Ifaty - North pass - 18m -
Right in the middle of the north pass, the coral fell down in canyons, arches, bridges, caves, holes... in which live a lot of snappers; and in a huge cuvette where schools of 'lutjans bossus' (Lutjanus gibbus) draw changing and fascinating shapes. While we go from chapell to crypt, an inquiring humphead wrasse follows us, above the voult. A grouper, as motionless as a gisant, hidden under rock, watches us. The relief and the fishes you see give to the dive -rare, for the north pass is not an easy one ; we should have the best sea and tide conditions- a really specific atmosphere.
Cathédrale in pictures
Ifaty - Outer lagoon - 23m -
On the northern slope, off three wide false pass. Canyons, arches, walls.. Rays, trevallies, groupers, batfishes... Hammerhead sharks at dawn? Not an easy dive because of the false passes and the poor visibilty.
Avaratse in pictures
Ifaty - Outer lagoon - 23m -
Off the lagoon, right south of the south pass, a reef, between 27 and 17 meters, striped by two wide canyons. When we first dove there, we saw a lot of turtles. We still see turtles there, but no so many, not so often. Well, the name still there. You can find beautifull samples of the local fauna and flora, especially two really big javanese morays, blackspotted rays, batfishes, snappers, big lobsters, leaf fishes...
Tortuga in pictures
Ifaty - Outer lagoon - 23m -
Off the reef, in between north and south pass. We go down to the anchor at 22m, on sand, and around a big and boring rock. Then, all of a sudden, yellow clouds surround us ; snappers, and many others... Most of the time, three big groupers are awaiting while a school of batfishes cross the background... Small hanging humphead wrasses. On the top of the rock, many morays, leaf fishes, porcupinefishes...
Snappers point in pictures
Ifaty - Inner lagoon - 16m -
A nice stroll along the reef and amidst small coral reefs, inner lagoon. You can see the usual fauna, stone fishes, snappers, sweetlips... plus a lot of garden eels and splendid glassfishes colonies. The coral has been bleached by El Nino in 1998, but there are still many miraculous masterpieces of colour and shape.
Jardin de Corail in pictures
Ifaty - Outer lagoon - 23m -
Off the lagoon, in between south and north inlets, a reef, between 27 and 17 meters. You can find beautifull samples of the local fauna and flora.
Ifaty - Outer lagoon - 20m -
South of the north pass, outer reef slope. Nice coral and a lot of nudibranches...
L'Espagnole in pictures
Ifaty - South pass - 30m -
We get into water right off the reef, then drift in a strong incoming current to the lagoon. A funny trip across the south pass, where we can meet jacks, baracudas, eagle rays, groupers and humphead wrasses...
This dive was famous for the numerous gray reef sharks that used to get fresh oxygen in the south pass. They have been fished for fins since...
Akio in pictures
Ifaty - Outer lagoon - 16m -
On the outer slope of the reef, waves dig canyons where live nice madrepora tables and the usual around fauna. In one of these canyons, we'll find snappers and sweetlips, in another one, batfishes...
Canyons in pictures
Ifaty - Outer lagoon - 25m -
This big reef is located not far away from 'Petites Roses', close to the north pass. Clouds of blue triggers and surgeons. An south african diver found it out and called it 'surgeon'. Sorry, we understood 'Sir John'. We keep with 'Sir John', as a tribute to the old man who first dove there with us. Many coral patches of various sizes and shapes, with sweetlips and groupers. And humphead wrasses, turtles, morays and so on...
Sir John in pictures