QUILALEA ISLAND DIVING
The protected reefs in the Quirimbas Archipelago offer some of the most spectacular scuba diving in the world. These undisturbed, untouched dive sites are abundant with a variety of fish and corals, and offer a range of depths and reef topography to suit beginner and experienced divers alike. With a location as remote as ours, these dive sites offer a rare opportunity to discover an underwater world that is visited by just a few lucky divers each year.
The house reef, the only island house reef in the country, offers quick and easy access straight from the main beach. This is perfect for a refresher or first time dive and a unique location for a night dive for qualified divers. In addition to our house reef, there are another 17 dive sites that we can visit inside and outside of the Quilalea Marine Sanctuary, including some fantastic drop offs and coral gardens. We have green and hawksbill turtles, humpback whales (seasonal), reef sharks, stingrays, devil rays, moray eels, dolphin, grouper, as well as a variety of reef fish such as surgeons, puffers, moorish idols, parrot fish, clown fish, trigger fish and chocolate dip fish. Hard and soft corals are in abundance, with nudibranchs for those who like to spot the smaller stuff!
The training pool on the bar deck is perfect for refreshing your diving skills or taking the plunge for the first time, and for training dives the house reef is ideal being just a few metres out from the beach. If you are interested in learning to dive and would like to try it out contact our dive instructor. A PADI Discover Scuba course, which includes your first reef diving experience, can be completed in just a few hours. Children are welcome to learn to dive from the age of 10 upwards. In the below table, you can find details about the various reefs of Quilalea. To look at Quilalea accommodation click on the button below.
The house reef, the only island house reef in the country, offers quick and easy access straight from the main beach. This is perfect for a refresher or first time dive and a unique location for a night dive for qualified divers. In addition to our house reef, there are another 17 dive sites that we can visit inside and outside of the Quilalea Marine Sanctuary, including some fantastic drop offs and coral gardens. We have green and hawksbill turtles, humpback whales (seasonal), reef sharks, stingrays, devil rays, moray eels, dolphin, grouper, as well as a variety of reef fish such as surgeons, puffers, moorish idols, parrot fish, clown fish, trigger fish and chocolate dip fish. Hard and soft corals are in abundance, with nudibranchs for those who like to spot the smaller stuff!
The training pool on the bar deck is perfect for refreshing your diving skills or taking the plunge for the first time, and for training dives the house reef is ideal being just a few metres out from the beach. If you are interested in learning to dive and would like to try it out contact our dive instructor. A PADI Discover Scuba course, which includes your first reef diving experience, can be completed in just a few hours. Children are welcome to learn to dive from the age of 10 upwards. In the below table, you can find details about the various reefs of Quilalea. To look at Quilalea accommodation click on the button below.
LAGOSTA ALLEY (LOBSTER ALLEY)
The southern part of the House Reef a few meters off the main beach, a wall drops from 5 to around 20 meters. The reef is a favorite hangout for the few resident Green turtles as well as Potato Groupers, Napoleon Wrasse, Lion fish, huge varieties of reef fish and, of course, Spiny Rock Lobsters. This is an excellent dive site for getting back into diving after a period of non-diving as well as for night dives.
CABEÇAS (THE HEADS)
The northern part of the House Reef, starting just a few meters off the main beach of Quilálea, a wall drops to around 20 meters. The site also has huge free standing coral heads rising up out of the sandy ocean floor, and bustling with life. Weaving through this underwater obstacle course, it is easy to spot the school of resident Blue-Spotted Stingrays, Ribbon Eel and huge schools of various reef fish, including Red-Lined
Sweet-lips.
This site is a must for the micro enthusiast with more than fifteen different species of nudibranch and various types of shrimp spotted. This is the favorite location for all levels of divers, a photographer’s paradise and an excellent night dive site and is accessible from the island’s main beach.
Sweet-lips.
This site is a must for the micro enthusiast with more than fifteen different species of nudibranch and various types of shrimp spotted. This is the favorite location for all levels of divers, a photographer’s paradise and an excellent night dive site and is accessible from the island’s main beach.
CANYON OR ESTADIO DA LUZ (THE STADIUM OF LIGHT)
The shape of this 500-meter long wall, spectacular when the light pours through the crystal clear water, gave this site its name. Immense Gorgonian Fans and Green Tree Corals, this site is home to a couple of two to three meter long Giant Groupers and Napoleon Wrasse, as well as huge schools of game-fish coming up from the deep with the rising tide. Occasionally, Gray Reef Sharks are spotted here.
With depths of 20 to 40 meters, as well as very strong currents, a very exciting site but only for advanced divers. Distance by boat is 10 minutes.
With depths of 20 to 40 meters, as well as very strong currents, a very exciting site but only for advanced divers. Distance by boat is 10 minutes.
CASINO ROYAL
A resident school of hundreds of enormous circular-shaped batfish look like massive silver coins enveloping you in a giant slot machine.
Welcome to Casino Royal - where diving dreams come true, almost on a daily basis. Massive Green and Loggerhead Turtles, Giant Morays, huge Flowery Groupers and Yellow-tail Barracuda are common.
White-spotted Eagle Rays can top off a truly spectacular dive. From July to December, the playful chorus of nearby Humpback Whales provides the perfect background music to this jackpot reef dive. A deep dive, so Advanced divers only (or qualify by doing a PADI-sanctioned deep dive
course with us beforehand). Travel time by boat 20 minutes.
Welcome to Casino Royal - where diving dreams come true, almost on a daily basis. Massive Green and Loggerhead Turtles, Giant Morays, huge Flowery Groupers and Yellow-tail Barracuda are common.
White-spotted Eagle Rays can top off a truly spectacular dive. From July to December, the playful chorus of nearby Humpback Whales provides the perfect background music to this jackpot reef dive. A deep dive, so Advanced divers only (or qualify by doing a PADI-sanctioned deep dive
course with us beforehand). Travel time by boat 20 minutes.
BANCO DE SALAAMA (SALAAMA BANK)
Although a shallower dive site (6 to 18 meters), suitable for all levels of divers, there is nothing tame about the life to be found at Salaama Bank. Teeming with reef fish and corals of every color, size and shape, diving here really gives you the idea of what it must be like to swim in a marine aquarium.
Until an inquisitive Indian Ocean Bottle-nose Dolphin comes to investigate! Travel time by boat 15 minutes.
Until an inquisitive Indian Ocean Bottle-nose Dolphin comes to investigate! Travel time by boat 15 minutes.
NAPOLEON CHANNEL
This dive site is between Quilálea and Sencar Islands, with coral heads rising from the sandy bottom. The coral heads teem with all type of marine life, from nudibranch and lion fish to groupers and bat-fish. Huge Napoleon Wrasse are often spotted here. Travel time by boat 10 minutes.
SENCAR SHAMBA (SENCAR GARDENS)
This dive site is in front of Sencar Island and is suitable for all levels of divers. The dive site has a gentle sloping bottom, reaching a maximum depth of around 20 meters. Green Turtles, Napoleon Wrasse and huge schools of bat-fish and other reef fish are common here. Bottle-nose and Humpback dolphins are often spotted on the way to the dive site. Distance by boat 20 minutes.
MESSUNJU ROCK
A gentle sloping wall site, dropping from 12 meters to 25 meters. The wall and bottom are covered in healthy coral, various species of rays, Giant Groupers, Napoleon Wrasse and Green Turtles are spotted here.
Huge schools of reef fish, puffer-fish and moray eels are also common sightings. This dive site is suitable for all levels of divers.
Travel time by boat on high tide is 15 minutes and on low tide 30 – 35 minutes.
Huge schools of reef fish, puffer-fish and moray eels are also common sightings. This dive site is suitable for all levels of divers.
Travel time by boat on high tide is 15 minutes and on low tide 30 – 35 minutes.
QUIRIMBAS WALL
A recently discovered dive site, it features a sloping wall, dropping to 25 meters. The site is remarkable for the huge variety of healthy hard and soft coral and coral heads. This site is suitable for all levels of divers.
QUISIVA WALL
A dramatic wall site which slopes from 12 meters down to 30 meters. Visibility can be so clear here that the wall can be spotted from the surface.
The wall runs for well over 1 000 meters and has huge overhangs and caves, inhabited by turtles, groupers and other reef fish. The site has a huge variety and quantity of hard and soft coral. A real adventure dive! Distance by boat 30 minutes.
The wall runs for well over 1 000 meters and has huge overhangs and caves, inhabited by turtles, groupers and other reef fish. The site has a huge variety and quantity of hard and soft coral. A real adventure dive! Distance by boat 30 minutes.
MEFUNVO WALL
A spectacular, steep wall dropping from 12 meters to 30 meters, lots of Whip and Gorgonian coral cover the wall. The wall is home to Giant Moray Eels and Giant Groupers while schools of barracuda circle above the lucky divers. The uncommon Long-nose Hawk-fish can be spotted here. The top of the wall is covered in a huge variety of hard and soft coral, which are home to a large variety of different kinds of reef fish.
This dive site is suitable for advanced divers. Travel time by boat 20 – 25 minutes.
This dive site is suitable for advanced divers. Travel time by boat 20 – 25 minutes.
MEFUNVO RIDGE
A beautiful dive site with a gentle sloping bottom, ranging from 10 meters to 18 meters, covered in a huge variety of hard and soft corals and several coral heads. Huge schools of reef fish, including snappers, fusiliers, sweet-lips, trigger-fish and Unicorn-fish, and green turtles are in abundance here. The sharp-eyed diver will spot several Paper-fish here as well. This dive site is suitable for all levels of divers.
Distance by boat approx. 20 – 25 minutes.
Distance by boat approx. 20 – 25 minutes.
To see the other five areas of the Quirimbas, click on the buttons below.