Ponta do Ouro · Mozambique · Reef
Doodles
Octopus, potato bass and moray eels on a shallow reef
Area photo: Derek Keats · CC BY 2.0
Doodles is the closest dive site to the Ponta do Ouro launch, less than a five-minute boat ride out, and the most popular reef in the area. It is a long reef in 10 to 16 m, busy enough that there is always something to see: octopus, potato bass, moray eels, rays and game fish over the top, with nudibranchs and peacock mantis shrimp for anyone looking closely.
Where it is and how deep
26.8395° S, 32.8907° EPublished position for this site.
The dive
The boat goes off the beach in the village and Doodles is reached in under five minutes, which makes it the closest site at Ponta and the one most mornings start on. Entry is off the boat onto a long reef in 10 to 16 m, shallow enough that the dive is bounded by air rather than by the profile, and PADI lists it as an Open Water Diver site.
It is the most popular dive site in Ponta and bursting with life. Potato bass, the potato cod commonly seen along this coast, hold on the reef, with moray eels in the cracks, octopus out on the rock and rays and game fish passing over the top. Closer in there are nudibranchs, bait fish and peacock mantis shrimp, and at the bigger end dolphins, rays and sharks come through. There is generally something moving in front of you.
Marine life and season
- Octopus & cuttlefish
- Groupers
- Nudibranchs
- Macro critters
- Dolphins
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Good | Good |
Season follows Ponta do Ouro: Resident dolphins are seen year-round; shark activity at Pinnacles and whale migration peak July-October.
Dive videos
Doodles Reef, Ponta do Ouro, Mozambique · ChrisNursey on YouTube
Questions divers ask
How deep is Doodles?+
The reef runs between 10 and 16 m and PADI lists a maximum depth of 18 m. It is shallow enough that dives here end on air rather than on the profile, and PADI lists it as a boat-entry reef dive for Open Water Divers.
How far is Doodles from the beach?+
It is the closest dive site to the launch at Ponta do Ouro, less than a five-minute boat ride from the beach in the village, which is part of why it is the most popular site in the area.
Sources
- Doodles dive site — PADI
- Reef Diving — Underwater Explorer
- Diving in Mozambique — Divezone
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