Tofo, the area around EN1

Tofo · Mozambique · Reef

EN1

Slabbed rock reef, diveable only on a slack high tide

Area photo: Jon Hanson · CC BY-SA 2.0

A rock-slab reef named after the main road running through Mozambique, because it looks as though the slabs have been laid down like a brick road. It runs 13 to 18 m and is the only reef at Tofo whose current is strongly driven by the tide, so it can only be dived on a slack high tide and does not come up often.

Where it is and how deep

Depth profile of EN1: typical dive 13–18 m (43–60 ft) 18 m · Open Water30 m · Advanced40 m · Recreational limit13 m18 mtypical dive
Depths on a shared scale to 40 m (130 ft); dashed lines mark common certification limits.

23.7703° S, 35.4485° EPublished position for this site.

The dive

This is the site Tofo operators rarely get to run. It is the only reef in the area whose current is strongly affected by the tide, so a trip is only mounted on a slack high tide, and the 16 km, 40-minute ride out means the window has to be judged before anyone leaves the beach. When the timing works, you get about 45 minutes at 13 to 18 m.

The reef reads exactly as its name suggests. Slabs of rock lie flat and butted together as though a road has been laid across the seabed, which is why it borrows the name of the EN1, the trunk road running the length of Mozambique. The dive follows the slabs and their edges rather than any wall or drop-off.

The gaps and undercuts between the slabs are where the dive earns its keep, because the residents are all ambush specialists that sit still and rely on not being seen. Crocodile fish, scorpionfish and stonefish tuck into the rock, and torpedo rays and flounders settle on and around it. It is a dive for eyes rather than distance covered.

Marine life and season

  • Macro critters
  • Stingrays
Month-by-month season rating for EN1
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
GoodGoodGoodGoodGoodPrimePrimePrimePrimePrimeGoodGood

Season follows Tofo: Manta rays and whale sharks are seen year-round; humpback whales add to the mix July-October, the area's peak season.

Know before you go

  • Stonefish and scorpionfish lie still among the rock slabs; keep hands and knees off the reef and look before settling anywhere.
  • The current here is strongly tide-driven and the site is only dived on a slack high tide, so the window for the dive is short and trips are planned around it.

Questions divers ask

When can you dive EN1?+

Only on a slack high tide. It is the one reef at Tofo where the current is strongly affected by the tide, so operators do not get to visit it often and trips are scheduled around the tide rather than the day.

Sources

  1. EN 1 - Tofo Scuba dive sites — Tofo Scuba
  2. EN1 - Scubago — Scubago

More dive sites in Tofo

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Fingers

Finger-shaped reef ridges with sand lanes between them

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Wall

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A notched 2 km wall with three manta cleaning stations

25–30 m · max 34 madvanced

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Manta Reef

Manta cleaning stations on an amphitheatre of rock at 21-26 m

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Marble Arch

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Mikes Cupboard

Linked bowls joined by caves, overhangs and gullies

14–16 mintermediate

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Table Top

Two walls joined by a plateau, dived north to south

24–30 madvanced

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