Guinjata Dive Centre

Located 30km southeast of Inhambane, Guinjata Dive Centre sits directly on the beachfront of Guinjata Bay. Managed by Zelda and Lynn for over 25 years, the centre serves as a dedicated base for exploring the vast and biodiverse coastline of this region.

The operation is built around a mission of professional exploration and safety. Whether you are looking to complete your first certification or are an experienced diver seeking deep wall dives or drift excursions, the centre's established presence provides a reliable foundation for your time in Mozambique.

The team is comprised of professional, full-time Dive Masters and Instructors who are available to assist with all aspects of your diving experience. The centre is highly experienced in adaptive diving, holding the distinction of being the only Course Director Trainer in Africa for the Handicap Scuba Association, making them fully equipped to dive with divers with disabilities.

Communication is straightforward, with instruction and guidance available in English, Portuguese, Afrikaans, and Patonga. The centre maintains a high standard of safety, featuring an on-site medical room, first aid kits, a medical bed, and emergency oxygen, all managed by trained personnel.

Guinjata Dive Centre offers a comprehensive range of PADI courses. Beginners can start with Discover Scuba Diving or the Bubblemaker and Seal Team programmes for younger divers, progressing through to PADI Open Water Diver and Open Water Referral Dives.

For those looking to advance their skills, the centre provides PADI Advanced Diver, Adventure Diver, and Specialty courses. The curriculum extends to professional levels, including PADI Rescue Diver and Divemaster training. They also offer the PADI Enriched Air (Nitrox) Diver course and EFR training.

The centre operates two 8m RIBs (rubber ducks) powered by twin 90cc Suzuki 4-stroke motors. These boats are equipped with essential safety gear including life jackets, distress flares, an anchor, 50m of rope, and additional fuel canisters.

Onboard, you will find emergency oxygen to ensure safety during trips. The boats are used for a variety of excursions, including reef explorations, night dives, and drift dives, with planning for the following day's trips occurring every evening at 16:00.

For those not travelling with their own kit, the centre offers full equipment hire. The facility is a fully equipped PADI instruction centre, which includes an on-site training pool for skill practice and certification courses.

Nitrox is available for divers looking to extend their bottom time. Safety is a core component of the shore-based setup, with a dedicated medical room and emergency oxygen supplies ready for immediate use.

The reefs are home to a vast array of large pelagics and reef residents. You can expect to encounter various species of sharks, including bull sharks and leopard sharks, as well as mantas and stingrays. During the migration from June to October, humpback whales are regularly spotted from sites like Levi’s Ledge.

The biodiversity of the reef is supported by massive green tree corals and various other coral formations. You will frequently see large schools of fish, including potato bass and brindle, moving through the water column.

For macro enthusiasts, the area is incredibly rewarding. The crevices and ledges host honeycomb eels, garden eels, frogfish, nudibranchs, and various species of octopus and mantis shrimp. Small-eye stingrays and devil rays are also common inhabitants of the sandy and reef areas.

The diving experience varies depending on the season, with the centre operating on different schedules for high and low seasons. Some sites, such as Paindane X-Press, are defined by a constant north-to-south current, making them ideal for drift diving.

Night diving is a regular part of the programme, allowing you to see a different side of the reef's inhabitants. Planning for the following day's dives takes place at 16:00 each afternoon to ensure all logistics are set before departure.