The protected marine reserve environment of Quilalea and the Quirimbas islands provides breathtaking diving in a rich and healthy marine ecology. In particular, the Quilalea sanctuary, which is protected and monitored by the WWF and is proving to be having a positive impact on the underwater world. Dive sites vary from beautiful coral gardens to dramatic wall dives and magnificent underwater rock structures teeming with life. Quilalea offers reef diving, wall diving and night diving. The house reef is a beautiful shore entry dive, and all the other dives in the sanctuary are less than 15 minutes boat ride away. There is also access to diving outside the sanctuary, which ranges from 20-60 minutes by boat. Depths vary from 8-35m, so all levels of diving experience are catered for. The warm waters make diving very comfortable all year round, with water temperatures reaching 29 degrees in summer and dropping to only 23 degrees in winter. As the island is protected from the open sea by Sencar Island (also part of the sanctuary), the sea conditions are mostly calm all year round, especially in summer when the north-easterly winds blow. Diving at Quilalea has been likened to diving in an aquarium! The fish life is simply awesome and there is an amazing diversity of species. Nudibranchs, shrimps, lobsters, ribbon eels, blue spotted rays and a myriad of fish are seen on every single dive! There is a large variety of hard and soft corals, and there is no damage to the reefs due to the protection of the sanctuary and good diving practices. Turtles are commonly seen, and in summer (Nov-Jan), green turtles can be seen crawling up onto the beach to lay their eggs in the sand... a truly magical sight to witness! Whales and whalesharks are also fairly common in season (June to October). The area is home to many different species of shark. Dolphins are frequently seen, and it is often possible to snorkel with them. For the non-divers, the underwater world can be explored with snorkel, mask and fins! There is great snorkelling all the way around the island and you can see turtles, octopus, moray eels and thousands of fish a stone's throw from the beach. Conditions in the bay are very calm and perfect for learning to dive. Quilalea is registered as a PADI resort centre and an experienced instructor will accompany you on each dive to show you the best of what Quilalea and the Quirimbas has to offer. An unforgettable diving experience - guaranteed!
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