Cabo Delgado Province dive sites

The gateway city is Pemba, the capital of Cabo Delgado Province in northern Mozambique. LAM Mozambique Airlines operates flights from Maputo to Pemba. From Pemba, transfers to the islands are by boat or light aircraft depending on which island lodge you are staying at. Some lodges on Ibo Island and Medjumbe Island arrange speedboat or dhow transfers. The journey can take one to three hours depending on conditions and destination island.

The southern islands of the archipelago, including Ibo Island and Medjumbe, remain accessible and safe for tourists. However, travellers should check current security advisories for Cabo Delgado Province as the northern mainland areas have experienced instability. The island lodges that continue to operate maintain close contact with local authorities and provide secure transfers. Diving operations run normally from the established resorts.

The Quirimbas benefit from extreme remoteness and minimal fishing pressure on many of the outer islands. The coral coverage is among the most intact in the western Indian Ocean, with massive table corals and staghorn thickets that rival the best sections of the Great Barrier Reef. The nutrient-rich Mozambique Channel also brings pelagic visitors including dugongs, which are spotted more frequently here than almost anywhere else in East Africa.