Welcome to episode 2 of the all new weekly Jeff's Pro Dive centre blog, where we'll be keeping you up to speed with the latest movements here on the Manta Coast of Mozambique.

Thankfully the king tides have passed and we're no longer in danger of having Mozambique's first underwater dive centre. The damage has been done and we are in the process of fortifying the front of house and replacing the sand banks that were washed away. It was a first to see a JCB carving up the beach for once, rather than the usual foolhardy fishermen, with over-inflated tyres and deflated spirits.

We had an interesting week of diving, some sites resembled a sand storm after the crazy swells that came from the Madagascar cyclone. But the awesome sightings just keep on coming...

Paindane Express delivered once again. Two of our divers saw their first ever Manta and an incredible free-swimming, pink, giant frogfish just bobbing along, completely oblivious to Rufus screaming into her reg right next to him. We got a reverse current on Caves, which took us on an unplanned diversion to Pao, but no-one was complaining because a leopard shark (Mike still hasn't seen one!) and a white-tip reef shark were waiting for us on the way. Everyone managed to get in the water with two types of dolphins on an ocean safari, not just the common dolphins but the more unusual humpback dolphins too (also known as "Ugly Dolphins" - by Graham)

This week we're introducing our brand new Fish of the Week feature, where we let you know some interesting and unusual facts about one of the creatures we spotted in the last seven days. First up, it's everyone's favourite ambush predator, the Giant Frogfish...

Giant Frogfish (antennarius commersoni)
The Giant Frogfish is the most amazingly camouflaged creature you are ever likely to lay eyes upon. Resembling a lumpy sponge, it colours itself to match surroundings and can grow warts, algae, flaps and other 'decorations' to make itself even more difficult to spot. Confident in it's ability to evade detection from predators and prey alike, the giant frogfish is usually found sat on outcrops or overhangs waiting for the next meal to pass by. Their fins have evolved into 'feet' which they use to grip onto rocks and sponges, however, that means they are unable to swim smoothly, and instead 'waddle' along close to the bottom. Frogfish are capable of blowing out their jaws like a balloon and swallowing whole prey equal to their own size. They are also known as anglerfish, due to the 'fishing lure' they have developed, usually in the shape of a small shrimp, which can extend in front of their face in order to tease potential prey into the reaches of their gaping mouths. Giant Frogfish must be one of the most highly evolved creatures found anywhere in nature, having adapted themselves perfectly to fit their niche on the reef, which is why we love them so much!!
(That and the fact they are incredibly cute when they try to swim!)

If you have any requests for future Fish of the Week, post a comment on here and we'll do our best to make it happen.

In other news, we're very excited about Manta Reef re-opening tomorrow after a month of rest. We've got two boats going there in the morning, the first one leaving at ridiculous o'clock to try and beat the post-Feb rush. Fingers crossed for some amazing sightings!

That's it for this week, let us know your thoughts by posting a comment, if you have any burning questions we'll try our best to answer them.

See you next week!

Jeff's Dive Team

[Note: I posted this late, and they've just got back from Manta. Needless to say, it was amazing! Find out more next week...]

At over 2 metres, a smalleye stingray is not small at all. The biggest stingray in the world was spotted on Green Tree last week, when our divers were treated to an awesome fly-by at 30m. Accompanied by an entourage of 3 Cobia, the divers at first thought it was a Manta, but soon realised that they were witnessing something very special. And to make it even more amazing, the whole experience was captured on video by Rufus. The smalleye stingray was only recorded on film for the first time ever in 2009 and has only been seen alive off the coast of Inhambane, making this one of the most truly spectacular sightings we have ever caught on film here at Jeff's. Click here to see the footage.

If that wasn't enough, we dropped on Paindane Express on Sunday in a raging current, and after zipping along the reef for the first ten minutes of the dive, a gentle giant appeared out of the blue, just cruising along into the current. A 6-7 metre whale shark came right over the group, causing a few jaws to drop, lucky their regulators didn't fall out. Again, ace reporter Rufus was on the dive to capture the whole thing on video! Click here to see the footage.

It has been a ridiculously good week for diving here. The water has been crystal clear, visibility reaching up to 30m, no thermoclines to speak of and a consistent temperature of a balmy 27-28 degrees Celsius. We managed to swim with dolphins not once, not twice but three times. And the macro life is still in abundance, giving us plenty of photo opportunities of all the weird and wonderful creatures found on the local reefs. Frogfish, paperfish, squat shrimp, ghost shrimp and the tiniest coral crab any of us have ever seen. It also seems to be juvenile season, the spring of the ocean, as we are awash with juvenile angelfish, morays, sweetlips, clown triggers, batfish, and even dolphin calves breaching and splashing around for the cameras.

It's been a great week for regular visitors continuing their education too. Our old friend Tinus Coetsee did his Digital Underwater Photography course with Mike, his 5th specialty, which earns him the distinction of Master Scuba Diver - the black belt of recreational diving. Duncan and Jess were put through their paces on a highly entertaining Rescue Course. Sorry for the fake vomit Duncs, I'm sure you'll never be able to stomach muesli again!

After the wonderful experience with the smalleye stingray, there could be no other choice for this week's Fish of the Week...

Smalleye stingray (Dasyatis microps)
The smalleye stingray is the largest of all stingray species, measuring up to 2.2m. Very rarely encountered, but widely distributed, it is found in the Indo-Pacific, from Mozambique to Northern Australia, although has only ever been seen alive on the reefs of Inhambane province. It was first described in 1908, when a large specimen was collected from a depth of 31m. Previously thought to be bottom-dwelling, sightings of the ray on the shallow reefs of Tofo and Jangamo now suggest that it is semi-pelagic. Unlike other stingrays, the smalleye stingray swims by flapping it's pectoral fins up and down, akin to a manta ray or devil ray, giving the impression that it 'flies' through the water column. There is so little known about this species that the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) determines it's conservation status as "Data Deficient".... And now we have it on video!!

That's it for another week, we hope you're still enjoying our weekly ramblings, wherever you are in the world. Any questions or queries, post a comment on here or email Mike at diving@jeffsmoz.com

Again, sorry for lack of photos in this format, please visit our facebook page to see more pics.... search for "Jeff's Pro Dive Centre" on facebook.