Getting our beach back

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...]