"Let me tell you that if you like anything related with marine life, and if you are ready to feel constant excitement by being closer than you ever thought to whale sharks, humpback whales, white tip sharks, mantas, turtles, dolphins, amazing fishes, among a lot of other marine animals, THIS IS YOUR PLACE. If you are a big eater like me, you’ll never be hungry, trust me, you will taste the best local dishes prepared by Marcosh, the best chef ever! Related to the scuba diving, I took the PADI Open Water Certification, and I can say that I learned by the best scuba masters. I felt safe and had fun all the time, diving in Mozambique Water is one of the best experiences I’ve ever had. About the accommodation, don’t worry, you’ll be in a great fun space with other volunteers that will become your friends, near everything (restaurants, the beach, market, shop…), so you’ll be able to enjoy every bit of the stunning place that is Tofo. Also, you’ll recibe the best attention by Calum, the manager and marine biologist of Underwater Africa."

"I volunteered with Underwater Africa for 2 months and had an amazing time. I saw humpback whales close up, including calves, and had hands on experience with data collection and photo identification. I learned so much. In addition to helping with research, UWA arranged other great activities for me, including snorkeling in the estuary where I saw seahorses and tons of starfish, a tour of the local community in the Inhambane area, kayaking in the mangroves, and surfing lessons. I also had the opportunity to swim with whale sharks and dolphins while I was there. Staff was great - very nice people, great sense of humor, and all I had to do was ask and they worked to grant my wishes. I met some great people there, too. It was an experience I will never forget."

As a marine biology graduate, I was looking to gain some scuba experience. UWA provides exactly that as they put you in the ocean with their local dive shop, Peri Peri Divers (all fantastic staff deserving of their own 5 star review). UWA will cater to your needs as best as possible so be sure to get in touch with them before travelling if you're looking to do post-grad work or if you have a specific project in mind. Personally, I wanted to gain as much experience as I could so I participated in their ongoing projects at the time which included the monitoring of marine megafauna, reef health assessment, local community work, reef camera traps, teaching coastal policemen swimming and participating in weekly science talks. Not to mention the director is doing his PhD work with bull sharks so you're bound to get to help out with that in some way! The only thing you need to be aware of is the waves!! The daily dives are by boat so come prepared with motion sickness meds if you need (if you're hypersensitive like me, only the patches worked...). 10/10 would recommend! One of few spots where you can spot both manta species!

I spent 3 weeks at the project and had a great and rewarding experience. As a volunteer, I got the opportunity to get involved in different aspects of marine conservation that is not only focused on the ocean and marine fauna but also on land with local communities, helping them to find alternatives to preserve their environment and get the best of it. The scientists of the project are very passionate and deeply involved in governmental meetings to reinforce marine protection. They are always very keen to share their knowledge with you and will make you participate in their scientific work. Mozambique is a beautiful country with great dive spots and being part of the project make you become more aware on the importance to preserve our oceans. I volunteered at this project to get a better knowledge of the marine ecosystem before doing my dive master internship and learned a lot about it in a short time. Your personal investment is what will make you get the best of your time at the project and if you are an oceans’s lover and want to protect it, you will get a great experience spending time at UWA. I would be happy to go back if the opportunity comes up in the future.

I spent 8 weeks at the Underwater Africa and had a great and rewarding experience and I met so many nice people! I had opportunity to snorkle and dive with dolphins, manta rays, devil rays and whale sharks! I felt welcomed from the start and got many new friends. I learned more about myself and shared so many happy moments with these people and I felt our work was important. I wish all the best for this project and it's stuff!

Spent the last 15 years diving all over the world and back in January we thought it was time to give something back to the amazing wonder that the ocean is and considering it does so much for us, we thought we should have been there for it and lend a hand in any way we could! We have had no formal training or undertaken any studies as a marine biologist or anything of that kind for that matter but we have always had a great love for the sea! So we looked everywhere for an opportunity to "take part" and discovered Underwater Africa... From the start we thought this would have been an amazing experience and "our way in", we therefore booked ourselves in for 3 weeks in Tofo back in January... diving in what I can safely consider one the most amazing spots I have been (and I have been to a few), collecting data, working on presentations, learning about the amazing work carried out by the guys there, which really turned out to be "inspirational" to say the least.... What a truly amazing experience!!