Category: Barra

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Looking for a Holiday Home in Tofo?

Casa Frenzy - your Holiday Home in Tofo

Looking for a Holiday Home in Tofo?

Are you looking for a Holiday Home in Tofo? Check out Casa Frenzy…

Another comfy seating area that doubles as a sleeper, with mozzie net. Casa FranzyAnother colourful sunset saturates the scene on the way to Casa FrenzyCasa Frenzy is a fantastic house to host parties in. Your favourite Holiday Home in TofoShot by The Frenzy herself, from the backline way out off the frontCasa Frenzy - your Holiday Home in Tofo

Casa Frenzy is a super cool and big enough house for diving and surfing families – who want to take a relaxing break in a Holiday Home in Tofo

Ideally situated on the shoreline only a few clicks north of the marvelous Praia do Tofo beach and partying town. Casa Frenzy is set snugly into the indigenous vegetation directly behind the primary beach dune. It’s a 100 meter walk and you are in the warm clear Indian Ocean. Swimming or snorkeling your time away.

Then you might be prepared to hit the deep blue, and jump with the whale sharks, mantas, and dolphins that Tofo has become internationally known for. The reefs and ocean life in Tofo are rich and fascinating. There are heaps of reefs and dive spots between far Barra in the north, and Manta Reef, in the south. In between these two extremes, must be 20 named scuba spots.

Enjoy this cool video by ArtSurfer, shot by Renske Massing, with underwater companion Zito, a little while ago – in December 2017.

More about the enthralling town of Tofo…

  • Loads of dive centres to choose from
  • snorkelling or scuba
  • surf lessons for beginners and advanced
  • Island trips and dhow travels
  • Beachcombing
  • sport angling
  • vehicle and boat rental
  • Inhambane City visits
  • nightlife
  • local and international cuisine
  • fresh seafood daily
  • fresh foods grown right in Tofo
  • Coconuts and cashews
  • Tipo Tinto Rum and 2M cerveja

There are really so many things for everybody to do in and around the Praia do Tofo area. The Inhambane Bay allures with it’s enchanted islands and purple blue channels. Complete peace and quiet and accessible to everybody in the family or tour group. The swimming and snorkeling at Barra is terrific and you may even become a close acquaintance with a little seahorse or two.

So click on over to our newly updated Casa Frenzy page and connect through the easy as form…

http://artsurfer.nl

Or catch us on Facebook at http://facebook.com/renske.massing/

Post prepared by The Sardine News.

“Holiday Home in Tofo”

https://thesardine.co.za/2018/03/24/looking-for-a-holiday-home-in-tofo/

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Surfing Mozambique: It’s cyclone time again

Alternative surfing accommodation in Tofo - in da barrel

Surfing Mozambique: It’s cyclone time again

Surfing Mozambique this time of the is always very interesting. Two cyclones so far, have thumped swell at us this past month. The first, AVA, had us surfing places like Tofinho every day. And the huge dollop of sand there has seen surfing right through the tides. This syclone hit the east side of Madagascar where a huge escaroment of mountains sent it packing. It floated off down south and east, just shy of the exact place we need it to be.

The second was a bit more serious but stayed farther off the coast. On Saturday the ten foot sets arrived closing out the entire Tofnho Bay. On Sunday, Barra went off the scale again. There was no footage shot, nbut this clip of it doing it’s thing last year exactly this time, tells the story.

This clip only features the last third of the first superbank. It starts kilometres further up. The second superbank was also absolutely firing this day. A lot easier but still tubular bells. Top to bottom.

At one point, after my umpteenth wave, I was staggering back only to find my two surfing mates, Aladinho and Dave Charley, lying in a puddle of water, completely spent. I kicked them back both up and out there. Only to hear both of them howl their proverbial lament, over and over – “I just had the BEST wave of my LIFE!”. Over and over again.

I wouldn’t hesitate to say that Barra has one over the other superbanks in the area. It’s easy to get to. Has great pubs and restaurants lining the bay. There are many options, through the tides. It’s all very beautiful too. And very uncrowded. Even if it was, the point is so extensive, you would be surfing alone most of the time.

BUT.

It changes continually. Right now, the second superbank down at the mouth has been replaced by a huge natural swimming pool. As the ocean assaults the bars and establishments along the way.

The first one still exists, but also has a huge swimming pool where the 100metre beach was.

The good news. Is that further up the bay, the original superbank, the one that caused all the fuss way back then, is returning to shape and form. The swell really concentrates on this particular piece of Barra. It breaks real hard and underwater.

And gets 8ft!

Surfing Mozambiques surprise leftSurfing SathanesChris Leppand and Hate Speech surfing MozambiqueSurfing the KZN South Coast in summerSurfing Tofinho is best started real young. This kids got it down. Yomo!TofinhoThe morning after. An incredible place is Pomene. (c) Boa Gente

And a video playlist of all things surfing Mozambique…

To get on up to Tofo and to enjoy the life here a while…check out our accommodation options at the following link…

https://thesardine.co.za/product-category/accomodation/

And other holiday packaged experiences here…

Fishing Experiences

https://thesardine.co.za/product-category/fishing-experiences/

Diving Experiences

https://thesardine.co.za/product-category/diving-experience/

Surfing Experiences

https://thesardine.co.za/product-category/surfing-experiences/

The Sardine crew have been operating in the tourism world in Southern Africa, for decades. We have assembled packages and options based on these years of experience and contact gathering.

We have tried and tested each option, and the facets therein. We are always on call and/or around.

If you need help with other logistics like travel, we can help.

Get in touch on umzimkulu@gmail.com or http://facebook.com/thesardine.co.za/ or WhatsApp +27 79 326 9671.

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Chris Leppan and Hate Speech surfing Mozambique

Chris Leppand and Hate Speech surfing Mozambique

Chris Leppan and Hate Speech surfing Mozambique

Surfing Mozambique in a trilogy of video collaborations shot at three of the best point breaks that Mozambique has to offer. Which means that Africa has to offer. The conditions were far from epic in any of the sessions, but Chris and friends made the most of it. This day however, shot at the picteresque Ponto do Ouro, right on the southern tip of the fabulously long coastline, was pretty much cooking. Well dredging at least.

The highly talented Kate Lovemore was on the camera, which made it an absolute pleasure and a breeze through the studio process.

You can see the first in the trilogy at the following link…

Chris Leppan meets Napalma – shot at Tofinho, a bit further north in Inhambane province.

The final instalment will be coming soon. I’ll leave you guessing as to where this sojourn will take us next.

The cyclone season will be firing up pretty soon – February is coming fast. Balmy hot days and east swells marching in. Offshores to match. Well it’s a dream, but when one day, you do catch these very same point breaks, in these conditions, you shall never forget.

Bruce Gold experienced this phenomenon. Of east swells just appearing out of nowhere. Not predicted on any charts. And it was in August! Painted clean with Offshore winds, the current wasn’t even currenting. But the waves were mean!

Some sets peeled through with not a single surfer making the drop. As the tide dredged out it got meaner. Some of the best barrels were had. For two days the waves just poured through. Goofy foot renegade Craig Els was up from JBay. And fell into an amazing rhythm right off the bat. Thwacking the perfect rights until they finally stopped coming.

Luckily Bruce grabbed a camera and shot off some clips right in the heat of it all. His running commentary and the waves he filmed formed the core content for the surf film Shaloha. A Bruce Gold epic. Featuring many of the hotter surfers up and down this coastline, the compilation starts in Cape Town, and ends in Mozambique. In the most perfect waves.

Bruce ended up staying in Tofinho for a whole four months after the huge trip. And fell right in with the palmy lifestyle around here.

Enjoy the day…

If you want to come surf these waves with us…check out the options in the menu above, or follow this link…

https://thesardine.co.za/product-category/surfing-experiences

Catch us on Facebook at…

http://facebook.com/thesardine.co.za/

 

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The Bonefish of Mozambique

Jimmy Bonefish regularly catches these world record potential bonefish in summertime

The Bonefish of Mozambique

The bonefish of Mozambique – well Inhambane in this case. Often this time of year (Summer), whilst working the shallow waters between Tofo and Tofinho, big silver fish can be seen lolling about the surface. Their silver backs are exposed as they dart this way and that, seemingly on the feed. But cast after cast and all you might get out of them is a look. Dropshots don’t work, nor do spoons or plugs. I am sure they will take a well-presented fillet bait, but they won’t touch a rapala or even a daisy chain.
Bonefish!
Right behind the Tofo headland is where the shoals of huge bonefish swim...
Right behind the Tofo headland, is where these shoals of huge bonefish swim…
Some local subsistence fishermen know where and how to catch the smaller ones. Right in the surf zone, in the white waters below the cliffs, with bait won off the rocks at low tide.
But Jimmy, our fishing champion, based on the point at Tofinho…knows how to catch the big ones.
He has taken 5 in an evening…on squid bait!? And the size? Average 6 or 7 kilos!
Even Jimmy’s clients (he is a great rock ‘n surf fishing guide), have taken 2 or 3 in a session, using this method.
Highly acclaimed as a prizefighter, bonefish are extensively hunted on the flats of the Florida Keys in the USA. It’s one of the biggest sport fishing industries there is. And all on fly.
Saltwater fly fishing grew enormously as a result of these fiesty and fussy game fish.
Permit (pompano to us) and tarpon frequent the same waters as bonefish and many fishing guides and charters take their clients fishing for these acclaimed fish, all over the South.
But. In the USA,  they hardly get half the size of the behemoths hanging out on the backline off Tofo and surrounds.
IGFA, the International Game Fishing Association, is the custodian organization for world and regional fishing records. And the all tackle world record bonefish is recorded as being caught in Zululand, South Africa, by Brian Bachelor in 1962. 8.6kgs.
When the bonefish come through here, they are really active. They seem to feed on tiny surface fish and organisms on the backline and the edge of the surf zone, with their otherwise suggesting down facing tiny mouths. In the USA they are fished on the flats on an incoming tide, where they feed on the sand bottom and in and about seagrass fields.
If you are super keen to get onto whipping a few flys about the back line, between Tofo and Tofinho points, and if you can handle a 9 weight, give us a buzz on umzimkulu@gmail.com.
It might be an even better plan…to bring a 12 weight rig too, as kingfish, sailfish, tuna, king mackerel and queen fish also patrol the shallows behind the long, shallow ledge just off the Tofo headland.
And 8.6kgs is an easy target.
Jimmy says he has caught many 9kg bonefish! And bigger!

 

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Tofo Ocean Festival 2017

Tofo Ocean Festival 2017

Right on the beach at Fatimas each year! The Tofo Ocean Festival 2017 looks to be the biggest yet. Check out the post party clip for last years event and festivities…

And details for the 2017 event…

Tofo Ocean Festival 2017
Tofo Ocean Festival 2017

Praia do Tofo is the grand stage for the New Years celebrations here in Mozambique 2017. There is something going on in every corner of the party-infused town. But none as big as the main event – the Tofo Ocean Festival 2017. Held at Fatimas Nest – right on Tofo Beach. Over New Years. 27 December 2017 to 1 January 2018!

It’s an ocean festival, aimed at increasing ocean awareness – but it’s all about the music through the summer nights. In full New Year swing, the sun comes up all too soon every day. DJs and musos line up to contribute to the show. They come from all over the place.

The people also come from far and wide for the Ocean Festival and Praia do Tofo. The Tofo “gridlock” turns into an endless street party all leading to Fatimas.

Fatimas for breakfast in Tofo starts at 7am
Fatimas – the scene of the Tofo Ocean Festival 2017

Best leave your car where it is and walk and dance the night away. The town has already started filling up. It’s gonna be a really big year at this

 

You can see past years productions on the Fatimas website at https://www.mozambiquebackpackers.com/tofo-ocean-fest

And more about Fatimas at https://www.mozambiquebackpackers.com/

 

Post prepared by The Sardine News

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