I’ve come all the way to Mozambique to visit the fishes of the sea and I have to say that some just have no manners or courtesy toward visitors who have come from so far away to see them. Take for instance the giant manta ray which breached in front of our little boat and then refused to do it again, when I was ready with the camera. Then there are the humpback dolphins who swam up to us and then as soon as we tried to swim with them they dove down to some party in the deep where we could not follow.

Whale Shark video

You might say all of this could be chalked up to lack of communication, ok fine, but then please explain the whale shark that head butted me out of nowhere. There I was patiently watching one whale shark when I turned to get my friend Fred’s attention and WHAM out of nowhere a slow motion head butt from a curious and clumsy whale shark. The impact wasn’t much I have to admit, but the simple rudeness shocked me. Here is the largest fish in the sea, with all the room to move and all the proper anatomy to maneuver about the ocean with skill and grace, and then there is me, a people, with no anatomy for being in the ocean and certainly no grace. Still this fish decides to say hello with a head butt. His manners would even have surprised a Frenchman (just kidding Fred). After some rather epileptic back paddling I managed to get far enough away to take a close up picture of his gills before this minibus sized fish lumbered off without so much as even buying me a drink. Downright rude I tell you. Oh well, I will go back out tomorrow with some large scale diagrams I have drawn up CLEARLY depicting ocean right of ways and general etiquette for fish/mammal interactions. Future generations can thank me later.

- Pete
Naturalist and self taught Marine Biology Expert

Tofo Mozambique – one of the few spot in the world where you can swim with giant mantas and whale sharks and the locals have got it right. The locals are quite aware of the treasure they are sitting on with these semi-resident giants and they have resisted the quick cash of mass tourism, carefully manage the local fishing practices, and also managed to keep a nice sleepy little coconut beach village. There is plenty of education about the animals for visitors, plenty of respect for the local environment, and plenty of friendly faces to welcome you. Well done Tofo and the people of Mozambique! Just please get some Sea World trainers in here to teach some manners to these fish

Mozambique whale sharks - some fish are so rude, 5.0 out of 5 based on 2 ratings
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