So we drove for 18 hours across two borders (Swaziland, Mozambique) in our 3 newly acquired 4 x 4 vehicles, led in convoy by Mr Mozambique himself, Ryan Ribbink. Ryan is the guy all the pro’s call when they want to find uncrowded sand bottomed perfection in unchartered territory on Mozambique’s picturesque coast. He knows the coastline and the charts and has been the go to guy for many who’ve scored some of the best waves of their lives here, like last years world #2 Jordy Smith who frequents the area regularly with him to get a break from a busy WSL schedule. In a way they put Mozambique on the map when it comes Surf Travel with pictures and edits like the ones here being released in surf media showing the magic that hides on this coast.
Home for our us in Mozambique is place called Tofo, a small fishing village turned tourist hub, largely due to it’s sheer beauty and abundance of marine life which resulted in the development of a number of dive schools. Basically the ocean is the drawcard here and its the exact reason for our stay. We stay in a quiet spacious and relaxing place called Turtle Cove, this yoga retreat venue is the perfect place to relax between surfs.
Turtle Cove PC: Matze
The town is a alive and buzzing with colour and life, at the market artisans of all kinds do their best to hold your attention and try convert a sale. Mozambique is a Portugese colony and the locals speak Portugese, the local language is Shangan though. They’re some of the friendliest people you’ll come across and they’re always curious to find out your background story and how it came to be that you ended up in their part of the world.
The wonderful colours of the market place
The food and culture is exceptional here, they carry many traditional portugese flavours in their food but with their own flair, naturally the seafood is second to none here as the population lives mainly off of what the sea provides. One of the parts I enjoy most about the food here is that the majority of it is locally sourced or farmed or caught fresh and is all organic and this really comes through in the flavours of everything you get here. One thing I will mention though is that its not uncommon to wait up to an hour for food here, so be patient and don’t come starving or it will be torture. I assure you it’s worth it though 😉
Matze in paradise
So the reason we’re here is surfing and to be honest this has been my best trip here in this regard. just over a month ago a menacing cyclone rolled through and destroyed the area and everybody is still in a rebuilding phase. Unfortunately this cyclone also destroyed one of the best point breaks on Africa’s east coast and we haven’t seen it break yet as all the sand was completely washed away, but where the Cyclone took away it also gave and all the sand banks along the Tofo beachfront have all of a sudden come to life and it is here where we have enjoyed non-stop waves with even better weather, 26 degree crystal clear water and nothing but good vibes. We’ve had big days, small days and perfection at times but non stop waves and because of this the time has flown by and my arms are lame from all the paddling, A great problem to have and I couldn’t be more grateful.
The next stop on our adventure in Mozambique is the beautiful Pomene. Shalets on stilts with flamingoes flying across a sunset horizon and another point break that is cover shot worthy, but I’ll tell you more about that once we’re there 😉
Till then
Luke
