Introducing the Big Ocean Five

Celebrating the exciting animal families commonly encountered in the Bazaruto Archipelago

September 2023: Kisawa & BCSS proudly introduce the ‘Big Ocean Five’. The team at BCSS have developed 13 sites, selected based on years of scientific exploration, to give Kisawa guests the best opportunity to experience swimming with, or carefully observing “The Big Five” of the Western Indian Ocean: cetaceans, elasmobranchs, reptiles, sirenians and bony fish.

Marine exploration in this area is very exciting, given the area hosts humpback whales, numerous groups of pelagic sharks and the largest population of dugongs in the West Indian Region. Our BCSS and Kisawa divemasters are always looking out for ‘the big five’!

All Kisawa’s diving experiences utilise the vast bank of knowledge and years of experience of BCSS’s marine scientists and researchers who carefully monitor the rich and diverse underwater world of the Bazaruto Archipelago National Park, plotting the seabeds, observing and tracking the marine life, the currents, water quality and the individual ecosystems and habitats.

The Bazaruto Archipelago supports over 2000 species of fish and the second most diverse coral reefs in the world. The seascape offers encounters with humpback whales, manta rays (both oceanic and reef manta rays), various types of dolphins and over 10 species of sharks, including hammerheads, oceanic blacktip sharks, bull sharks and many types of reef sharks.

The colourful coral reefs are home to a diverse range of fish, including humphead wrasses, countless types of butterflyfish and trevally’s.

The Bazaruto Archipelago also hosts incredible macro life. Nudibranchs, decorator crabs, leaf fish and seahorses are not uncommon on the reefs near Benguerra Island.

Contact the team for more information about the multiple ways to explore the seascape of Kisawa.

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