Instant Reader Report
on Marlin Lodge/Bossi Yacht / Marlin Lodge in
Africa / Bazaruto Archipelago on
2002/08
by
Tom & Tresa Jaskunas , Co, USA
Report Number 030209212624852

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 Belize, Honduras,Grand Cayman,Mexico, Brazil, Anguilla, Dominica, Fiji 

Dive Conditions

required to follow group guide  

[None]  

Overall Rating

We stayed 13 nights at the Bazaruto Archipelago. The first 2 nights at
Marlin Lodge then 10 nights on the yacht Bossi and the last night back at
the lodge. The Archipelago is a series of small sand islands about a 1/2
hour boat ride from Vilanculos on the main land. We flew to Vilanculos by
way Johannesburg. The air service is very small and has its own way of
doing things. We did not ever get a "ticket" just confirmation
we had a seat, We were required to carry all of our luggage to the plane,
the ticket counter at Johannesburg did not show any sign that the carrier
even existed until minutes before some one showed up to sign us in.  We
got several warnings from the travel agent (Island Castaways)prior to the
flight that there was a very strict weight limit on the bags (10kgs per
person). We were very concerned about the weight issue with all of the
dive gear. In the end we were over by a few kgs and paid an extra charge
of less than $10 (paid going nothing coming back). There is nothing wrong
with the air service just a little strange.

The islands have mosquitoes and clearly Malaria so be sure to take proper
precaustions. Marlin Lodge is very nice with good food and excellent
service. Our first night was spent in one of their new rooms. Very
impressive just one thing missing, a mosquitoe net. We woke up in the
middle of the night being eaten alive (thank God for the medication). We
complained the next day and were given an older room with a mosquitoe net
and a fruit basket for our trouble. The second room was fine. The next day
we went out with the resort's dive operation. Very fast boats, small groups
(4 to 8 divers) and a dive guide who knew the water. The best diving we saw
was a dive site on the ocean side of the islands called 2 mile reef. Very
clear water, excellent fish life and beautiful coral ( I would rate this
site in my top 5). Because the site is exposed to the open ocean the
swells can be sizable so not every boat is up to the job. Although we
tried to dive at two mile reef from the Yacht (Bossi)later in our trip we
never made it.
After our second night at the Lodge we were picked up by the crew of
Bossi. The Yacht is a 45' cataraman that normally sails the waters of
Madagascar. Because of the political trouble in Madagascar the boat had
moved to Mozambique. The boat was clean, our room with private bathroom
was large, the crew of 3 were helpful and professional and we ended up
being the only guests on the boat. There were however a few problem. First
the skiff used to take us to the dive sites was one step up from useless.
Under powered, dangerous to get in and out of and could not handle the
sizable swells on the ocean side of the islands. The boat's system for
generating fresh water was broken as a result we were limited to the fresh
water the boat could carry. This meant salt water showers with a fresh
water rinse and a lost day in the middle of the trip to get more water.
Last the boat really was not a live-aboard. Although we clearly were there
to dive we did less than 10 dives in 10 days. The diving we did from the
yacht was on the protected side of the island, generally shallow, good
visibility with great numbers of small fish (in one case an absolute wall
of fish) with lots of macro stuff to look at. The morning we got off the
boat we ran back  to Marlin Lodge so we could make one last dive on 2 mile
reef. It was the best dive of the trip. 
So if I was to do the trip again I would stay at the lodge for a greater
part of the trip, bring a thicker wet suit (5mm) and pack a mosquitoe net.
 

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