Tofo, Mozambique: Humpbacks, Whale Sharks and the Rules

A beautiful coast and an unanswered question

Can you swim with humpback whales in Tofo, Mozambique? Operators advertise it. But I could not find a current national document that says how commercial in-water humpback encounters are permitted. So we do not offer it, and I would rather explain why than guess.

Tofo sits in Inhambane Province on the southern Mozambican coast, and its reputation arrives before you do. Humpbacks in winter, whale sharks and mantas in the water, and researchers who have studied these animals there for about two decades. It is easy to imagine a perfect week.

When we searched for the national rule behind in-water humpback trips, we tried several ways. We found adverts, travel blogs and operator pages. We did not find a current Mozambican government document that sets out how this activity is licensed.

The humpback season, as far as sources agree

Humpbacks pass along this coast in the southern winter, but the sources do not agree on the exact months. One Tofo-area listing says July to November. A lodge near Závora describes a June to October migration. A hospitality article says whales pass through Mozambican waters between June and December. I would treat the season as roughly the middle of the year, and confirm with a local operator for the month you plan to travel.

Whale sharks and mantas are a different story. They are seen on and off through the year, and their numbers here have changed a great deal, which matters for the ethics below. We found no reliable government source for exact monthly windows, so we do not give any.

What the law says, and what we cannot find

This is the honest part. A 2018 conference abstract from a dolphin research group working in southern Mozambique said there was no legislation specific to cetacean-based tourism. Operators only had to follow the general Environment Law (Law 20/1997) and the biodiversity conservation law (Law 16/2014). That is a research abstract from 2018, not a legal text, and I do not know whether anything has changed since.

Further south, in the Ponta do Ouro Partial Marine Reserve, a management plan describes a code of conduct for dolphin, whale and whale shark operators, a licensing system, and proposed limits on boats during the humpback and southern right whale migrations. I could not confirm that every one of those limits was formally adopted. A 2020 study in Marine Policy found that, in that reserve, tourists and operators had only basic knowledge of the regulations and the code of conduct.

One supplement to a 2022 paper says it is illegal in Mozambique to approach cetaceans within 100 metres. I could not check that against a primary legal text, so please treat it as unconfirmed.

What I can say is narrower. NOAA's 2025 review of Mozambique records that capturing whales and dolphins by fishing is prohibited. And since 2021, a Mozambican commercial fishing law protects whale sharks, manta rays and mobulas, according to the Marine Megafauna Foundation. Those are protections against catching animals. They are not a permit system for swimming with them.

Why an advert is not a permit

Operators around Tofo do advertise in-water humpback activity, and some of them may well be run by people who care. But an advert tells you what is sold, not what is allowed. A code of conduct agreed between businesses is not the same as a law either. At Tofo, a whale shark code of conduct was developed with the Marine Megafauna Foundation and is followed voluntarily: one operator page says its boats cut engines when a shark is about 20 metres away. That is good practice, and I am glad it exists. It is still voluntary.

For humpbacks the question is bigger. A whale cannot choose to leave a crowd of boats and swimmers just because a permit says it should be left alone. If the rules are unclear, the fair decision is to wait. We have written about why we wait in whale tourism where the rules are still in progress, and about how to read guaranteed whale swim adverts.

The conservation layer: sharks, mantas and pressure

The wider picture around Tofo is more serious than the postcards. The Marine Megafauna Foundation reports, from 15 years of monitoring 706 individual whale sharks at Tofo, an 87 percent decline in sightings and an 89 percent reduction in abundance. It also reports an 82 percent decline in reef manta sightings at Závora.

A peer-reviewed paper by Venables and colleagues in Environmental Biology of Fishes documents persistent declines in manta and devil ray sightings in Inhambane Province. The foundation links much of the decline to local fishing pressure. I have not read the full paper, so I cannot comment on its methods, and I quote the foundation's figures as theirs.

Tourism sits inside this story. More boats and more people in the water can be a risk for animals that are already struggling, even when everybody is polite. It is one more reason to ask questions, to choose operators who limit numbers and time, and to accept that an honest trip here may include a day with no sharks, mantas or whales at all.

Wildlife encounters are unpredictable. Swimming near whale sharks and mantas should always follow local regulations and experienced professional guidance.

What should you ask a Tofo operator before booking?

Our position is simple. We do not offer swimming with humpbacks in Tofo. Not because we think it is wrong, but because we do not know, and "we do not know" is a reason to wait. What would change our mind is a dated government permit document that we can read.

Until then, anyone travelling there can ask an operator a few things. Who holds the permit for in-water whale activity, and may I see it? How many boats and swimmers are allowed with one animal? How long is the encounter limited to? What happens if the animal moves away?

If you are planning a trip like this, a camera with a good zoom or a waterproof action camera lets you keep your distance, and a tropical travel kit helps with the long, remote transfers. Please check the current rule before you travel too, because it may have changed since we looked.

If this made you curious about ocean trips with clear rules, you can explore our retreats, where we only offer encounters whose rules we can read.

Questions people ask

Can you swim with humpback whales in Tofo?

Operators there advertise it. We could not find a current Mozambican government document that explains how commercial in-water humpback encounters are permitted, so we do not offer it and cannot confirm that it is clearly regulated.

When is humpback season in Tofo?

Sources vary. One listing says July to November, a lodge near Závora says June to October, and a hospitality article says June to December. Roughly the middle of the year is a safe guess, but confirm with a local operator.

Is there a national law on whale watching in Mozambique?

A 2018 research abstract said there was no legislation specific to cetacean tourism, only general environment and biodiversity laws. We could not find a newer primary text, so please check the current rule before you travel.

Are whale sharks and mantas protected in Mozambique?

According to the Marine Megafauna Foundation, a commercial fishing law that took effect in 2021 protects whale sharks, manta rays and mobula rays. That protects them from being caught. It is not a permit system for tourism.

How are whale sharks doing at Tofo?

The Marine Megafauna Foundation reports an 87 percent decline in sightings and an 89 percent reduction in abundance over 15 years of monitoring 706 individual whale sharks. These are the foundation's figures, and we quote them as theirs.

What should I ask an operator before booking?

Who holds the permit for in-water whale activity, and may you see it? How many boats and swimmers are allowed with one animal? How long is the encounter limited to? Can you stay on the boat if you prefer?

Wildlife encounters are never guaranteed and never forced. Ocean Calling works only with vetted, ethical local operators, and every animal is free to approach, or not, entirely on its own terms.

Sources & further reading

1. Mozambique, marine mammal protection and fishing prohibitions (2025 review) NOAA Fisheries, 2025.
2. Conference presentations (abstract on the lack of cetacean tourism legislation in Mozambique, 2018) Dolphin Encountours Research Center, 2018.
3. Moving towards a sustainable cetacean-based tourism industry: a case study from Mozambique University of Portsmouth research portal.
4. Manta rays and whale sharks now protected in Mozambique Marine Megafauna Foundation, 2021.
5. 2025 Recap: From Science to Protection for Ocean Giants Marine Megafauna Foundation, 2025.
6. Persistent declines in sightings of manta and devil rays (Mobulidae) at a global hotspot in southern Mozambique Venables et al., Environmental Biology of Fishes, 2024.
7. Tour operators to protect whales in Mozambique Tourism Update (on operators asking for whale-watching standards at Ilha de Moçambique).
8. Liquid Dive Adventures: whale watching Operator marketing, not a permit.
9. Mozambique Experience: Nhatundwe experience Operator marketing, not a permit.

Further reading on Ocean Calling: All destinations and the rules that apply · Whale tourism rules in progress: why we wait · How to read guaranteed whale swim ads · More from the journal · Ocean Atlas