Internship

Marine Conservation and Diver Development Internship

Our internship program is designed for those that want to improve their fieldwork and scuba diving skills, while getting a true cultural experience of life in rural Mozambique. Known for its remoteness, diving in Závora is still in its infancy, offering you the unique opportunity to explore a marine ecosystem with little human impact and where much of the reef is still yet to be explored. It is also one of the last places in Mozambique where manta rays can still be found in high abundance, giving you a chance to help support the critical research being done on the species. During your time in Závora, you will learn about manta rays, sharks, humpback whales, and nudibranchs from our experts, and get to participate in the photo-identification and cataloging of these species.

The abundance and diversity of marine life in Závora, both in terms of mega and macro fauna, make this bay a unique place to dive. Our rocky reefs offer a wide variety of colorful and vibrant fish and many other species that provide a good representation of diving in the Indian Ocean. On all dives, you may see mantis shrimps, scorpion fish, moray eels, crayfish, many turtles (loggerhead, green, hawksbill, even the endangered leatherback) and a variety of rays.

We are fortunate to have Manta cleaning stations where we can encounter both species of mantas – Oceanic (Mobula birostris) and Reef (Mobula alfredi).  It’s also a special place where you can find more than 250 different species of nudibranchs. June to October is humpback whale season and we have the opportunity to see these magnificent animals daily from the shore, the boat, and even in the water. Our deep reefs are full of pelagic fish, large schools of tuna, trevallies, barracudas and all kinds of rays and groupers.

What you can expect to learn and experience while in Závora:

• Comprehensive knowledge on sharks, rays, fish, and invertebrates
• Proper protocol and photo-identification of megafauna, including:
  • Manta Rays
  • Leopard Sharks
  • Wedgefish and guitarfish
  • Whale sharks
  • Turtles
• Whale watching and humpback whale fluke ID (June-October)
• Nudibranch identification and species cataloging
• Turtle patrolling and monitoring during nesting season (March-November)
• Participation in community activities including:
  • Public talks
  • Beach clean-ups
  • Underwater clean-ups