Tofo's reputation rests on what lives offshore. An upwelling phenomenon along this coast drives plankton blooms that attract the largest fish on the planet: whale sharks, filter feeders whose mouths span over a metre wide and whose bodies reach eight metres long. They are harmless, and swimming alongside one is the experience that brings most visitors here. The season runs from October through March, though sightings happen year-round. Below the surface, the deeper dive sites at 25 to 30 metres host giant and reef manta rays that visit cleaning stations where smaller fish groom parasites from their wings. Divers report roughly a 15 percent chance of encountering mantas on any given dive. Reef sharks, sea turtles, and dolphins round out what locals call the ocean's Big Five. From June through November, humpback whales migrate through these waters from Antarctica to breed, and their breaches are visible from shore.

The signature dive site is Manta Reef, where three cleaning stations cluster close enough that a single dive can take in all of them. Most of the better sites require deep-dive certification -- the reef walls drop to 25 or 30 metres -- but the dive shops in town offer certification courses, and visibility usually runs around 20 metres. Surfing draws a smaller but dedicated crowd. Tofinho, at the southern end of the beach, is the main surf spot, while the gentler break at Tofo proper suits beginners. Board rentals are available at a surf shop called The Waterworks, which also serves breakfast and lunch and operates as a book-and-DVD trading post. The ocean here is warm enough that wetsuits are optional for much of the year, though jellyfish can be a nuisance in certain seasons -- a long-sleeved shirt is a practical alternative to a sting.

Tofo's dining scene runs on fresh seafood and improvisation. Local fishermen pass by cottages each morning selling prawns and crayfish, and self-catering is common. The restaurants range from Casa Barry's wooden terrace overlooking the sea to Black and White, a shed at the market that serves local food at local prices and will cook fish you have bought yourself. Bamboozi offers all-you-can-eat seafood buffets on Friday evenings and has what may be the best bay view in town. Dino's Bar, midway along the beach, lights bonfires on the sand at night. The local rum, Tipo Tinto, is cheap and requires what one guidebook delicately calls "some courage." Tofo is small enough that the walk between the main gathering spots takes minutes, though the beach path between them is unlit after dark.

Tofo sits 30 kilometres east of Inhambane along a paved road that is, by local accounts, consistently potholed along its entire length. The standard advice is to drive slowly or follow a chapa -- the local minibuses -- to let them find the holes first. From Maputo, the drive takes about six hours. Inhambane Airport, a few kilometres from Tofo, receives direct flights from Johannesburg. The town itself has no public transport to speak of, but everything is within walking distance. Accommodation runs from backpacker dorms to private chalets, and prices remain low by international standards. What Tofo lacks in polish it compensates for in the particular magic of a place where the main activities are diving with whale sharks in the morning, eating fresh prawns at midday, and watching the sun drop into the Indian Ocean from a hammock at dusk.