Humpback Whales, Manta Rays and Whale Sharks are just three underwater mammals that frequent the waters of Mozambique's beautiful coastline, and as you'd expect many volunteers have been keen to get close to them.

Last month in Tofu (an area known for having the largest concentration of Whale sharks in Africa) there were repeated Humpback sightings, and the volunteers taking part in the Whale Shark Research & Conservation project were greeted by what seemed to be an aerobic display by these beautiful creatures of the ocean.

It was humpback-monitoring season last month in Tofu, and those on the observation boats were privileged to witness mothers and calves on almost every dive and snorkel they went out on.

Occasionally, the whales were far off in the distance, but very often they came metres away from the boats to leap and blow.

As well as Humpbacks, participants on this programme were able to interact, dive and snorkel around whale sharks and mantas. Last month a team of volunteers out on a dive attempted to tag a mature female whale shark in her dorsal fin - this however proved unsuccessful because their hand pump was unable to pierce her thick skin.