we spent the first week of our Malawi roadtrip at Aqua Africa, in Nkhata Bay. they are a PADI certified facility and employ brilliant instructors from around the world. ours was Rob, a Canadian guy who has been diving for over 15yrs, since he was 12.
unfortunately i got an ear infection half way through our course so i had issues with equalising and reverse blocks. this meant i had to sit out the last two qualifying dives for the Open Water certification. i finished the theory and exam so i have a year to do the remaining dives to complete my OW. Rufus finished all his dives and went on do an additional night dive with the local dolphin fish, on his 30th birthday.
Aqua Africa and their employees are super chilled and it was a great place to relax and unwind after the insane year we had just been through. the accommodation is comfortable, with an en suite bathroom & balcony, and probably the most reasonably priced in the area. if you do a dive course they give you a discounted rate of $25 per room, per night, instead of $35.
as mentioned in the last post, the water is insanely warm & clear and it is hard to keep yourself on dry land. the diving and visibility is great and we also swam out to and explored the old abandoned boat, the Edmund Rhoades (see pic above).
we highly recommend this spot if you have never dived before and would like to learn. it’s a lot easier (and cheaper than most places) to learn here as there is obviously no salt water & sea currents to tire you out and you can stay under for longer because of the warmer water. if you don’t want to dive its still a great place to visit as their beach is private & peaceful but they’re still walking distance from the local market, restaurants and bars.