Tropical Ecology - Biotopes
Diving In Lake Malawi 1997
Written by Tuesday, 14 September 1999 17:00
Hongi Island
Here we are, at last! Hongi Island stands in front of us, in the bright African air, rising from the warm, clear, water of Lake Malawi (see map: to guess where Hongi Islans is). Almost no wind, just a few clouds (or not at all), calm water. I know it's going to be quite a dive. After having seen (many times) the Red Sea (Egypt, Sudan, Israel), having visited the Caribbean sea (Cuba) with "tons" of dives logged on my "dive-book" all around the Italian seas at last the time has come: I'm about to discover the "Truth", to have a close look to the origin of the dream of any Malawi cichlid lover.
Before carrying on I feel the need to spend few lines to introduce you to, what I call "Safe Diving"; this being quite different from simply "diving":
- Mask, snorkel, fins: the stuff you commonly use will do!
- Gloves: highly reccomended, because of the rocky layout of those places. Regulators, buoyancy jacket, tank(s), dive instruments: no specific requests. Since dives are not that deep if you have a choice choose small tanks, meaning less weight to "handle".
- Wetsuit: here I need to go to more details: the water is more than warm but if you plan long dives (which means about an hour or so of actual dive time and remain still able to carefully look at fishes or shoot photos) a 5 mm wetsuit is the best choice, otherwise also a 3 mm will do. Thinner wetsuit will work only if you go snorkelling. I used a 5 mm wetsuit.
- Weight(s) and belt: keep in mind you 're going to dive in fresh water which means that (because of a simple "bouyancy rule") you'll need about half the weights you use when diving at sea.
- General (and final) warning(s): Always beware of the sun. It takes minutes to turn you from suntanned into "sunburnt". And finally before attempting something "strange" while diving, ALWAYS, remember that the nearest hyperbaric facility is as close as South Africa ...
- Medicals tip(s): I'm not a physician, then all I can suggest is to check your doctor, before your departure, for medical suggestions and what precautions you should take (this does not refer only to diving!)
Finally let me spend some more lines (just to make excite your curiosity) on the situation we faced while at this Lake. Malawi (I refer to the Country) and Tanzania are not only separated by the lake stretching between them. They also are (from many points of view) as close as the moon is close to earth ! In Malawi it's likely to find electricity supply, fairly pavimented road, shops and some restaurants almost close to european "requirements", we've even had a chance to give our home a phone call ! On the opposite shore (it takes four hours to get there by ship) we found no electricity (at all!) and no telephone. A computer, even a fax, is something beyond reality. We faced the need to refrain from drinking water (only beer!) for three days because of the lack of bottled water. It's worth remembering that we crossed Malawi from the airport at Lilongwe (Malawi's Capital), to the Lake (Nkata Bay harbour) while in Tanzania we spent all the time on the coast of the lake.
This situation has probably offered us a very "narrow" view of what's going onthere (in Tanzania) so, please, consider those lines as my personal impression and not, at any rate, an "absolute" truth!. But as a matter of fact it's easier to get to the Tanzanian coast by plane, landing at Lilongwe, then drive to the lake, cross it on a steam-boat, arriving at Mombasa or Dar es Saalam and then move, by a four wheel car, to the goal …Any way I think you can imagine my astonishment when, upon approaching the border from the ship, Erling Johansen (our guide; a Norwegian fellow living in Africa since ages!) explained to me that, to his knowledge, I and Stefania, were the first Italians ever to enter Tanzania from that (Mbamba Bay) custom office.
So,we're ready, floating at the surface, soaked in this crystal clear water…I put on my mask, put the regulator in my mouth, have a final look to the surroundings….And "GO!" All of a sudden I'm surrounded by lukewarm water of unbelievable trasparency. Lots of rocks are showing us the way to the bottom and suddenly you start to focus on, well … cichlids! Over there two M'buna males in full colors and with all fins opened, are fighting with the aim to add one more stone to their own quarters, while inside a crevice an Utaka female rests "chewing" her eggs. That shaded canyon falling in the deep hides a big catfish, most likely a Bagrus sp. which can attain a total lenght of many feet. It is mainly a nocturnal fish waiting for the sun to fall and then start to look for food: cichlids … this story could be carried on, and on and on
… While diving swim carefully to avoidraising debris, sand and decaying matter from the bottom. It's unbelievable how many fishes of countless species, morphs, colours, sizes and feeding habits can be found in a single, small, den can host Pic. 2: cichlids in detail). Even the mostcrammed tank I've ever seen looks almost underpopulated. Everything is going on perfectly, following an unwritten Rule that works perfectly from the beginning age of time … It is amazing! I'm facing Mother Nature "at work" from as close as I have seen it. I am "tongue-tied", and not only because we're underwater. The time has come ... the air supply is almost over and "suggests" us the idea of regaining surface (Pic. 3: Aquascape).
"final glance" and, slowly, we (actually we're two: Stefania my divemate and, above all, my girlfriend and me) start to head for the boat … while "climbing up" once we reached a depth of 6-7 meters, we can't look at the surface: it is too bright because of the sun shining in the water above us! While the temperature slowly rises (we found 25° C at 34 meters of depth and 26° C at 19 meters) to 28° C as we are closing to the surface we look below our fins: the story is still going on, they really don't care about us …
Once at the surface we undress getting off all divingstuff with a bit of sorrow, jump on the boat and there we remain, silent, basking in the sun while the boat is moving back Pic. 4: Sailing along Lake Malawi coast) towards our camp.(Pic. 5: Chinula camp). I can't refrain from thinking how I will miss those dives, the sun, the surroundings, the warm and friendly mood of the local people during the soon to come, long, rainy and cold winter (it's november) back there in Italy … I do feel the need to return here, where all "cichlidiots" are likely to find their innermost roots …
This is where we dived in Lake Malawi ...
Date 29.10.97 Dive place Lundu
Island Max depth 13 mt Dive time 57 min
Remarks:First dive ever in Lake Malawi. Rocky bottom with a lot of cichlids;i.e.: Pseudotropheus sp. "msobo"
Date 30.10.97 Dive place Lundu
Island Max depth 8 mt Dive time 4
min
Remarks: Different place.Sandy bottom, lot of debris. Big nests in the sand (I've been told being of
Dimidiochromis kiwinge).
Date 31.10.97 Dive place Mbamba
Bay Max depth 13 mt Dive time 2
min
Remarks: Wreck of a pontoonhalf buried in the sandy bottom. Lot of Aulonocara steveni (local morph aka A.
steveni. "Pontoon"). Water is not that clear …
Date 01.11.97 Dive place Ngkuyo
Island Max depth 22 mt Dive time 37 min
Remarks: Five star dive! Lot of rocks falling down inthe deep. Among them cichlids chase each others, feed, spawn, die … 3 BIG
catfishes. The surrounding island is of incredible beauty; probably the best
"land scenery" we've seen during our trip
Date 02.11.97 Dive place Klaus
Rock Max depth 21 mtDive time 53
min
Remarks: Sharp "rock" risingfrom the bottom. Seen many big barbels (B. johnstoni?) then lot of M'bunas:
Melanochromis parallelus, Tyrannochromis macrostoma, and more
…
Date 03.11.97 Dive place Hongi
Island Max depth 12 mtDive time 1h
05 min
Remarks: Unbelievable.Countless number of any possible kind of cichlids. A crocodile has passed above
us during the dive (not seen, reported by fellows on the
boat).
Date 04.11.97 Dive place Higga
Reef Max depth 34 mt Dive time 35 min
Remarks: Another Five star dive! Deepest dive of thetrip. An amazing labirinth of rocks, crevices and dens among which the sunlight
flashes in the dark. Many caves can "hold" even ten divers fully equipped.
Cichlids are everywhere, in the deep (30 mt and more) lot of Protomelas sp.
"Taiwan Reef" in breeding colours.
Date 05.11.97 Dive place Klaus
Rock Max depth 19 mt
Dive time 53min
Remarks: Same place as above.Sunny and slightly windy day. Some current (first time ever) lot of colours,
cichlids wandering all around, what a pity that's the last dive: GAME OVER!
NB: Photos by the author. The map has been re-arranged to suit the needs of this article.
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