PARDISE ON YOUR DOORSTEP

An East African island experience at Villa Martins, Inhaca

Review by Erwin Bursik

MOÇAMBIQUE has lured adventurous South Africans ever since the early days when Lourenço Marques (now the flourishing city of Maputo) was a popular destination to experience the Portuguese culture and cuisine – the proverbial Europe on our doorstep.

The devastating hostilities that ravaged the country from 1974 to the late 1980s may have dampened some tourists’ enthusiasm for an LM/Moçambique experience, but not all.Our angling fraternity has always been drawn by the lure of Mozam’s warm waters, gamefish and billfish, and burgeoning beach-side accommodation has enticed thousands of South Africans to frequent this offshore angling paradise on a regular basis.

It’s no surprise it’s so popular considering that Mozam is basically on our doorstep and there are a vast number of places where South African ski-boaters can tow their own ski-boats to and fish in this tropical paradise at

costs that are equal to or even more affordable than offshore destinations in South Africa.

The mainland has plenty of attractions, and then there are the incredible islands …

In mid 1991,Ted and Lyn Adams, Louis Kuhn and I visited Inhaca Island as guests of Gone Fishing Safaris to get a feel for the spectacular island sited 30-odd kilometres off the country’s major city, Maputo, and north of the Santa Maria headland. Inhaca is separated from the mainland by a channel called Hell’s Gate.The southern tidal race exits and empties the vast inland tidal flats of the huge Maputo bay through Hell’s Gate and also through Maputo’s main shipping channel which runs north of Inhaca.

At that time the Santa Maria headland was the last bastion of Renamo supporters, as we found out when we saw them patrolling the beach of Santa Maria toting AK47s.There was no visible habitation on this magnificent headland and beach back then.

During that visit we unfortunately experienced the full force of a south westerly front that prevented us from fishing the apparently fish-rich waters on the seaward side of Inhaca,and while we flew to the island,Louis and I had an interesting ride back to Maputo by boat at the end of our stay.

Over the next three decades I fished “Moz”on numerous occasions, but always further north of Maputo, bypassing the capital city at the Xai-Xai turnoff.The lure of Guinjata, Tofo, Vilanculos, Inhassorro and the Bazaruto archipelago was too strong, resulting in me neglecting Inhaca after that one disappointing experience.

Ryan Hansen of Durban Marine recently twisted my arm to accompany him and his wife, Joanne, when he went to deliver a boat to the owner of a new lodge that was nearing completion on the southern extremity of Inhaca Island.The promise of fishing the area off Inhaca and Santa Maria with one of Maputo’s top anglers sealed the deal.As the saying goes, I’m very pleased I went.

These days, with the new coastal highway from Kosi Bay to Maputo, the 595km, seven-hour drive from Durban, and virtually the same distance from the greater Gauteng region, makes this area much easier to reach than those north of Xai-Xai. And now, having experienced the fishing potential and the incredible scenic diversity of Inhaca and Santa Maria, it’s clear that as a fishing and holiday destination, Inhaca is hard to beat.It’s just sad it’s taken me 30 years to realise that.

The 45-minute boat trip aboard Richard Martins’31ft Panga craft was an easy ride for Richard’s family,Ryan,Jo and I.When we arrived at Villa Martins on the protected south-western quarter of Inhaca, my senses were blown away

The high tide allowed us to buoy up just on the fringe of mangrove trees over white sand.It took me right back to another area I love in a virtually identical setting in Kenya and Tanzania in the Kilwa region.It felt like I was coming home.That alone made the trip worthwhile.

Following a band of helpers, we walked the 30 metres or so through the mangroves, and then another surprise awaited me. There, surrounded by a traditional white Mozambican wall was Villa Martins.

The scene was so different to what I’d expected, that I had to stop to fully absorb the beauty of the lodge basking in the late afternoon sun.I was excited that this was to be my home for the next four days.

The centrally sited swimming pool, surrounding lawns, ten spacious and extremely well appointed and finished rooms, main house, dining and recreational areas set amidst the coconut palms and huge Mozambican mango trees all shouted:Welcome to Villa Martins.

Richard and Jessica Martins are wonderful gracious hosts, and Jessica, with her Mozambican flair, more than satisfied our gastronomic needs.Speaking fluent English, the couple shared a great deal about the ways of Inhaca Island, its history and local inhabitants. They also took us to the marine reserve and across the estuary to stroll along the Santa Maria “beachfront”and indulge in a meal at one of the restaurants there.

What really intrigued me is the development on Santa Maria and its draw of tourists to the area – both South African and international visitors.

Richard’s company runs 14 fully rigged and crewed ski-boats ranging from 16 foot up to 28ft, giving them the potential to target both gamefish and billfish. His fleet also serves to transfer tourists from both his lodge and Santa Maria to Maputo in comfort, protected from the prevailing weather conditions. Over and above this, he is able to organise fuel supplies and mooring services for clients who take their own ski-boats to Villa Martins.

Over the last two decades I have eagerly read the articles on the annual Inhaca Challenge which have been carried in SKI-BOAT magazine.Names like Santa Maria,Hell’s Gate,Channel Buoys and Lighthouse were only names of

fishing areas that didn’t mean much to me, but which had stuck in my mind and which came to the fore again as Richard rounded Portuguese Island and set a course virtually directly out to sea.

He had chosen the northern track as the strong tidal outflow through Hell’s Gate was not that great the day we went fishing. Besides, he said, where we were set to start fishing “The Well” was an equal distance away whichever way we went, but the initial run north and around Portuguese Island was calm, flat water, making that run a lot faster.

The excitement built as we headed out into magnificent blue water.As I scrutinised the craft’s Garmin sonar and GPS,I could see for myself the areas I had read so much about, but had never seen before.

We had a grand tour of the fishing spots and I was enthralled at seeing the different offshore terrain on the sounder and getting a rundown on the various areas that Richard has fished commercially and recreationally over the last 20 years.

A simple factor that exposed his knowledge and got me thinking was the way he worked an area like The Well in relation to tide and how emphatic he was that on the tidal peak the baitfish – and hopefully gamefish – would congregate and enhance our strike rate. Standing alongside the skipper observing the plotter’s snail trail and sonar readings was extremely interesting and informative.

One of Richard’s commercial craft was working the same area and had got there on the tide change and had already recorded some good fish, including a marlin.We just had a few strikes and some small fish before relocating to visit some of the other areas I mentioned.

From what I saw, the water was not that deep when compared to our distance out to sea, and that surprised me. The bottom was between 40 and 60 metres below us.Richard said, however, that there are deeper marks where he uses deep jigging tactics that pay off handsomely, with big amberjacks being the number one target.I saw photos of some of these catches, with the biggest he has caught weighing 54kg.Yup, 54kg!

Working the areas we did in order to show me the extent and relative proximity to Inhaca Island, our haul almost equalled that of Richard’s 16ft Seacat that ended the day with two marlin, two yellowfin tuna in the upper 20kg range, a wahoo, a dorado and a big GT among quite a few smaller fish.

Our moment of glory was when Ryan Hansen’s reel screamed and a magnificent sailfish took to the air, flying parallel to the water about 50 metres behind the boat. Even more surprisingly, it was hooked on a Rapala, so I didn’t give it much hope of staying attached.But it did, and after a lengthy fight, this huge sailfish which we estimated at over 50kg was brought alongside, the lure pinning it like a livebait just in front of the sail.It was incredibly exciting!

Even after all my decades of fishing I’m still totally captivated when I see one of these magnificent fish swim away after being released, and I hope that will never change.

At last, after a fun day at sea, it was home time and Richard decided to weave his way through Hell’s Gate, the channel that separates Inhaca Island and Santa Maria.I am pleased we did it, for it showed me not only how treacherous it could be, but also how easy Richard made it seem.

All in all my four-day visit to Inhaca was way too short, but still more than long enough for me to resolve that it’s an area and destination I will definitely return to.

I believe I have found my Shangri-la. Relatively close to home – just seven hours towing from Durban to Maputo and an hour by sea to Villa Martins –this very different, exciting and beautiful tropical destination is a must-visit on my list.