ABOUT US – the “in-depth” story

In Depth Dive Travel – we are a dive travel specialist based in the United States, offering diving and safari packages to southern Africa. As the vast majority of our personal experience has been diving in Mozambique and South Africa, these are the destination on which we focus specifically.

The diving in southern Africa only began to be internationally recognized and to grow in the very late 1990s, with South Africa becoming established first and Mozambique becoming more widely known only the last 6 years. Today, thousands of international divers visit southern Africa annually, yet virtually all of these divers are from European countries, with very few divers from North America visiting the region.

Originally from Chicago, I began visiting and travelling in southern Africa in 1996 and began to dive in Mozambique and South Africa in 1998. Over the next few years, through my travels I was blessed to be able to log hundreds of dives in not only southern Africa, but also Asia, the Caribbean, Australia, Sri Lanka and Madagascar. What I came to learn through my travelling and diving in other parts of the world was how incredibly unique and special the diving in Mozambique and South Africa was.

In 2002, having moved permanently to southern Africa, I partnered with Lucie Capouskova of the Czech Republic and Bruno Liebi of South Africa to start “The Mozambique Experience – African Dive Safaris”. We were an owner run tour operator and we offered clients 10 day tours which included a week of diving in Tofo and two days in the Kruger Park. Tofo was still a relatively unknown destination at this time and with the help of some wonderful dive travel agencies in Europe and some journalists and editors who believed in the destination, we were able to put Tofo on the map as one of the best places in the world to see Whale Sharks and Manta Rays. Over the next 6 years, it was our privilege to introduce more than 2000 divers to the wonders of diving in Mozambique and to the breathtaking wildlife of the Kruger.

In 2007, I had begun to look at the possibility of opening up a new dive destination in Mozambique, and with the assistance of John and Nikki Pears of Tofo Scuba, I began doing regular exploration diving in Zavora Beach, about 50 miles south of Tofo. During the course of the next year I was able to log more than one hundred dives in Zavora at regular intervals. What we found in Zavora was truly amazing and at the end of 2008, with Jon Wright and Danny Russell, we opened Mozdivers Zavora at Zavora Lodge, the first dive center in Zavora. And it was again, with the hard work and assistance of some wonderful agents in Europe and some incredible editorial support from some great dive magazines, we were together able to put Zavora on the international map in just one year.

While diving has long been a passion of mine and while I am incredibly fortunate to have dived in Mozambique more than 2500 times, I had never sought to be a dive professional. At the end of the day I am an extremely experienced “rescue” and “nitrox” diver who has been able to witness some unbelievable natural beauty in the waters of Mozambique, and I have had the pleasure to introduce and share this experience with thousands of others over the years. In short, I was always the marketing guy and by 2010 I was beginning to look for new challenges. In early 2010, together with two dear friends, Anne Hegge of Germany and Manuel Mutimucuio of Mozambique, a new company, “Mozmarketing and Design”, was started. We began operating as a part time marketing and graphic design consultancy and the growth of this company was much faster than we had anticipated. In mid-2010 I left Mozdivers Zavora and began concentrating full time on Mozmarketing.

One of the things that we discussed at length with many hospitality and dive operators in the region, and something that had always bothered me as well, was a complete inability to have any real regional marketing success in the United States. After very specific talks with close friends in the dive industry, a consensus was reached that given the incredible success of South Africa having hosted the 2010 World Cup and the positive exposure the entire region received, that there would never be a better time to actively promote the diving of southern Africa in the US. Thus, as a part of Mozmarketing, In Depth Dive Travel was born!

I moved back to the States at the end of 2010, after nearly 20 years of having lived abroad and I have committed myself to introducing the American dive community to some of the best diving and wildlife experiences in the world. I sincerely believe in the destinations that we are offering and it is with the utmost of confidence that I can say that the service providers with whom we work are the best that there is; I have known and worked with them all personally for many years.

I hope that you enjoy our website – there are some amazing photographs and video imagery and I would like to extend special thanks to the professional underwater photographers and friends whom I have had the honor to work with over the years for granting me permission to use their work; Andre Crone, Eckhard Krumpholz, Patrick Bejik, Jurgen Lieb, Dylan Kotze, Dray Van Beeck, Fiona Ayerst and Daniel Brinkman for their Mozambique photos, Gilles Bourdelle and Henri Van Niekerk for Kruger Park photos, and Brother Richie Van Wijk for his underwater video imagery. You can enjoy collections of their work on our gallery page.

Even if you do not visit southern Africa with In Depth Dive Travel, all that we ask is that you go! I can promise you that you will not be disappointed. There is so much more – it’s not just the diving, or the safaris  - what makes Africa so truly special is the people, and in Mozambique and South Africa you will find some of the most warm and kind people that you will encounter anywhere – it is special!!

I would like to offer my most sincere thanks to the following for their friendship, support and faith, over the years and in this new project – could not have done it without you all!!

Anne Hegge, the other Roy Cougle, Manuel Mutimucuio, Lucie Capouskova, John and Nikki Pears, Bruno Liebi, Roger Johnstone, Brother Richie Van Wijk and the entire family Van Wijk, Andre Crone, Manuel Marcelino, Lara “The Queen of Darkness” Rutzen, Roland and Beulah Mauz, Henri and Lorna Van Niekerk, Johan Boschoff, Andre Roscher, Thomas Meier, Peter Sokolow, Jonny “Nunu” Zomot, Paul Uvanitte, Steve Emmerman and last but not least, my boys, Hezky and Deco. Love you guys!

Very special thanks to Ben and Guy from Lenz Design in helping me put the website together –  great patience in dealing with me…

Roy Cougle - In Depth Dive Travel – November - 2010

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