Zanzibar is a carefree island paradise the place the scent of vanilla and cinnamon lingers within the air and white-sailed dhows depart shimmering trails within the turquoise Indian Ocean. However whereas Zanzibar is known for its spicy tang and idyllic seashores, a number of the most magical experiences you’ll have are diving in Zanzibar.
Surrounded by extraordinary underwater landscapes alive with unusual and fantastic marine creatures, Zanzibar is a dream vacation spot for scuba divers. It’s house to the nice underwater safari and a number of the finest dive websites in Africa, and based on many professional divers, the world.
From exploring eerie historic wrecks and braving night time dives, to swimming with manatees and making mates with bottlenose dolphins, diving in Zanzibar is splendidly numerous and completely unforgettable.
The necessities
With common water temperatures of 27 levels Celsius and visibility between 20 and 60 metres, it’s a nice diving vacation spot all year long.
The wet seasons are from March to Might and November to December.
February, March, July, and August are thought of the most effective months for diving in Zanzibar, however the excessive season usually spans July to September and December to January.
For divers with particular pursuits, migration seasons with the best focus of sure marine animals, and the best chance of sightings are over the next durations:
Eagle rays: June to March
Manta rays: December to April
Blacktip reefs sharks: June to March
Hammerhead sharks: November to February
Whale sharks (Mafia Island): October to February
Seahorses: June to March
Humpback whales: July to October
Whitetip reef sharks, dolphins, and hawksbill turtles: year-round
Unguja Island (Zanzibar)
Unguja Island, which is often generally known as Zanzibar Island, is the biggest island within the Zanzibar archipelago. It’s house to Stone City, the guts and soul of Zanzibar, and surrounded by a number of tiny islands that supply elegant dive websites and marine encounters.
Visibility round Unguja Island is often between 20 to 60 metres.
Among the finest dive spots round Unguja Island embrace:
Leven Financial institution
With its spectacular underwater mountain panorama and considerable marine life, Leven Financial institution is thought to be top-of-the-line dives in Zanzibar. Set within the open ocean with drops from 12 to 55 metres and powerful currents, it is just for superior divers.
Together with a tremendous array of corals, a number of the creatures you’ll encounter when diving Leven Financial institution embrace: whitetip reef sharks, dolphins, rays, rainbow runners, honeycomb moray eels, barracudas, tunas, bluefin trevallies, guitarfish, triggerfish, marbled electrical rays, Napoleon wrasse, groupers, and nudibranchs.
Nankivell & Hunga Reef
Set aspect by aspect and with most depths of 12 and 16 metres, these two dive websites provide an awe-inspiring reef dive for novice divers. Big bommies adorned with flamboyant coral formations create a magical underwater panorama that completely captures the colorful soul of the Indian Ocean.
Among the marine animals you’ll encounter whereas diving these two websites embrace: reef sharks, dolphins, barracudas, snappers, silver sweetlips, Napoleon wrasse, groupers, parrotfish, surgeonfish, and lobsters.
Boribu Reef
This pristine underwater reef with its unusual columna corals and spectacular mountains of kaleidoscope corals, Gorgonian sea followers, and large barrel sponges, is without doubt one of the finest dive websites in Zanzibar. Plunging to depths of 30 metres, it’s a nice website for knowledgeable divers.
The aquatic inhabitants of this dive website embrace: lobsters, moray eels, barracudas, and bluefin tunas.
Different nice dive websites round Unguja Island embrace: Kendwa Reef, Renco Bommi, Shane’s Reef, Chakatuni, Coral Backyard, Mbwangawa, Turtle Hole, Haji, Kichafi, Misoli, and Leon’s Wall.
Among the finest dive websites and wreck dives round Stone City embrace: Pange Reef, Nyange Reef, Murago Reef, Pegasus Wreck, Bahari Wreck, Nice Northern Wreck, and Bawe Island.
Mnemba Island
Located about 4.5 kilometres off the north-eastern coast of Unguja Island, Mnemba Island is a personal island surrounded by magnificent coral reefs which can be a marine reserve and residential to a number of the finest diving spots in Africa.
Whether or not you might be an skilled scuba diver, simply beginning out, or extra of a snorkel and fins type of particular person, Mnemba Island affords unbelievable underwater alternatives for everybody.
Visibility round Mnemba Island is often improbable with a mean of 10 to 30 metres.
Wattabomi
Arguably probably the most well-known dive websites in Zanzibar, Wattabomi is a sensational underwater panorama that slopes gently from 6 to 30 metres. Wattabomi is nice for drift and reef dives and splendid for rookies and skilled divers. Monumental coral bommies and plate corals create a stunning kaleidoscope of color and a playground for fascinating marine creatures.
Among the residents embrace: bottlenose dolphins, angelfish, blue-spotted stingrays, black snappers, groupers, red-toothed triggerfish, flounders, octopuses, scorpionfish, stonefish, frogfish, and trevallies.
Kichwani
Dropping from 2 to 30 metres, Kichwani is an virtually vertical wall that could be a nice drift, wall, and reef dive and splendid for newbies, skilled divers, and snorkellers. Drift with the light present or plunge into the azure depths seeking curious white tip reef sharks and spectacular Napoleon wrasse.
Different marine creatures which can be generally encountered round Kichwani embrace: torpedo ray, crocodile fish, moray eel, scorpion fish, leaf fish, clownfish, trumpet fish, frogfish, mackerel, snappers, goatfish, and nudibranchs.
Massive Wall
With depths between 14 and 70 metres and powerful currents, Massive Wall is finest fitted to skilled divers seeking a spectacular wall or deep dive. A easy descent alongside a vertical wall will reveal wonderful overhangs and mysterious caves adorned with delicate and laborious corals and sponges, whereas the deeper sections might provide encounters with bigger pelagic fish.
Among the marine animals you could encounter embrace: moray eels, dolphin fish, lobsters, large inexperienced turtles, tunas, rainbow runners, barracudas, Napoleon wrasse, groupers, rays, unicorn fish, batfish, and hammerhead sharks.
Aquarium
Thought of probably the most scenic dive websites within the Mnemba Atoll and with a sloping coral wall between 10 to 24 metres, the Aquarium is an outstanding reef dive for rookies and snorkellers. Laborious lettuce corals create a mesmerising backdrop for encounters with exceptional marine creatures.
Among the inhabitants embrace: inexperienced turtles, goatfish, snappers, bluefin trevallies, butterflyfish, rays, parrotfish, surgeonfish, Moorish idols, wrasses, moray eels, crescent tail massive eyes, lionfish, lobsters, silver sweetlips, fusiliers, and bigmouth mackerels.
Different nice dive websites round Mnemba Island embrace: Turtle Reef, Sand Banks, West Banks, Small Wall, Grouper’s Rock, Jack Fish Spot, and West Gardens.
Tumbatu Island
Located to the west of Unguja Island and surrounded by shallow reefs, Tumbatu Island is a superb spot for newbie divers.
Mwana Wa Mwana
A mild sloping reef from 5 to 12 metres and delightful coral gardens have helped earn Mwana Wa Mwana a fame as one of many nicest dive websites in Zanzibar. And plenty of who’ve explored the turquoise waters surrounding the island have mentioned it has the most effective number of corals on this planet and have likened it to the reef in “Discovering Nemo”.
Marine life contains: blue noticed stingrays, leaf scorpionfish, frogfish, ribbon eels, inexperienced turtles, octopuses, moray eels, sweepers, seahorses, cuttlefish, and nudibranchs.
Pemba Island
Pemba Island is a distant paradise of sunshine and serenity about 50 kilometres north of Unguja Island. Together with its untouched coral kingdoms and considerable marine life, Pemba Island can be house to historic ruins and a historical past alive with hoodoo magic. It is called the “Inexperienced Island” due to its wild greenery.
Pemba Island affords a number of the finest diving in Zanzibar and the highest dive websites on this planet.
Visibility round Pemba Island ranges between 30 to 40 metres.
Manta Level
With depths of 40 metres, Manta Level is for knowledgeable divers solely. It’s a magnificent chain of three seamounts adorned with vibrant coral gardens and blooms of tropical fish. Plunge into its crystal depths between January and March and you could end up gliding beside satan rays or watching eagle rays utilizing the pinnacles as a cleansing station.
Different marine life round Manta Level contains: surgeonfish, reef sharks, turtles, jackfish, clownfish, trevallies, titan triggerfish, puffer fish, and plenty of sea stars.
Fundu Reef
Beginning at about 3 metres and dropping an astonishing 60 metres into the large blue, Fundu Hole affords glorious diving alternatives for all ranges of divers and snorkellers. Fundu Reef is made up of 5 dive websites (Mandela Wall, Pinnacle, Coral Backyard, Crack, and South Wall) that boast unbelievable coral mounds and caverns.
Among the inhabitants of Fundu Reef embrace: eagle rays, Napoleon wrasse, barracuda, sweetlips, humphead parrotfish, and kingfish.
Different nice dive websites round Pemba Island embrace: Njao Hole, Swiss Reef, Shimba Hills, Uvinje Hole, Pole Pole Mountain, Scorpions Secret, Emerald Reef, and Lighthouse.
Misali Island
With light turquoise depths of 5 metres to deep indigo depths of 40 metres, the dive websites surrounding Misali Island are perfect for newbie and superior divers. Makarere Reef, Coral Mountain, and Mapinduzi Reef are three of the most well-liked dive websites surrounding Misali Island.
Over 300 species of coral and marine creatures akin to hawksbill turtles, dolphins, barracudas, wahoo, eagle rays, Napoleon wrasse, bluefin trevallies, lionfish, humphead parrotfish, and nudibranchs will be discovered round Misali Island.
Panza “Paraportiani” Wreck
Resting 14 metres beneath the floor, inside a wonderful passage on the southern tip of Pemba Island, is the enchanting Panza “Paraportiani” Wreck which was sunk in 1967. Though it’s a pretty shallow dive, robust currents make it extra appropriate for superior divers.
Great lighting and fascinating tunnels make it an extremely scenic dive, whereas residents akin to lionfish, trevallies, juvenile Napoleon wrasse, groupers, glassfish, unicorn fish, and crabs provide magical marine encounters.
Mafia Island
Mafia Island is a secret paradise the place flying foxes and pygmy hippos dwell amongst citrus and banana timber and delicate whale sharks glide by way of the glittering ocean. With its pristine partitions, slopes and channels, and over 400 fish species, this unexplored tropical island is taken into account the most effective dive location in Tanzania.
Nearly all of the dive websites on Mafia Island are at depths of lower than 30 metres, making it a dream vacation spot for sports activities divers.
Visibility round Mafia Island is often between 5 to 40 metres.
Kinasi Cross
Maybe probably the most well-known dive website in Chole Bay, Kinasi Cross is a spectacular tapestry of coral pinnacles, rock islands, and mysterious overhangs. With robust currents and most depths of 26 metres, Kinasi Cross is reserved for superior divers desirous to expertise a improbable drift dive.
Together with an array of corals, a number of the inhabitants of Kinasi Cross embrace: large potato groupers, turtles, barracudas, parrotfish, backyard eels, pelagics, and reef fish.
Dindini Wall
Located outdoors of Chole Bay, Dindini Wall contains of a north and south wall that drops from 8 to twenty-eight metres into the nice and cozy Indian Ocean. Attributable to its location within the open ocean, robust currents can pose a problem to inexperienced divers, so these two dive websites are reserved for superior divers.
Caves, overhangs and an archway teeming with corals and marine life akin to dolphins, groupers, sharks, turtles, rays, and reef fish make Dindini Wall an thrilling and vibrant dive.
Different nice dive websites round Mafia Island embrace: Milimani, Coral Gardens (Utumbi), Chole Wall, The Pinnacle, Kinasi Categorical, Jina Reef, Juani, Kitutia Reef, and Mange Reef.
When you’ve returned to the shores, embark on an compulsory tour by way of a shamba (spice farm) to find why Zanzibar is called the “Spice Islands”, or strive unusual and tantalising road meals akin to octopus curry and urojo at Forodhani Gardens. And when the solar begins to float in direction of the horizon, cheers to a different stunning day in paradise with a dawa cocktail on one of many many dreamy seashores.
However bear in mind
- Keep away from all bodily contact when diving in Zanzibar. Marine life and corals are fragile and even a easy contact can destroy whole reefs.
- Assist native companies through the use of small native corporations for diving journeys and PADI programs.
Discover your Mango flight to Zanzibar and examine and guide extra low-cost flights!
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