Zanzibar

[milktrayman]

Hi there

I'm thinking of planning a scuba diving vacation in Southern Africa, I've heard Mozambique is good but whats Zanzibar / Tanzania like for diving ??

Anthony

[Christian]

Zanzibar is ok., but not really a dive destination inmo. Pemba Island, situated just north of Zanzibar, has much better diving. It is mainly becuse of the more favourable conditions. Pemba sits in the Pemba Channel and is surrounded by very deep water. Walls plunge straight down to big depths. This means nutritios upp dwellings from the deep which give good spieces diversity. It also means better chances to good visibility. Zanzibar sits on the continental shelf and has shallow waters surrounding the island.

I haven't been to Moz, but I have friends who have. And judging by their stories, you can expect more big stuff in Moz (sharks) than around Zanzibar and Pemba. But spieces diversity for fish and coral are greater around Pemba and visibilty is usually better as well.

Zanzibar is a lot more developed for tourism, Pemba only has a three or four options for a dive tourist. If this is good or bad, depends on what you're looking for.

It's easy to fly from Dar es Salaam via Zanzibar to Pemba, it's a 20-30 minute flight with a small aircraft. There are scheduled flights each day with Zan Air and Coastal Air. There are also ferries departing from Dar or Zanzibar to Pemba.

[stefo2]

Agree with everything said above. Zanzibar is a wonderful place with a lot of atmosphere, great beaches and decent diving - but if it's mainly diving you're after, go to Pemba instead. Have also heard good things about Mafia Island.

[ShakaZulu]

There are much better places in Southern Africa, post another thread with "Dive Locations in Southern Africa", and you'll probably get a better response.

[ankab]

I live in Dar, and know a lot of people who have been diving in Zanzibar, which they say is really great (I'm newly certified and haven't been diving there yet) Zanzibar does have many options, and great beaches, though the tides are very dramatic. I ahve been to both islands, and Pemba is very undeveloped, roads are pretty bad, but as already posted, the diving is supposed to be excellent. It is also more expensive than Zanzibar.

[sharksdelight]

I have fortunately been to Africa several times as I lead safaries there. Pemba may be the best place to dive but it is very time based. Meaning, if you go there Jan-March you will be okay and probably enjoy yourself. Other times, there is just not that much to see. The accomodations are extremely skimpy, and don't expect electricity at all hours of the night.
Steve

[drbill]

I have the same interest so I'm pleased to see the responses here.

[Christian]

I have fortunately been to Africa several times as I lead safaries there. Pemba may be the best place to dive but it is very time based. Meaning, if you go there Jan-March you will be okay and probably enjoy yourself. Other times, there is just not that much to see. The accomodations are extremely skimpy, and don't expect electricity at all hours of the night.
Steve

I think you should update your information on Pemba. Manta Reef Lodge on the northern part of the island, www.mantareeflodge.com, is everything but skimpy and inmo opinion a very good choice if you want to relax, eat nice food and dive for a few days. Then you have the Fundu Lagoon resort, www.fundulagoon.com, which is supposed to be even more upscale.

The best diving season generally is november-april, which is true for the whole region and not only Pemba. I had excellent diving on Pemba in late november 2005. Conditions can however change also within the "right" season, so going jan-march is not a guarantee that it is going to be good, but the odds are better.

/christian

[sharksdelight]

I have dove there, about 3 years ago. They brought my partner and I there on a fam trip in July. The food was good, the service was excellent and those who worked there were extremely friendly. However, that they would shut off the electricity early in the evening, thereby preventing us from using our chargers was not a good thing. Even they stated that early spring was the best time for diving and that the summer months were not too good. I can only confirm from experience what they themselves has to say about the diving.
steve

[Christian]

sharksdelight,

I see your dilemma. July is probably the worst time for diving this area.
They did turn of the generator at night, but around 12-1 when I visited. However, normally there are only two dives scheduled, either in the morning or in the afternoon, depending on the tide. So we had enough time with electricity. A solution is also to bring double set-ups of Ni-Cads+extra charger and charge the set you're not using during the day. But I can understand your disappointment if you didn't recieve the information in advance, abling you to bring the extra gear.

/christian