Diving in Tanzania is a magical experience.
Crystal clear tropical water, unspoilt corals,
shoals of fi sh darting through the reefs, sea
turtles gliding through the water, school of
barracudas circling overhead. Tanzania has
something to offer divers of all abilities. The
dive sites in Dar es Salaam, Mtwara, Mikindani,
Zanzibar, Pemba and Mafi a rival those found in
the Red Sea and deserve to place Tanzania on the
map as a diving destination. There are 25 PADI
dive centres throughout the country, with
skilled instructors and divemasters and world
class equipment and a number of liveabroads
offering trips to Mafi a, Pemba and Zanzibar. In
case of any accidents, there’s a fully
operational decompression chamber in Zanzibar,
which opened in 2006.
Whether you’re a novice or an experienced diver,
Tanzania has something for everyone, from the
small wonders of colourful nudibranches to giant
groupers, sharks and Napoleon Wrasse. The best
diving is generally between October and
February, when visibility can be up to 30 metres.
Zanzibar is home to the world famous Mnemba
Atoll, a protected marine park with some of the
best diving in East Africa. Hawksbill and Green
turtles rest on top of plate corals, oblivious
to hovering divers snapping pictures. Lion fi sh
hide beneath the reef, Moorish Idols dart
through the corals and Clown Fish dance
possessively around anemones. Turn to the sky
and watch hundreds of fi sh, schooling and
circling through the water, yellow snappers a
vivid contrast to the blue of the water. It’s
not uncommon to see White Tip Reef sharks and
divers are sometimes lucky enough to have a pod
of dolphins as an escort on the way back to the
dive centre or catch a glimpse of humpback
whales with their calves.
Pemba is a treasure trove of marine life, better
suited to experienced divers due to strong
currents, making most dives drift dives. Pemba’s
corals are pristine. Misali Island, once a
hideout of Captain Kidd is now a marine
conservation area rich in biodiversity, with
over 40 diff erent species of coral, 350 diff
erent species of fi sh and 5 diff erent species
of sea turtles. Out on the reefs, black snappers
school around Coral Mountain, eagle rays and
manta rays glide through the water with deadly
grace, while lobsters and octopus peer out at
inquisitive divers from coral shelves. Green
turtles perch on cabbage coral and hammerhead
sharks have been seen coming in with the tide.
