Scuba Dive

Off the east coast of the African nation of Tanzania lies what is easily one of the most remote and culturally fascinating places to dive on the planet, Zanzibar.  The Zanzibar Archipelago, consisting of many small islands and two large ones, Unguja and Pemba, offers good visibility (60 – 200 feet) and a year-round average water temperature of 81 degrees Fahrenheit.  The best times for diving are October through to December and February through to late March.

The islands offer wall dives, night dives, and drift dives, most of which are reached by boat.  The varied sea life includes hunters like sharks, barracuda, kingfish, tuna and wahoo as well as tropical reef dwellers such as turtles, wrasse, angelfish, lionfish, scorpion fish, nudibranches, leaf fish, stingrays, sea cucumbers, snake eels, trumpet fish, moray eels, and groupers.  If you are lucky, you can also see manta rays, dolphins and humpback whales which occasionally visit the islands’ waters.

The most famous Zanzibar dive site is in Mnemba Atoll Marine Park where park fees are used to help the local community. Levan Banks, a diving spot on the north coast near the Pemba Channel, is a very popular dive with advanced divers. The strong currents and deep waters of the channel offer some spectacular diving ogling the barracudas, sailfish, sting rays and the occasional shark.  Perhaps the most interesting dive sites, however, are yet to be found.  Several dive operators in the islands offer unique trips to dive unchartered territory, reefs and underwater rock formations that have not yet made it to any dive map or list of “must see” spots.  The unknown is out there, just waiting for you to find it.

Once you get waterlogged, the topside offerings don’t disappoint either.  Stone Town, the capital and cultural heart of the islands and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is a dizzying combination of winding alleys, bustling bazaars (a.k.a. casbah), mosques, and majestic Arab houses, none of which has changed much over the past 200 years.  In addition to tourism, Zanzibar makes its living from growing spices like cloves, nutmeg, and cinnamon, which frequently produce an intoxicating incense that blankets the islands. 

Its pristine waters and amazing coral are an incredible opportunity for divers looking for something different, while its winding alleyways and relaxing aromas tempt the diver to return to shore.  Zanzibar is high up on my “must dive” list.

Has anyone dove the waters of Zanzibar?  If so, I’d love to hear about it…

Postscript:
I couldn’t figure out a way to include this tidbit into the article, but I just had to share it.  Freddie Mercury of the band Queen was born in Zanzibar.  Isn’t that random?