Diving Tanzania: Zanzibar and Mafia Islands

destinations » Diving Africa » Tanzania: Zanzibar & Mafia Island

20 June 2024
Some excellent diving in Tanzania, notably around the archipelago of Zanzibar, 25-50 km off the mainland, and Mafia Islands which are south of Zanzibar. You can also dive in Lake Tanganyika.

Politically, Zanzibar is semi-autonomous whilst Mafia Island is governed by Tanzania. Together, Zanzibar and Mafia Islands are known as Tanzania's Spice Islands.

When is the best time of year to dive Tanzania?

• January to March are good months. March is generally cheaper for flights and accommodation as traditionally it marks the start of the rainy season, which continues through April and May. However, over the past few years the rains have come later than usual.
• May and June can be windy.
• October is the calmest and therefore also a good time to go.
• High season for diving is July to September and December to January, when dive sites can become busy.
• Humpback whales migrate along the coast of Tanzania from August to October.
• Whale sharks appear at Mafia Island between November and January.

What you need to know before you go

Tanzanians are welcoming and well-disposed towards visitors, but you should be sensitive to local culture. There is a high proportion of Muslims on Zanzibar and Pemba Island: dress modestly. Women should avoid wearing shorts or showing their shoulders away from the tourist resorts and particularly in Stone Town. For more travel advice see the British Foreign Office advice. Take out comprehensive travel and medical insurance, which covers diving, before you travel.

Same-sex sexual activity is illegal in Tanzania. Same-sex relationships are not tolerated. If you show affection in public you could be arrested or put in prison.

Tanzania banned plastic bags in 2019 - at the airport you may be asked to surrender any plastic bags apart from the ones required by airlines to hold toiletries.

Go To:
• Dive Sites of Tanzania: Zanzibar and Mafia Islands •
• Dive Operators • When to Go •
• Accommodation •
• Your Comments

Dive Sites of Tanzania: Zanzibar and Mafia Islands

Zanzibar Dives • Mafia Island Dives

Zanzibar Dives

The Zanzibar archipelago was, until 1964, a separate state but is now a semi-autonomous part of Tanzania. The two largest islands of Zanzibar are Zanzibar itself (more properly known as Unguja) and Pemba Island.

Find a Zanzibar Dive Operator

Clearest viz ever, green back turtles, most amazing reefs' best fish .
Richard Labuschagne

I think that we have been lucky with the vis, because we had every dive at least 30 m. Was like being in the Red Sea, with the big difference that we have always been the only divers on each one of the dives in the water. We went in November and apparently November, February, March and April are the months with the best vis.
Alfred, Germany

Learnt to dive in Zanzibar and this was my first ever open water dive, so I didn't really appreciate just how beautiful this site is at the time. Four years later I've failed to find anywhere that comes close! Turtles, trumpetfish, lionfish, crocodile fish, and the coral displays stunning colours. Recommended!
Vanessa Hayes

Zanzibar, Tanzania is truly the paradise. Waters were so clear. We went down to 18 m and saw green turtles, potato groupers (large ones), piped fish, trumpet fish, lion fish and so much more.
Arif

Beautiful tropical setting, many different levels of diving, miriad of colours of coral and fish. Also turtles, dolphins, manta rays. Crystal waters, general good coverage of species, shoals and shoals of darting fish.
Gemma Steel

An easy dive to 18 m with a multitude of fish. Many nudibranchs plus sea horses and frog fish.

• Depth: to 18 meters
• Marine Life: Nudibranchs, sea horses, frog fish, barracudas, snappers, bat fish, cobias, trevallies, crocodile fish, groupers, lobsters, squid

Diver Reviews:

Apparently they have a lot of nice hard and soft coral on this dive, but it was so full of fish that most of the time we couldn't see anything else. Schools of barracuda, massive schools of snappers and bat fish. Some cobias and schools of trevallies...
Albert, UK

Plates of coral, a lot of life.
Alfred, Germany

Reef in the open sea where we saw loads of crocodile fish, groupers, lobsters, trevallies, schools of barracuda and squid.
Yolandi

Close to Hunga Reef. Often currents at the top of the reef. Look for redtooth triggerfish, groupers in the current, napoleon wrasse.

• Depth: to 15 m
• Marine Life: Surgeon fish, redtooth triggerfish, grouper, napoleon wrasse, coral, crocodile fish, nudibranchs, trevally, and more

Diver Reviews:

Great dive with all a diver and photographer could ask for.
Alfred, Germany

Redtooth triggerfish

• Dangerous when guarding eggs - don't get too close
• Eggs hatch on same day they are laid
• Spawn on full moon.
• Called triggerfish because of their ability to raise up the long dorsal spine behind their heads and lock it in place with a second spine. They do this for protection, wedging themselves into the reef to prevent predators dragging them out.
• Like to eat crustaceans

A shallow dive to 15 m. Much sealife including turtles, nudibranchs, octopus and seahorses.

• Depth: to 15 m
• Marine Life: Turtles, nudibranchs, octopus, seahorses, reef fish

Diver Reviews:

Viz was not as great as other Zanzibar sites, but the quality of the reef was the best we have ever seen! Amazing diversity of hard and soft corals.
Yolandi

From 8 to 18 m, a coral reef descending to a sandy bottom. A good drift dive with brain and plate corals plus beautiful software corals. At the base of the reef you can see stingrays and guitarfish. A haunt of turtles

• Depth: 8-18 m
• Marine Life: Turtles, hard and soft corals, stingrays, guitarfish.

Diver Reviews:

Special dive for huge sections of rigid plate corals and we saw three turtles!
Yolandi

Lovely sealife here for underwater photographers: hard and soft corals, nudibranchs, octopus.

Diver Reviews:

Ras Nungwi in Tanzania was in a class by itself with its beauty - don't know if it's still unspoiled, dived it some 6 years ago.
Eugene Joseph, 2016

This is the place for macro photography, as long as there isn't a current. Seahorses, frogfish, nudibranchs, weedy scorpionfish. Patches of coral on a sandy bottom.

• Depth: 10-20 m
• Marine Life: Seahorses, frogfish, nudibranchs, weedy scorpionfish
• Occasional current

Diver Reviews:

Here we saw all this stuff that you usually never see, sea horses, ghost pipe fish, 10 different kinds of nudi's, 8 different kinds of scorpion fish including crocodile fish, mauritius scorpion fish, weedy scorpion fish, leaf fish, frog fish and all in one dive!
Alfred, Germany

Diver Reviews:

Coral wall, a lot of fish and coral.
Albert, UK

Pemba Island is part of the Zanzibar archipelago.

Boat dives by Swahili divers. Water clarity to 50 m, great walls everywhere (at 30-40 m, you look waaay down into the depths), soldierfish, lizardfish, fusiliers, shrimp, butterflyfish, triggerfish.
Bob Nelson, USA

Misali island is a little island off Pemba with fabulous diving. Little dived compared to most places, the reef is incredibly healthy. Coral garden is gentle dive providing excellent opportunities for underwater photography.. Look for torpedo rays as well as little stuff like nudibranchs..

• Depth: 4-20 m
• Marine Life: Torpedo rays, moray eels, nudibranch, spiny lobsters.
• Dive Level: Easy

An excellent dive. A wall and a drop off. Descend fast as there may be currents, which sometimes bring in the hammerhead sharks. Dive on the incoming tide. For experienced divers.

• Depth: to over 50 m
• Marine Life: Hammerhead sharks, napoleon wrasse, barracuda, grouper, eagle rays.
• Dive Level: Experienced

Diver Reviews:

Deep Dive, Wonderful wall for deep dives full of live and nice corals.
David Noland (Spain)

Diver Reviews:

Great for pictures! Crocodile fish, Leaf Fish, Lion Fish, Blue Spotted Sting Rays, Napoleon Wrasse
David Noland (Spain)

Diver Reviews:

Territorial Trigger Fish, Moray Eels...
David Noland (Spain)

Mnemba Island is a tiny island off the north coast of Zanzibar. It is only about 500 m across. The island is privately owned and you can only visit as a guest of Mnemba Island Lodge. You can dive 200m away from the island though, without being a guest there, on its 7 km long reef.

We were diving in Mnemba Island, Zanzibar one month ago. Fantastic place, but be aware of dishonest boatmen. I lost my money and shorts when diving with One Ocean company.
Erkki J Saarela

Diver Reviews:

Turtles ,barracudas, white tips, banks of tuna, dolphins, easy dive.
Albert, UK

We saw many, many more smaller and much more colourful fishes. Truly a wonderful site. Beautiful green waters changing slowly to swimming pool blue. Unbelievable!
Arif

Diving the Mafia Islands

Mafia Island is the largest island in the Mafia archipelago. Smaller islands include Chole Island. Mafia Island is 30 miles long by 10 miles wide and is the site of Tanzania's first Marine Park.

Until recently, whale sharks were not found in Mafia Island. But now they are present throughout the year with a high season between October and February.

Diver Reviews:

The most incredible coral banks I have ever seen with as many fish as the Yongala.
David

Amazing reefs on the Eastern side of the island in Chole Bay, large potato groupers, humpback wrasse, hawksbill turtles, and plenty of parrot, butterfly and angelfish. On the western side of the island there are some less pristine reefs that have been damaged by dynamite fishing but there are still some areas with amazing diving, furthermore the western side of the island is often visited between November-March by large groups of whale sharks, a truly amazing site when diving or snorkelling.
Matt Davies

Almost all Mafia's best diving is at depths of less than 30m so it is a sport diver's paradise. The reefs of the archipelago offer a staggeringly beautiful and varied display of marine life. The excellent condition and high diversity of the reefs stimulated the creation of Mafia Island Marine Park, Tanzania's first marine park. Examples of most kinds of tropical marine habitat occur here, including exposed fringing reefs, rock walls, soft corals and algae-dominated reefs. The diversity of animal and plant life is hard to match, with over 50 genera of corals and 460 species of fish so far identified; many more still await determination. There are excellent examples of giant table corals, delicate seafans, whip corals, and huge stands of blue-tipped staghorn corals. Large predatory fish and turtles are common and surprisingly unaffected by approaching divers
Peter Byrne, Blue World Diving

Dive Operators on Mafia Island

Anemone in Chole Bay, Photo credit: Karin Broussard, Blue World Diving.

Chole Bay is blessed with a number of excellent dives within the Bay, ensuring diving in almost any weather, as well as easy access. Visibility varies with the wind and tides, and is generally poor on outgoing tides as there is the normal accumulation of organic and granular matter in the water as it empties the Bay through the narrows of Kinasi Pass. The diving is tide-dependent for this reason and also to avoid strong currents at the dive sites which are close to the mouth of the Bay (Kinasi Pass). We usually dive on the full low, full high or on the incoming tide for the Kinasi Pass drift dive and the Chole and Kinasi walls, which lead of from close to the end of the Pass dive.
Peter Byrne, Blue World Diving

Maximum depth: 21 m, average depth: 12-14 m, drift dive over bank reef.
Peter Byrne, Blue World Diving

Pristine corals, napoleon wrasse, grouper, moray eel, sting ray
Mario Odorisio, Big Blu Mafia

A sloping reef starting at 6 m on a full tide. The dive starts at a sandy bottom facing the reef. A wide variety of hard and soft corals and abundant reef fish as this is a nursery area. There are vast schools of immatures and many species here. An excellent dive, especially for those interested in variety and detail, and an excellent introductory dive for those who have not dived for a while. The reef is extensive and most of it is also suitable for snorkelling.
Peter Byrne, Blue World Diving

Sweetlips and Bannerfish. Photo credit: Karin Broussard, Blue World Diving.

Trevally, giant grouper, potato cod grouper, barracuda, sting ray
Mario Odorisio, Big Blu Mafia

Maximum depth: 8 m, average depth 9-12 m. A sloping bank reef that starts at about 8 m. the dive starts from a mix of sand and small limestone pebbles and climbs up the reef. There is a great variety of hard corals and colourful soft corals. There is an abundance of fish feeding here on this rich reef which thrives on the inflow to and outfall from Chole Bay. Great schools of juveniles. Spectacular species abundance, and at the end of the dive huge coral heads ("bommies") to explore. An excellent dive for the diver interested in the unusual and the small, fascinating life forms on a reef.
Peter Byrne, Blue World Diving

Zanzibar Shrimp, Dasycaris zanzibarica. Photo credit: Karin Broussard, Blue World Diving.

Many schools of fish, turtles, trevally, potato cod grouper, napoleon wrasse, sting ray, white tip shark
Mario Odorisio, Big Blu Mafia

Choosing a Dive Operator in Tanzania

Blue World Diving,
Kinasi Lodge and Lua Cheia Luxury Beach Camp,
Mafia Island, North and South,
Tanzania.
Tel: +2557 164 43388
Skype: mafia.island
Facebook
E-mail: stay@mafiaisland.com
mafiaisland.com/

Mafia Island's oldest dive centre established in 1995 (originally the dive base for research on Mafia Island's reefs and Marine Park. The two dive bases are dedicated exclusively to the Kinasi and Lua Cheia guests - uses local Jahazi boats - mashuas - for its activities and these are usually sailed back to base after diving. This minimises pollution and maximizes the enjoyment of experiencing a traditional sailing dhow. For adventure dives modern boats are used to ensure maximum safety and best dive experience. Regular special offers for seasonal attractions and all-included packages for 3, 5, 1 and 10 nights Mafia north and south, including night dives.
Peter Byrne, Blue World Diving

Scuba Do
Kendwa Beach
Northern Zanzibar
Tel: +255 (0)784 415 179
E-mail: do-scuba@scuba-do-zanzibar.com
Diver Reviews:

We were very impressed with Scuba Do's professional operation, friendly staff, new equipment and diving off their fast RIBs.
Yolandi

Hideaway of Nungwi Resort & Spa
Nungwi Road
Nungwi
Zanzibar
Tanzania

Zanzibar Watersports
Kendwa Rocks
Zanzibar
Tanzania
Tel: +255 773 235030
E-mail: info@zanzibarwatersports.com

Fun Divers Zanzibar
Nungwi
Zanzibar
Tanzania
info@fundiverszanzibar.com

On the Fumba peninsula of Zanzibar.

Fumba Beach Lodge
PO Box 3705
Stone Town
Zanzibar
Tanzania
Tel: 255 (0)774 878701
E-mail: divefumba@gmail.com

Buccaneer Diving
Zanzibar
Tanzania
Tel: +254 (0)728 630369
E-mail: info@buccaneerdiving.com
Bases at Voyager Hotel, Sun 'n Sand, Whitesands Hotel and Nyali Beach Hotel.

Karafuu Dive Center
Pingwe
Zanzibar
Tanzania

Excellent equipment and experienced team. Small groups and wide boats for a relaxing trip..Radio, cellphone, two engines, Oxygen, Emergency Kit, Experienced Captain always on board. Not expensive at all, worth it.
Better than the average, great surprise to find that kind of service
David Noland (Spain)

IDive Diving Center
P.O. Box 2703
Kiwengwa
Zanzibar
Tanzania

E-mail: coralnasa@yahoo.com

"Pemba Island is the best for diving (marine life its still in nature), I can promise everybody that you will never regret coming here, and you will see the value of your money. I am Pemban, I know Pemba in and out, that's why I established a tour company, but most of my tour is marine game tour (diving snorkelling), please come to Pemba Island, there is something different. Pemba is an untouched island. We are very proud to be born on this beautiful island.
Misali Island is the best diving site around Pemba. I am a tour operator here in Pemba and all of my customers appreciate this site. Please come to see, and let me arrange this diving trip with qualified company (Pemba Misali Divers)"
Nassor Haji Nassor, 2012

Kipili Village
Lake Tanganyika
Tel: Louise,+255684540792 & +255752540792, and Chris +255 783993166.
E-mail: info@lakeshoretz.com

We are a new and the the ONLY PADI registered Dive Operation on Lake Tanganyika in Tanzania. We offer accommodation as well, out of our Lake Shore Lodge.
Chris Horsfall (Lake Shore), 2012

Tanzania Accommodation

Sunset Bungalows
Kendwa Beach
Northern Zanzibar.

We stayed in Sunset Bungalows for $55 per double. Rooms were clean and comfortable and good value for money.
Yolandi

Kendwa Rocks Bungalows
Kendwa Beach
Northern Zanzibar.
See prices or book

Stayed in the Kendwa Rocks Bungalows, situated on a GREAT beach with clean rooms. All rooms with sea view. We paid $60 in off season, and compared to what other hotels were offering it was the best deal on the beach.
Alfred, Germany

Basic but very good.
Albert, UK

Find more Zanzibar hotels

Your Comments

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