A skunk clownfish sheltering in a magnificent sea anemone on a coral reef off Zanzibar

Ocean

Snorkelling & Diving

Warm water, coral gardens and steep drop-offs along the Tanzanian coast.

Around Zanzibar, Mnemba Atoll off the north-east coast is the best-known site: a protected reef with easy conditions, good coral and plenty of fish, reached by boat as a half-day trip. It is popular, so early departures are quieter. Elsewhere around Unguja there are reef patches, drop-offs and wrecks, and dive centres running courses for beginners through to advanced.

Pemba is the serious diving island. The Pemba Channel drops away steeply, and the walls and coral gardens on the western side — Misali Island among them — are known for visibility, hard and soft corals and bigger pelagic fish. Currents can be strong, and a number of the best sites suit divers with some experience rather than complete beginners.

Mafia offers something different again. Chole Bay is a large, sheltered lagoon inside the Mafia Island Marine Park, with calm conditions, easy entries and rich coral, and the wider marine park protects reefs, sea-grass beds and mangroves. Nearer the mainland, day trips from Dar es Salaam to the small islands off the city give a pleasant taste of the reefs without a long journey.

Highlights

Mnemba Atoll off north-east Zanzibar, a protected reef that suits snorkellers and beginner divers
The Pemba Channel’s steep walls and coral gardens, including around Misali Island
Chole Bay in the Mafia Island Marine Park, a sheltered lagoon with calm, easy conditions
Warm water year-round, typically in the high twenties Celsius
Turtles, rays, moray eels, reef fish in abundance and, on the deeper sites, larger pelagic species
PADI and other courses available at dive centres on Zanzibar, Pemba and Mafia
Island day trips from Dar es Salaam for a short reef outing without the flight

Where to see it

Best places for this

Zanzibar
Zanzibar & Coast
The widest choice of dive centres and boat trips, with Mnemba Atoll the flagship site and plenty of easy snorkelling.
Pemba Island
Zanzibar & Coast
Steep walls, strong visibility and far fewer boats — the best diving in the archipelago, and better suited to divers with experience.
Mafia Island
Zanzibar & Coast
Chole Bay and the Mafia Island Marine Park: sheltered, rich and quiet, with whale sharks offshore in season.
Dar es Salaam
Zanzibar & Coast
Short boat trips to the small islands off the city make an easy half-day if you have time before a flight.

The empty white sand and turquoise shallows of Vumawimbi Beach, backed by forest, on Pemba Island

A curving white-sand beach with turquoise water and coconut palms at Matemwe, Zanzibar

Best time

Conditions are generally best in the drier months, roughly June to October and late December to February, when seas are calmer and visibility better. The long rains (roughly March to May) bring rougher water and some centres and lodges close. Tides matter a great deal on the east coast of Zanzibar and around Mafia.

Good to know

Please do not touch, stand on or kick coral; it is alive, slow-growing and easily broken, and fins and camera housings do most of the damage. Do not collect shells or coral, do not feed fish, and keep a respectful distance from turtles and rays — no touching or riding.
Wear a rash vest or use reef-safer sunscreen; standard sunscreens are a recognised problem on shallow reefs.
Marine park fees apply at Mnemba, Mafia and some other protected areas, and are usually charged per person per visit.
Allow at least 18 to 24 hours between your last dive and any flight, including light-aircraft transfers and the flight home.
Choose operators with good equipment, proper briefings and a clear reef code of conduct — we only work with centres that have them.

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More to see

A spotted whale shark gliding through clear blue water off Mafia Island

Ocean

Whale Sharks of Mafia

Whale sharks gather in the plankton-rich water off Mafia Island for part of the year, typically from around October to March. Snorkelling with them is a remarkable experience and a strictly managed one — they are wild animals in open water, and sightings are never guaranteed.