Top Zanzibar Scuba Diving Sites
Top Zanzibar Scuba Diving Sites. Would you like to scuba dive in Zanzibar? Some of the most beautiful beaches and places to scuba dive in the world can be found in this tropical group of islands in the Indian Ocean, close to the coasts of both Kenya and Tanzania.
The beautiful scenery in Zanzibar can be seen both above and below the water. There are many scuba diving sites in the area with a lot of different sea life, including more than 500 kinds of marine life, and coral reefs.
Around Zanzibar, there are more than thirty dive sites for all kinds of divers, from deep divers to snorkelers. These sites include wreck diving and reef exploring.
These reasons are why we are going to talk about some of the best places to scuba dive in Zanzibar. We’ll also look at the best times to go swimming. Now let’s begin.
When is the best time to scuba dive in Zanzibar?
The best times to go scuba diving in Zanzibar are in October, November, March, and April.
During these months, the seas are usually calm and the winds aren’t too strong, so you can see very well while you dive.
December and January are the windy months in Zanzibar. These strong winds can make it hard to see, which could mean you can’t see much or even have to stop your dive.
You should keep in mind, though, that Zanzibar’s rainy season starts in April, which could make swimming less enjoyable.
Now, let’s talk about some of the best places to dive while you’re on vacation in Zanzibar!
The Kungui Dive Site
The Kungui scuba dive site is in the south of Zanzibar, more specifically in the Kizimkazi area. It is a popular visitor spot because you can swim with dolphins there.
It takes about thirty minutes by boat to get to the site from Zanzibar. The site is great for divers of all levels, from beginners to experts.
The dive spot has a coral garden in the shallower area. The garden goes down about 20 meters before it drops off very quickly.
For first-time dives, the shallow area is great, while the wall of the drop-off is best for more experienced divers.
Kungui has a lot of different kinds of animals. You can see different kinds of fish, like scorpion fish, as well as turtles, stingrays, and octopuses.
Island of Tumbatu
There are three different dive spots on Tumbatu Island, which is in the northern part of Zanzibar. They are called Mwana, Shetani, and Popobawa.
Some of the most beautiful coral gardens in Zanzibar can be found at all of these places. The gardens have both hard and soft corals.
The reef around these dive spots is about 3 meters deep and drops to 12 meters deep. This makes it great for snorkelers and people who are just starting to dive.
You can see octopuses, moray eels, nudibranchs, scorpion fish, leaf fish, and turtles at the dive sites around Tumbatu Island.
Mwana Wa Mwana
You can find Mwana Wa Mwana just northwest of Tumbatu Island. This dive site has a unique name and is great for divers of all kinds.
With a depth of only 3 meters at the beginning, Mwana Wa Mwana is a tiered coral garden. The reef slowly falls to 12 meters as you go on.
If you keep going down, you’ll reach a sandy bottom that slopes down to a depth of 18 meters.
In Mwana Wa Mwana, you might see seahorses, sea turtles, nudibranchs, cuttlefish, stingrays, and other sea animals.
The Ras Misikitini
To the northwest of Tumbatu Island is Ras Miskitini, which is another place to dive. It is a small coral wall with two different depths.
The depth goes from about 5 meters at the beginning to 12 meters at the end. Before the slope slowly drops to about 20 meters, you’ll see some coral bommies.
You can see a lot of different kinds of sea life here, like Spotwing flying gurnards, sea turtles, leaf scorpion fish, and more.
Lots of turtles
In the area west of Tumbatu Island and under Mwana Wa Mwana and Ras Misikitini, you can find three turtles. The two are alike in that they are both small wall coral reefs.
There is a drop of 3 to 12 meters at the beginning, and then another drop to 16 meters after a sloping fall. It’s not quite as deep as Ras Miskitini, though.
Because the coral at Three Turtles is known for its bright colors, both dives and snorkelers will remember their time there.
There are a lot of reef fish, stingrays, octopuses, scorpion fish, and sea turtles in Three Turtles.
Island of Mnemba
Some of the best places to dive in Zanzibar are thought to be on Mnemba Island, which is in the northeast and very close to the main island.
Most people like to dive at Big Wall, Kichwani, and Wattabomie, but there are many to choose from on Mnemba Island.
Big Wall
Since the depth ranges from 18 meters to more than 35 meters, Big Wall is best for divers with basic to advanced skills.
There is a vertical wall in the open sea that forms the reef inside Big Wall. This makes it another option that is better for more experienced dives, as does the strong current.
Big Wall doesn’t have a lot of reefs, but it does have a lot of caves and overhangs that are great for exploring.
There are many sea creatures that can be seen, such as bigeye tunas, Napoleon wrasses, rainbow runners, and crabs. Some other animals that are sometimes seen are stingrays and white tip reef sharks.
Kichwani
Kichwani is thought to be one of the most beautiful places to dive around Mnemba Island, and divers of all types can enjoy it.
This wall reef slopes down and is between 2 and 30 meters deep. It is covered with soft and hard corals that are home to many different kinds of sea life.
These include groups of brightly colored reed fish, leaf fish, scorpion fish, Napoleon wrasses, moray eels, trigger fish, and many more, with the rare white tip reef shark thrown in for good measure.
You can also slide safely along the wall with the help of a mild current.
Beat Boogie
The Wattabomie dive site is another great place for divers of all levels of experience. There is a coral reef called Wattabomie to the south of Mnemba Island. It is about 6 to 30 meters deep.
The reef has a gentle slope that makes it great for diving with less stress. The bottom of the reef is one of a kind because it has both beautiful plate coral and amazing bommie coral patterns.
Reef fish from around the world, like king fish, groupers, mantis shrimp, snappers, octopuses, Indian Ocean walkmen, barracudas, and more, can be found in the area.
And sometimes you can even see bottlenose dolphins and green turtles.
The dive site at Magic Reef
The Magic Reef is one of the dive spots in northern Zanzibar. Photographer divers love it because it has such beautiful scenery.
The reef is 12 to 20 meters deep and is the best place to see a lot of different kinds of sea life.
When you dive at the Magic Reef, you might see seahorses, frog fish, octopuses, turtles, cleaner shrimp, mantis shrimp, crocodile fish, and other sea creatures.
Bank of Leven
Because it is in the middle of the open ocean, Leven Bank is another dive spot that is best for more experienced and advanced divers. It can be found far north of Zanzibar.
At this dive spot, too, there is a steep slope that drops between 12 and 55 meters, and there is a strong current.
You can find a lot of big game fish at Leven Bank, like tuna and king fish. You can also find moray eels, barracuda, and trevally.
There is also very small sea life, like nudibranchs. A lot of reef fish are also known to live in the area.
Besides that, you can see beautiful Humpback Whales from August to September.
Boribu Dive Site
The Boribu dive site is a long boat ride from Stone Town, an older part of Zanzibar City (which is the main city in Zanzibar). It is full of beautiful underwater sights, such as huge barrel sponges, columnar corals, and amazing gorgonian sea fans.
When you go diving in Boribu, you might see groups of pelagic fish, as well as big lobsters and moral eels.
You might also see a whale shark if you go at the right time of year.
Nungwi
The northeastern tip of Zanzibar is where Nungwi is located. It has many beautiful places to dive, such as Shane’s Reef, Mbwangawa, Kichafi, and more.
Shane’s Reef is a pretty interesting place to dive. It has coral reefs and sandy bottom patches. The depth starts at 10 meters and goes down slowly to 14 meters.
Then it goes down slowly until it reaches 20 meters.
Shane’s Reef is home to seahorses, black-botched porcupine fish, weedy scorpion fish, Spotwing flying gurnard, and other sea creatures.
Mwababnga
It is a big coral reef with two main areas of plate coral formations that bring together soft and hard corals.
At 7 meters, the water is pretty shallow, and there are gentle slopes that go down to 18 meters. You can drift dive and see colored reef fish, stone fish, groupers, stingrays, guitar fish, and more because the current isn’t too strong.
Kichafi
Kichafi is another place to dive in a coral reef. It has both soft and hard corals, as well as colorful sea cabbage and plate coral patterns that are one of a kind.
It’s good for divers of all skill levels because the depth is between 10 and 16 meters.
Large stingrays, cobias, or mackerels might be in the water when you dive in Kichafi late at night or early in the morning. There are also reef fish, parrot fish, and spade fish, to name a few.
Reef of Hunga
This circle reef is in the open sea and is found northwest of Zanzibar, under Shane’s Reef. It is 10 to 17 meters deep.
There is great sight at Hunga, and the huge rocks that are covered with bright corals are just one of the reasons why.
Spot eagle rays and other sea creatures like redtooth, bat fish, unicorn fish, crocodile fish, and trigger fish can be seen at Hunga, which is a great place to go mid-water diving.
Now you know about some of the best places to scuba dive in Zanzibar!
Yes, our list should have shown you that if you want to go scuba diving in Zanzibar, there are a lot of choices, no matter how experienced you are or whether you are a beginner, intermediate, or advanced diver.
