5 reasons to scuba dive in Zanzibar

The Spice Islands have many things going for it. It’s an extremely popular site for scuba diving and it’s not hard to see why. Immaculate white sands, shimmering turquoise blue water and virtually undiscovered locations make this a wonderful place to get close to nature. Here are the five reasons to scuba dive in Zanzibar

• Marine Life – Imagine multi-coloured coral reefs, over 500 species of marine life, including the bottlenose dolphins, white-tipped – and black tip- reef sharks, one of the world’s biggest reef fish, the Napoleon wrasse, scorpion fish, barracuda and turtles and exotic creatures like ribbon eels and crocodile fish. The waters in Zanzibar are teeming with the most amazing specimens of aquatic life you’ll ever see. This includes macro creatures like ghost pipefish, nudibranches and frogfish. This is one of the reasons why people come to Zanzibar to scuba dive. You can even sight whales if you time your visit between July and October.

• Something for everyone – Zanzibar has something to offer every kind of diver. Whether you’re a deep sea diver, a snorkeler or a macro enthusiast, you can find a dive site to fit your purpose. Dive sites include over 30 options including wreck diving, wall and reef diving. That means you can travel to Zanzibar assured of a great learning experience, based on your experience and lack of it. Zanzibar will not disappoint.

• Adventure in virtually every direction – no matter what part of Zanzibar you are, you can be assured of great scuba diving adventures. For example, the northern side of the island has the most well-known sites for diving. If you’re a diver of any passion, you’d have heard of Ras Nungwi. The corals of Kichafi are also splendid. The Mnemba Atoll has spectacular sites, the like you’ll not encounter anywhere else. The south side of Zanzibar isn’t as well-known but that does not mean it’s lacking in any way of diving spots. In fact, Kizimkazi has many options for wall diving. The popular spots are Hammerhead and Groupers Grotto. The south east of Zanzibar has so many wonderful sites in Jambiani and Chwaka Bay.

• Clear waters – thanks to the climactic conditions of the sea, visibility is generally clear. Depending on the season, you can see from anywhere between 15 to 30 meters. Around Mnemba Atoll, it goes up to 40 meters. The water temperature is balmy, around 24 to 29 degrees Celsius. This is perfect scuba diving conditions. Also, the underwater current makes drift diving a pleasurable activity.

• Uncrowded dive experience – Zanzibar is one of the few unspoilt dive sites in the world. In islands like Mafia, for example, you may find yourself the only diver for miles around. In fact, the 30 plus dive sites makes it possible to have many people to dive and still have a sense of space and a lack of rush. With scuba diving fast becoming an even more popular pastime than it was before, having some quiet and time to yourself as you explore is priceless.