North Zanzibar – Dive Sites

Ametatu

Depth: 8-14m
Min Level: Beginner
Type: Coral Bommies

Depth: 8-18m
Min Level: Beginner
Type: Coral Garden

Nyumba Ya Kasa (Turtle House)

Coral covered slope leading to a sandy bottom. Nyumba is a home to many Turtles and lots of tropical fish.

Depth: 8-15m
Min Level: Beginner
Type: Coral Garden

Coral Garden

Covered in beautiful corals. Looking carefully you can find many kinds of Nudibranchs, Flatworms and other sea slugs. Even the famous Spanish Dancer can often be spotted here.

Depth: 8-18m
Min Level: Beginner
Type: Plate Coral

Mbwangawa

Huge brain corals, variety of soft corals, spectacular areas of Plate Corals and lots of tropical fish. At the bottom of the slope, in the sandy area, Sting Rays, Guitar Fish and Blue Spotted Rays are very common.

Depth: 10-16m
Min Level: Beginner
Type: Coral Garden

Haji

The smaller of 2 underwater islands covered in beautiful hard and soft corals. Home to Morays, Leaf Fish, Scorpionfish and even Hawksbill turtle.

Depth: 10-16m
Minimum Level: Beginner
Type: Coral Garden

Kichafi

The bigger of 2 underwater islands covered in beautiful hard and soft corals. There is a large area of plate corals where you can find parrotfish, groupers and even the odd Napoleon.

Humpback Whales

Season starts in August and last until the end of October. If you are lucky, while traveling between dive sites you can get a rare glimpse of this wonderful creature jumping out of the water.

Chakatuni

Depth: 8-18m
Min Level: Beginner
Type: Plate Corals

Depth: 13-50m
Min Level: Advanced
Type: Drift Dive

Levenbank

One of the best dives in Zanzibar. Sea mountain in open ocean. Home to huge Morays, Nudibranchs, Barracuda, Rays and much more. Recommended for experienced divers only due to strong currents and challenging conditions.

The east coast of the island has many turtle. Both Green Turtles and Hawksbill Turtles are common along the entire reef and particularly on Nyumba Ya Kasa (Turtle House) .

Turtles

In this area, the main place to see a turtle is magic reef. There are at least 2 resident Green Turtles who are normally sitting on the sand bank or hiding by the rocks.

Seahorses

You are more likely to find Seahorses in this area of Zanzibar especially in Magic Reef. There are a few different kinds including the Spiny Seahorse which grows to be quite large.

Depth: 16m
Min Level: Beginner/Intermediate
Type: Coral Bommies

Hunga

Circle of huge bommies, covered in corals of all shapes, colors and sizes. Hundreds of Snappers and Sweetlips are swimming together above the reef. Crocodile Fish are very common.

Depth: 12m
Min Level: Beginner/Intermediate
Type: Coral Bommies

Nankivelle

Circular shaped dive site with huge bommies covered by mainly hard corals. Hundreds of Unicornfish and Snappers are moving along the reef. Nudibranchs, Crocodile Fish and Moray Eels are very common to see.

Depth: 12-20m
Min Level: Beginner/Intermediate
Type: Drift

Magic Reef

Magic Reef is a heaven for any underwater photographer. You can't swim more than a few meters without stopping to have a closer look at something. Sea Horses, Scorpionfish, Frog Fish, Mantis Shrimp, Octopus, Moray Eels, Mauritius Scorpionfish, Nudibranchs, Crocodile Fish are all common here.

Depth: 5-12m
Min Level: Beginner
Type: Shore Dive

Nungwi Reef

Our home reef is full of life, especially during the evening when we venture out on one of our night dives. You can see Nudibranchs, Morays, Rays, Lionfish, Frogfish, Octopus and even the odd Shovelnose Ray.

Kendwa Reef

Depth: 8-10m
Min Level: Beginner
Type: Rock Bommies

Spanish Dancer Divers

Situated in the main beach of Nungwi. We have 3 boats and have easy access to all the dive sites in the north of Zanzibar.

Sakina

Depth: 16m
Min Level: Beginner/Intermediate
Type: Coral Bommies

Depth: 3-12m
Min Level: Beginner
Type: Coral Garden

Mwana Wa Mwana

One of the best coral gardens in all Zanzibar, containing a huge variety of both soft and hard corals. It's shallow water makes a great place for snorkelers and beginner divers. Mwana is home to many schools of reef fish, Turtles, leaf Fish, Octopuses, Moray Eels and Nudibranchs.

In Tumbatu you have a good chance of seeing both green turtles and Hawksbill Turtles. You will normally find them sitting on the corals or swimming over the reef.

Dolphins

On our way up and down the east coast we are lucky enough to have a pod of friendly Indo-Pacific Bottlenose Dolphins living in the area. We can normally pass right by, take photos and watch them play in their natural habitat.

Depth: 3-18m
Min Level: Beginner
Type: Small Wall

Shetani

Small shallow wall. It is home to many schools of reef fish, Turtles, Leaf Fish, Mantis Shrimp, Moray Eels and Nudibranchs.

Leons Wall

Depth: 18-30m
Min Level: Beginner/Intermediate
Type: Sloping Wall

Misoli

Depth: 12-16m
Min Level: Beginner/Intermediate
Type: Brain Coral

Depth: 4-20m
Min Level: Beginner/Intermediate
Type: Plate Coral

Muyuni Plate Corals

The Plate corals in Muyuni are especially attractive, sloping down to almost 18m. There are many schooling fish and you can see morays and stingrays hidden between the ledges.

Mnemba Atoll

The most famous Conservation area in Zanzibar. It consists of a seven by four kilometers reef, containing the tiny Mnemba Island. Visibility in Mnemba is usually great.

You can find turtle across the entire reef although you are more likely to see them in Wattabomi and Aquarium. Again you can find both Green turtles and Hawksbill Turtles in this area.

Depth: 18-55m
Min Level: Advanced
Type: Wall Dive

Big Wall

Located at the east side of Mnemba facing towards the open ocean which often makes it very good drift dive. A perfect vertical wall with many overhangs and small caves to explore. Very often you can spot Green Turtles, Tunas, Rainbow Runners, Rays sometimes even a White Tip Reef Sharks.

Depth: 12-30m
Min Level: Beginner/Intermediate
Type: Coral Bommies

Aquarium

Another beautiful dive in Mnemba. This time a selection of large coral covered bommies surrounded by all types of marine life. Home to thousands of reef fish, a number of turtles and on the rare occasion you might even see a White Tip Reef Shark in the shallower waters.

Depth: 6-30m
Min Level: Beginner
Type: Plate Coral

Wattabomi

Great dive for beginners and experienced divers. Sandy bottom full of large coral bommies leading to a spectacular area of plate coral surrounded by thousands of tropical fish and if you look carefully you might spot few turtles. Lots of reef fish like Angel Fish, Snappers, Groupers, Red Tooth Triggerfish, Flounders, Octopuses, Leaf Fish, Scorpion Fish, Frog Fish.

Depth: 3-18m
Min Level: Beginner
Type: Wall Dive

Small Wall

Situated on the southern part of the Atoll. You can see schools of Unicorn fish, Snappers and even the odd dolphin might pass by.

Depth: 2-30m
Min Level: Beginner
Type: Sloping Wall

Kichuani

A fantastic sloping wall. Ideal site for drifting along the wall and a great site for beginners and snorkelers. This site is a home to huge variety of corals and loads of schools of fish from Snappers and Surgeon fish to Moorish Idols. For the more experienced diver, at some seasons you can drop down to 30m and look for the White Tip Reef Sharks.

White Tip Reef Sharks

In Kichuani, away from the wall at 30-40 meters there is a place called Shark House. During some seasons you might be able to see 1 or two of them resting on the ground. Sometimes in Wattabomi you can even be lucky enough to see them in shallow waters. White Tip Reef Sharks are a non aggressive species.

In Mnemba we normally get to meet our second pod of amazing Indo-Pacific Bottlenose Dolphins. If your lucky and they are feeling friendly we can grab our fins and snorkels and watch them play from in the water.