Question Looking for trip ideas in Africa

[Adamastor]

Hello fellow divers,

I'm toying with the idea of a diving/safari trip to Africa, but have no idea about the diving sites around the continent.
As I'm trying to combine diving and a safari, Tanzania/Zanzibar came up. I guess my question would be : how good/bad is diving around Zanzibar, and is it better to stay in a resort or go for a liveaboard ?

South Africa also looks promising, but the water seems colder, and traveling distances much larger.

If any Africa diving fans could give me some ideas, it would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

 

[rick00001967]

i wanna stay at that hotel where the giraffes come right up to your window

 

[rmorgan]

I've just finished planning a trip for next summer--a regular safari through eastern Tanzania followed by a week on Pemba Island for diving. Zanzibar (from my reading and advice of others) is often quite crowded and the diving is marginal. Both Pemba (north of Zanzibar) and Mafia (south of Zanzibar) islands are reported to be much better. We're booked for diving with Afro Divers Pemba; they operate at least one nice RIB and appear to have very good rental gear. They operate a lodging, and have arrangements with others. They also have a trip-planning service, although I worked with our usual Bluewater contact. There are also other dive ops which have excellent reviews, e.g. Swahili Divers.

I'm working to manage (my) expectations, but from all I've seen and read, Pemba has healthy reefs and both macro and pelagic life.

i wanna stay at that hotel where the giraffes come right up to your window

I know, right?!?

 

[GF99/99]

Last year my girlfriend and I spent about 6 weeks in that area. We did a big camping road trip starting in Nairobi, down to Massai Mara, then basically followed the perimeter of Lake Victoria around into Uganda then over to Bwindi to go trekking with the gorillas, went through Rwanda, then continued to follow Lake Victoria around into Tanzania, then through Serengeti and Ngorongoro over to Arusha where opted to fly to Zanzibar for our last week. The main goal was to see wildlife and WOW!! did we see wildlife, it gets to the point where you just drive by zebras, giraffes, elephants, impala, kudu, gemsbuck, etc. because you have seen so many. Of all the parks Massai Mara was our favorite. And in general for Africa my favorite parks are Chobe and Moremi in Botswana.

But back to diving. Our main goal of the trip was not diving but we did go to diving in Zanzibar and it was pretty sub par (but I have pretty high standards, lived in Indonesia for many years so Raja and Komodo were regular dive trips for me), can't say I would recommend it as a main event for you trip. But we still had fun and it was great to be underwater! As @rmorgan said we heard the same thing that Mafia and Pemba are supposed to be better for diving. But we really liked Zanzibar as an island, super nice vibe, nice people, relaxing beaches, great seafood.

i wanna stay at that hotel where the giraffes come right up to your window

one of our camping spots, also cant see it now but this whole field was full of elephants and zebras and there was only 2 other people in the campground.

 

[Living4Experiences]

This may be just anecdotal information, but I met a dive guide recently who was from Cape Town, and she said the diving is very good there. It's, of course, very sharkey with the Great Whites over in False Bay.

 

[pintodog]

I combined diving with safaris in the past. I've been diving in Pemba (which is supposed to be better than Zanzibar), Mozambique (Ponta do Ouro / Ponta Malongane), and South Africa. All trips were in the June - August timeframe. The diving in Pemba was "okay" but I wouldn't do it again. I would just enjoy the time on land in Zanzibar. The diving in Mozambique was absolutely fantastic...lots of life. I dove Aliwal Shoals and the Aquarium in Cape Town. There were heaps of raggies at Aliwal and diving the aquarium was a cool experience. Would recommend both.

 

[Velaire]

I combined diving with safaris in the past. I've been diving in Pemba (which is supposed to be better than Zanzibar), Mozambique (Ponta do Ouro / Ponta Malongane), and South Africa. All trips were in the June - August timeframe. The diving in Pemba was "okay" but I wouldn't do it again. I would just enjoy the time on land in Zanzibar. The diving in Mozambique was absolutely fantastic...lots of life. I dove Aliwal Shoals and the Aquarium in Cape Town. There were heaps of raggies at Aliwal and diving the aquarium was a cool experience. Would recommend both.

Hi pintodog, I’m planning a trip to dive Mozambique in September of 2024 and was wondering if you would share the dive company you used and where you stayed? I’d also be curious for any additional insights you could share about diving there - were there any places you wish you had explored? Places you would stay away from? I can’t go to Pemba, Mozambique due to safety concerns, but I’m hoping to visit Tofo, Bazaruto Archipelago, and Ponta de Ouro.

 

[passedoutwookie]

I’ve never been, and it looks to be logistically challenging, but I’ll just leave this here.

 

[pintodog]

Hi pintodog, I’m planning a trip to dive Mozambique in September of 2024 and was wondering if you would share the dive company you used and where you stayed? I’d also be curious for any additional insights you could share about diving there - were there any places you wish you had explored? Places you would stay away from? I can’t go to Pemba, Mozambique due to safety concerns, but I’m hoping to visit Tofo, Bazaruto Archipelago, and Ponta de Ouro.

Hi Valerie, Sounds like a great trip! Tofo is supposed to be good for whale sharks at that time of year. When I went to Ponta do Ouro, I did it as part of a larger trip to Madagascar, South Africa, and Zanzibar/Pemba. So...it was a mix of diving and land based exploring. I did stay in Ponta do Ouro for a week of diving. I organized it through a dive shop called Reef Divers in Pretoria. They arranged for someone to drive us from Pretoria (we even stayed in Tempe Elephant Park along the way), dove with us, and took us back. We stayed at the BNB of the local dive shop in Ponta. It was nice enough. I have not dived in Tofo or Bazaruto so I don't know how different they are from Ponta do Ouro (i.e. I can't tell you whether you should do all 3). During my week long there, I saw tons of very cool stuff...swordfish, Zambezi sharks, heaps of huge rays, tons of octopus, large potato cod, black coral, etc. It was exploding with life.

 

[CWK]

Hi Valerie, Sounds like a great trip! Tofo is supposed to be good for whale sharks at that time of year. When I went to Ponta do Ouro, I did it as part of a larger trip to Madagascar, South Africa, and Zanzibar/Pemba. So...it was a mix of diving and land based exploring. I did stay in Ponta do Ouro for a week of diving. I organized it through a dive shop called Reef Divers in Pretoria. They arranged for someone to drive us from Pretoria (we even stayed in Tempe Elephant Park along the way), dove with us, and took us back. We stayed at the BNB of the local dive shop in Ponta. It was nice enough. I have not dived in Tofo or Bazaruto so I don't know how different they are from Ponta do Ouro (i.e. I can't tell you whether you should do all 3). During my week long there, I saw tons of very cool stuff...swordfish, Zambezi sharks, heaps of huge rays, tons of octopus, large potato cod, black coral, etc. It was exploding with life.

Whom did you dive with in Madagascar? Thanks