Tanzania Diving - an insider view (thoughts?)

[Christopher_B]

In my opinion, having done over 400 dives in close to a dozen trips to Tanzania and its islands and sent many clients there, Pemba has the best diving and is most definitely the least touristy. Mafia comes second. Zanzibar Island has good diving around Kendwa and Mnemba, respectively the north west and north east of the island. Stone Town diving is not very exciting.

The land-based attractions are generally considered to be safaris (unless you consider white sand beaches to be an attraction - then there are plenty of those around), and these take place on the mainland, although Zanzibar Island also Jozani Forest and its Colobus monkeys, Stone Town's maze of alley ways and historical buildings and museums, and spice plantation tours. Mafia has a couple of historical sites, southern Pemba has Misali island, and northern Pemba has the Ngezi Forest, and walks though villages.

I am definitely intrigued now. When someone has two weeks to send there where would you recommend an experienced diver go? Somewhere that also has land-based natural attractions.

---------- Post added October 24th, 2014 at 11:51 AM ----------

Victor,
I work with the best dive centres in southern and eastern Africa, I have offers that you will not see at the Birmingham Dive Show. Nothing I have will cost you more than booking directly, I will always save you money, even if only by limiting the number of international payments. Contact me through Dives, tribes, treks, and wildlife safaris - Indigo Safaris if you want my assistance.
Christopher

 

[diverkim]

Thanks for the great info. I will check out what is available for getting to Pemba. Does time of year matter? Would June be better than January?

 

[Christopher_B]

Not better, just different. The rainy season will have just finished on the islands. In June the water is colder, down to around 25-26C, which brings schools of rainbow runner, more big-eye jacks. It is cooler during the day and night, though being close to the Equator it is still nice and warm. January the water is 29C and in the middle of the day it is hot, but I like it like that. There are other pelagics around, and barracuda hang around off the reef any time of year.

---------- Post added October 25th, 2014 at 03:04 PM ----------

And Egypt Air fly to Dar several times a week, landing at 0510 so you can connect easily that morning to a domestic flight to one of the islands. Assuming you are still in Egypt.

 

[victor]

Very little on Africa to see at the dive show. More's the pity.
It was interesting chatting to travel operators that a number of area's are having challenges with instability and lawlessness.
Tanzania, Mozambique, etc have missed an opportunity here. Given a visible presence at the dive show they could have drummed up a significant amount of interest and new business.

 

[Christopher_B]

Victor, I disagree. I had a Papua New Guinea stand for the New Guinea dive resorts at both London and Birmingham for three years (and the resorts had done Birmingham several times previously) and a friend who runs a resort in Zanzibar and also arranges safaris used to have at stand too. We have # stopped as the costs of the UK shows are high, and the returns low. It was not worth it. The UK dive show attendees are reticent with little-known far-away destinations at the best of times. With budgets tight, people at these shows are looking for cheap dive breaks. UK divers who want to visit Africa and PNG read up, research and contact resorts of specialist companies like mine. I'm not saying dive shows aren't worth it, they certainly are. Just not Birmingham or London. London was particularly useless 2012 and 2013, decreasing attendance, less exhibitors, higher costs, no leads that became bookings, and the final straw was merging it with a bike show and campervan show. Paris is an excellent consumer show, and I tried New Jersey this March instead of London to promote Africa, and will go back in 2014. Lower costs, even with the trans-atlantic flight and more bookings. I also do Madrid, half-the price of London, and more serious, open-minded visitors.
Which dive or safari areas were you told were having challenges with lawlessness? I spend four months a year in Africa diving and on safari, and have never had a problem with "lawlessness".

 

[chillyinCanada]

You've had a problem with lawlessness or you've NOT had a problem with lawlessness?

 

[Christopher_B]

Oops! well spotted. NEVER had a problem with it.

 

[victor]

Personally I have not.
A number of locations that had previously been considered relatively safe have had significant bad press lately.
The murder of a UK citizen in Bali, UK Government site warns off Sipadan area, 2 UK citizens killed in Thailand, Etc.
While it seems wrong to profit from some one else's misfortune and a lot of these are not necessarily tourist or diving related they have a negative effect on a travelers confidence.
Offering them options in Africa might have worked.

 

[George Scherman]

There is 8 inches of snow in my yard. We have had below 0 Fahrenheit temps already and it isn't even December yet! In 6 weeks I will be in TZ and after a couple of weeks of safari and climbing Kilimanjaro we will be lolling in the bath water off Pemba. I can't wait! What are some macro critters I should be looking for? What are your favorite dives near the northwest corner of the island?

 

[Christopher_B]

Who are you staying with George? Manta Resort and Swahili DIvers, don't often dive in the same areas. Look out for leaf fish, durban dancing shrimp, white-banded cleaner shrimp, peacock-tail shrimp, swimming crabs, porcelain crabs, red-spotted coral crabs, blue-sock hermit crabs, fire gobies, many types of nudibranch and flatworm, juvenile lyre-tailed hogfish, tiny sea star shrimp. My favourite dive sites around the Njao and Fundu gaps (predominantly dived by Swahili Divers) in no particular order are Trigger Wall, Trigger Corner, End of the World as a first dive to see the gorgonians, Deep Freeze, Manta Point (no mantas though), Snapper Point, Aquarium, Egger's Ascent (especially the bommie at the start/end depending on the current), and Rudi's Wall (for macro).