George Scherman
Contributor
- Messages
- 118
- Reaction score
- 2
We just got back from a 4 week trip to Tanzania. After going on safari and climbing Kilimanjaro we spent the last few days on Pemba staying at Kervan Saray and diving with Swahili Divers. We are not super experienced divers, having done most of our trips in Hawaii on the Kona coast. My wife and I are 63yo and our two sons in their mid 20s.
Kervan Saray- This place suited our style well. Airy rooms with en suite toilet and shower. Food was good and the staff and other guests were very companionable. My favorite spot was on the seaside deck in the shade looking out over the strait between Pemba and the mainland. This place is very off the track and would be a real challenge to find on your own. There are good outdoor activities topside, including walking to the light house, kayaking and just watching local folks fish and gather seaweed. The staff is very helpful. It is tres laid back.
The Diving- The air temp was in the upper 80s (31C) and the water was around 80F (28C). There is a around a two meter difference between high and low tide. Most of the dives seem to be around two "gaps" between narrow flat, almost barrier type islands off the northwest coast. The close ones are a ten minute boat ride and the farthest we did seemed to be around 20 minutes away. We ranged from 22 to 25 meters deep. Of our 5 dives 4 were drifts. Only on one was the current significant (by my standards). Visibility was 25 to 30 meters. The crew was very good at planning the dives around the tides and viz. Incoming tides = good viz. We never saw a single other diver or dive boat. The underwater scene was gorgeous. Fantastic corals and soft life forms. Nudis and shrimp aplenty. Mostly small fish, but we did see a good size barracuda and napoleon. The blanket anemones were voluptuous. Lots of giant clams with their purplish mantles. Ooh I liked those a lot! If you wanted more fish, there were sites for that. If you wanted to go deeper, there was plenty of opportunity. We used their gear and every thing worked fine.
I was pretty enchanted by the place and the people. There are packages available as per usual. Combine it with a mainland safari and you have a vacation that is hard to duplicate anywhere else.
Kervan Saray- This place suited our style well. Airy rooms with en suite toilet and shower. Food was good and the staff and other guests were very companionable. My favorite spot was on the seaside deck in the shade looking out over the strait between Pemba and the mainland. This place is very off the track and would be a real challenge to find on your own. There are good outdoor activities topside, including walking to the light house, kayaking and just watching local folks fish and gather seaweed. The staff is very helpful. It is tres laid back.
The Diving- The air temp was in the upper 80s (31C) and the water was around 80F (28C). There is a around a two meter difference between high and low tide. Most of the dives seem to be around two "gaps" between narrow flat, almost barrier type islands off the northwest coast. The close ones are a ten minute boat ride and the farthest we did seemed to be around 20 minutes away. We ranged from 22 to 25 meters deep. Of our 5 dives 4 were drifts. Only on one was the current significant (by my standards). Visibility was 25 to 30 meters. The crew was very good at planning the dives around the tides and viz. Incoming tides = good viz. We never saw a single other diver or dive boat. The underwater scene was gorgeous. Fantastic corals and soft life forms. Nudis and shrimp aplenty. Mostly small fish, but we did see a good size barracuda and napoleon. The blanket anemones were voluptuous. Lots of giant clams with their purplish mantles. Ooh I liked those a lot! If you wanted more fish, there were sites for that. If you wanted to go deeper, there was plenty of opportunity. We used their gear and every thing worked fine.
I was pretty enchanted by the place and the people. There are packages available as per usual. Combine it with a mainland safari and you have a vacation that is hard to duplicate anywhere else.
