Tanzanian Diving which is better Mafia or Pemba Island?

[Flagpole]

My mate and I are off to Pemba probably 1st/2nd week of Nov (not sure wether we are doing safari first or diving!). I have done a lot of research on Pemba and it seems as though the diving is the best off East Africe. However, I get the impression there is nothing else to do, ie. evening wise. We are looking to do our advanced so I have emailed a few places for package rates etc. If you get back before we go, be great to hear what you think! Hope you had a great time.

 

[shyamalan]

Hey guys,

Happen to bump into this forum while searching for stuff on the net! Its been great hearin all the info on zanzibar and pemba. Im going there in about a week, and just had a couple of questions about flights to pemba. I think were going to be staying in zanzibar most of the time, but after hearing what y'all have to say about pemba, we've definitely got to go over for a few days. How much are flights... and do you know any links on the web i might be able to get more information from? Also, anyone have dive centres to recommend on zanzibar? The one ive heard of so far is Scuba-Do.

Also, anyone know cheap airlines from Nairobi to Zanzibar? Im flying in from heathrow and wanna spend a couple of days in nairobi.

Thanks

Shyam

Hey Simon,

No, I haven't been in touch with the dive op. Thought I'd figure that all out once I get there. If you get any details I'd be happy to hear them.

Now a question about excess baggage fee. Any idea if that has to be paid in cash? Anyone know? I will definitely have to pay....

Thanks,
Beck

 

[SmokingMirror]

How much are flights... and do you know any links on the web i might be able to get more information from? Also, anyone have dive centres to recommend on zanzibar? The one ive heard of so far is Scuba-Do.
Also, anyone know cheap airlines from Nairobi to Zanzibar? Im flying in from heathrow and wanna spend a couple of days in nairobi.

When travelling/working in Africa, I lived on - and dived off - Zanzibar on a pretty much daily basis for about 6 months.

For getting there, I recommend try some of your local cheap flight specialists. Avoid big names such as Thomas Cook like the plague; from long experience they have massively elevated prices...

...that said, it won't be cheap. Even though I'm back in the UK now, I spend a lot of the year out in various African countries, and once you go south of the Sahara you're not going to see a lot of change from £500 for your return ticket (I think the cheapest I've ever found was from Heathrow to Dar-es-Salaam (in Tanzania) for about £410). The secret here is to book as early as possible. Try http://www.cheapflights.co.uk/flights/Zanzibar/ for a guide to some of the cheaper prices.

Dive centres are resonably plentiful in Zan, so it really depends on where you want to go. The guys at Scuba-Doo are pretty good, but I'd recommend Sensation, a dive school run by a close friend of mine. They're the only 5 star IDC PADI dive centre on the island (incl. the ones in Stonetown). Moreover, they're located at - in my opinion - one of the most beautiful areas of the island, just off from the village of Ras Nungwi at the northern tip.

They're part of a small complex of comfortable but reasonably priced accommodation and a few restaurants that sit directly on the beach (or, if you really must, you can go further along the beach to find a white tourist trap). Pretty much all the dive schools in that area offer the same dive locations anyway (Wattabomni, Levin Bank, Mnemba Atol), so you be missing out. Sensation will also let you find a buddy, grab a tank for a couple of thousand schillings, and leave you to swim out from the beach and explore the local reef for yourself.

If you want any further information about diving in Zan, or on general prices, areas of interest, etc., feel free to private message me.