Pemba Diving
Pemba is now listed as one of the top dives spots
in the world and offers superb diving opportunities with unspoilt
coral gardens and a vast array of marine life. The island is surrounded
by dramatic and exciting coral reefs stretching as far as the
eye can see. The surrounding waters offer divers dramatic and
exciting experiences in warm water. Pemba is surrounded by numerous
small islands and fringed by coral cliffs that drop off to a depth
of more than 300m.
Best time to dive Pemba
The best diving is from October to March. The seas can be unpredictable
in the Pemba Channel for the rest of the year and this affects
currents and visibility. The best months to see manta rays are
from December to February. The water temperature is generally
around 27oC and the underwater visibility often reaches 40m or
more.
Pemba is rated under the top 20 dive destinations
in the world as follows:
| The top 20 Live-aboard dive sites:- |
number 6 |
| The top 20 dayboat dive sites:– |
number 13 |
| The top 20 drift dive sites:– |
number 4 |
| The top 20 dive sites for large pelagic:- |
number 11 |
| The top 20 dive sites for small critters:– |
number 15 |
| The top 20 dive sites for sharks:– |
number 8 |
| The top 20 dive sites for dolphins:– |
number 2 |
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Pemba Dive Sites
Njao Gap: North
Pistine coral reef including interesting tabletop coral and abundant
marine life. Visibility is from 15-40m on average. Njao Gap North
is a beautiful coral garden starting at 5 m and sloping down to
18 m before dropping away into the deep blue of the wall. Resident
green and hawksbill turtles are a common sighting and the currents
can be strong and exhilarating. |
|
Njao Gap: South
Njao Gap South is best dived using the Northerly current to sweep
you inside. Visibility is from 30-40m. This steep wall offers huge
overhangs and large gorgonian sea fans. This magnificent, deep wall
dive leads to teeming shoals of colourful reef fish, Big Jacks,
Dorrado & Pompano whilst Red Snapper hide amongst stunning tabletop
corals, stacked on shelves precariously hanging off the wall into
the blue. |
|
Manta Point
Visibility averages from 20-40m and this is one of the best sites
in the world for close encounters with the giant manta rays which
give this site its name. The rays can be seen in groups of up to
15 and rise to depths of only 9m. The pinnacle is covered in beautiful
dense corals and drops dramatically on its Western side. Circling
the pinnacle you can watch the behavior of large jack fish, schools
of surgeonfish and fusiliers, the occasional reef shark and turtle. |
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|
Fundu Reef
Visibility is from 20-40m and there is a large sheer wall with many
overhangs and caverns. The coral is excellent, especially the large
rose coral and red and yellow sea fans. Fish are abundant including
large triggerfish, kingfish and wrasse. |
|
Uvinje Gap: Northern Wall
Njao Gap is well known for its amazing wall diving. Visibility varies
from 20-40m and the reef has many types of coral including lettuce,
tabletop and large anemones. There is an impressive drop off which
harbors reef sharks under its shelves and a wide variety of sponges
and reef dwellers. The coral on the North wall is in excellent condition
with large gorgonians and fan corals surrounded by the thousands
of ever-present goldies. Manta and spotted eagle rays are known
to frequent the area as well as giant reef rays and hawksbill and
green turtles. Schools of tuna and barracuda and large napoleon
wrasse have been seen here. |
|
Kokota Caves
This dive is for the advanced diver only, due to the extreme depth
and penetration. The numerous caves are a favorite spot for Electric
Reef & Stingrays, and ‘snoozing' Guitar Sharks making
them incredibly approachable. The cave floors are littered with
amphorae coral, the rarest, most delicate, and most expensive coral
in the world. |
|
Uvinje Gap: Southern Wall
Visibility ranges from 40-50m and the reef falls from 6-40m. This
is a fun site to dive with large overhangs, swim-throughs and brilliant
coral forming the sheer fall. There is a good variety of large and
small fish including moray eels and stonefish. |
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Mesali Island
The calm waters give visibility of 40-60m and the clarity of the
water can make the huge depths deceiving. The reef starts at only
5m and the steep walls plummet down. The coral is superb, the water
is breathtakingly clear and the numerous large fish make this site
a divers dream. This is a wall dotted with small caves and ridges. |
|
Panza Point: Southern Wreck
A shallow dive on an old 100m long Greek freighter called the Paraportiani
which sunk in 1969 lying on an inside passage between the outer
and inner reefs. This wreck lies in water of 3-10m and is exposed
at low tide. A great variety of fish, with hundreds of glassfish,
a resident juvenile napoleon wrasse, abundant unicorn fish of different
types, lionfish and trevally. |
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Panza Point: Emerald Reef
It is due to the beautiful green coral that this site is known as
the emerald reef. With visibility ranging from 40-60m and a maximum
depth of 30m this makes a great site for drift diving. A large school
of giant barracuda frequent the area. On occasion hammerhead sharks
have been seen. |
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