Pemba Island
Experience Marine Life Around Pemba
Diving in Pemba Island is really quite something. It has the most spectacularly healthy reefs in Africa. Pemba Island is a stand alone, world class dive destination. As Gavin Goodhart, Director of Ambrosia Television (UK) said: “I would say that Misali Island and the north of Pemba are easily one of the healthiest 30 reefs in the world.”
Diving in Pemba Island will see you plunge over coral covered walls, soar over coral strewn reef slopes, and enormous, healthy bommies and fans that are surrounded by a plethora of reef fish.
The Njao Gap is host to schools of chevron barracuda, jacks and snapper. This is an area of fantastic biodiversity, with macro sites such as the Aquarium and Major Eggers Ascent, just south of the Njao Gap, and the occasional hammerhead shark patrolling inside the gap.
Misali Island has unbroken coral, steep walls, mobula rays and the occasional big shark come by.
The Fundo Gap sees dogtooth tuna hunting along its walls, schools of horse eyed Jacks and trevalley. Giant groupers sit territorially in holes in the walls and most sites have a resident Maori wrasse. The Fundo Gap is where the jacks can blot out the sun.
Pemba is also home to Ribbon Eels, Fire Dartfish and Leaffish. The Nudibranch’s are also prolific. When diving in Pemba Island you often see the famous 30cm Spanish dancer!
If you can find Raf’s secret site, Slobodan Milosevic’s bunker, you will be surrounded by fish for the entire dive. This is the number one dive site in the whole of Pemba, but you need slack tide to best enjoy it.
Long before we started Africa Oriental, Raf had set up a dive company on Pemba Island, called Swahili Divers. He lived, worked and dived on the Island for 19 years. With his team, he found many of the dive sites and named them. Raf, a PADI instructor and NAUI instructor trainer, sold Swahili Divers in 2016, but he remains the authority on Pemba’s diving.
Why Dive Off Pemba?
There are many dive sites in Pemba, they range from the shallow marine park at Misali Island to the stunning walls of the northern reefs. Murray’s Wall and Slobodan’s Bunker are two favourites. We are lucky in that our own in-house NAUI Instructor Trainer Raf Jah found many of the dive sites in Pemba.
Pemba’s dive sites stretch all along the island -starting in the far north of Ras Kigomasha, with the rolling underwater hills of “Lighthouse” and “Shimba Hills”. The gaps of Njao and Fundo conceal some of the most impressive wall diving.
The steep sides drop down to 90metres (300ft) and the occasional shark swims by. At Trigger Corner, a school of resident barracuda hang around at 10m (30ft). Further south is Major Eggers’ Ascent, so named after Major (now Lt. Colonel rtd) Mike T. Eggers, who first dived the site with Raf Jah and conducted an ascent at the end of the dive which was memorable. He did this on all his three successive dives at the new location and so the site was named. The site Aquarium gives way to Major Eggers Is In Kabul (yes he came back and we found him yet another site).
Further south are the secret sites of Slobodan Milosevic’s Bunker, Christmas Reef, Devils’ Wall and Chilli’s Wall.
At Misali Island, the majesty of Murray’s Wall dominates the reef structure with passing manta and mobula rays and schools of big eyed jacks that are so thick they blot out the sun. This is an experience that does not happen on every dive, but if you can find the swirl, or the swirl finds you, it gets very dark below them. An unforgettable dive.
Coral Garden and Coral Mountain are the main sites off Misali Island itself. South of Misali Island are the dive sites of Tora Bora Caves, Serena’s Folly and Rarotonga. These sites are brilliant as they have massive fish swimming by, but they are best suited to experienced divers as the currents can be quite strong.
In addition to the diving, Pemba Island is a quiet island. With only four internationally owned hotels, Pemba is a dreamlike destination compared to the busy bustle of Zanzibar. The wonder of this means that you are diving in a manner similar to Captain Jaques Cousteau. There are simply no other boats on the reef. We asked Raf what he remembered the most about diving in Pemba, and he said, that as he descended, he was next to a man in a dugout canoe with a 1950’s mask, snorkelling for octopus. For him that was his Jaques Cousteau moment.
Contact us to book your dream dive holiday on Pemba Island. Want to add a safari?
We can do that too.
Pemba Island Accomodation For Divers
Since the sale of Swahili Divers, and the Kervan Saray Beach lodge, there is no quality budget accommodation on Pemba Island. This is simply because the cost of operation in Zanzibar is so high. Taxes can make up 67% of the price paid. The only budget affairs are extremely inconsistent and their quality leaves a lot to be desired. To dive Pemba safely, you either need your own boat with two engines, or you must dive with a reputable operator. And so our accommodation guide is written for divers.
Fundu Lagoon
We only recommend a few establishments on the Island. The best lodge on the Island, is Fundu Lagoon. It’s also the most expensive for standard rooms. But- it does have Philbert Ngelege, the only other person who has been diving in Pemba almost as long as Raf did. Philbert is the reason to dive from Fundu. He’s the manager and he knows where to go, and how to look after you in and around Misali Island.
Manta Resort
For experienced divers with EPIRB beacons and 3m surface marker buoys, staying at Manta Resort- (formerly Manta Reef Lodge) is a serious option. The Manta Resort is located at the northern end of Pemba. The Manta Resort often dives on the northern reefs of Pemba, which are the most unpredictable; strong currents abound on the hill like reefs (there are few walls at Lighthouse, Swiss Reef and Shimba Hills). It is imperative to make sure that your dive boat has two engines when diving north of the lighthouse. Waves can be high, take an SMB on every dive. The Manta Resort also has the underwater hotel room, which is quite magnificent.
Swahili Divers
Swahili Divers has morphed from the Kervan Saray Beach Lodge, a Turkish inspired budget camp, to the Gecko Nature Lodge, a much more plush affair with more comfort. That has rightly pushed prices up. Swahili Divers are cheaper than Manta Resort, but located between the Njao Gap and Swiss Reef.
Pemba Island - Price Guide:
Fundu Lagoon - The best lodge on the island.
From $2950pp for a dive week all inc, booked 7 months in advance or more.Manta Resort - Ideal for experienced divers.
From $2832pp for a week in the Manta Resort all inc booked 5 months in advance.Swahili Divers - Turkish inspired camp for the budget conscious.
From $1970pp for a week of diving full board.