There are many places and people offering snorkelling trips, dives and dolphin trips all over Zanzibar Island, in contrast there is only a handful of operators running safe, controlled ecologically sound trips, we encourage all visitors to use officially licensed centres, this is for your own safety and the future of coral and marine life around Zanzibar Island. They may charge a little more than the man on the beach with his boat but will provide a safer and better experience.

Zanzibar Kizimkazi Activities

Kizimkazi is a small village on the quiet south-western coast of Zanzibar. Two villages in fact, each consisting of a cluster of huts and a couple of simple dukas, all backing on to their own small sandy bay.

Since the villages are at the end of the road, they get no through traffic and village life takes place on the street. Children run laughing in front of the vehicle and sleepy heads roll around to check out the new arrivals. A man sits with a battered violin held half mast to his biceps and an entrancing Arabic tune wafts through the village, as does the overpowering aroma (?) of drying fish, hanging from mats in front of the huts. Down at the shore, through a row of shady trees, ngalawa (fishing boats) rest hauled up on the burning sand or bob gently up and down in the turquoise sea.

In the Southern part of the village (Kizimkazi Mkunguni) a sandy cove provides moorings for fishing vessels and fishermen wander amongst the palms in wide-brimmed straw hats, making cane-work fishing traps and pushing kapok into gaps to seal their hulls. Two great baobab trees dominate the front, one towering over the bar, the other over the schoolhouse. The latter is estimated to be over six centuries old.

Kizimkazi is best known for it's dolphins. From this South beach, villagers run excursions to swim with the water mammals. The trips can be great fun and the prospects of seeing dolphins from the boat are very good. However, those with visions of clapping flippers and riding of dorsal fins will usually be disappointed. These creatures are intelligent enough to disappear when half a dozen flippered humans jump simultaneously into the water. But there is a good chance of seeing these beautiful animals from a sensible distance and you may well be rewarded with sightings of turtles, stingrays and sharks. Make sure that your guides don’t try too hard to get near the dolphins. It’s a more relaxed and enjoyable experience (both for you and the dolphin) if you just take it as it comes and watch from a distance if they aren’t in the mood.

Travelers lucky enough to catch a school of dolphins when they are feeling social are amazed by these incredibly intelligent, gentle and caring mammals. However close you manage to get, the outing is a great way to spend the day enjoying island life.

MadBookings.com recommends the following Diving and Activity centres in Kisimkazi:

The Zanzibar Dive Centre
One Ocean Kizimkazi

NB. MadBookings.com offers 10% Discount Vouchers at this Centre to all their Zanzibar clients

Snorkelling with Dolphins

One Ocean runs a dolphin Snorkelling trip daily and is best taken either early in the morning or late afternoon when there is more chance of encountering these amazing mammals

The shallow coastal waters around Kizimkazi in the Menai Bay Conservation area is a place where dolphins are regularly seen, they come here for the reliable food supply, to nurse their calves, rest and socialise.

Several bottlenose pods (of up to 150 individuals) stay at Kizimkazi all year-round. There are about 50, rather more shy humpback dolphins who put in an appearance here, although their schedule is a little more erratic.

One Ocean provides a trip to snorkel with these amazing creatures, and know the individual pods in the area by sight, unlike the local fisherman who offer to take you out to the area, we provide good snorkeling equipment and our guides have a great local knowledge of how to treat the dolphins and get the best experience for you.

Sunset Cruise

Sail away along the shores of the historic coast while the sun sinks into the ocean painting the town. This can be arranged for 2 people or more.

A Romantic Sunset Cruise from the Kizimkazi. Take a relaxing journey down the coast of Kizimkazi and maybe spot a dolphin on the way, we use a traditional Arabian dhow M.V. Sunny.

The sunsets in Zanzibar can be stunning and the best way to get an un-interrupted view is from the deck of a sailing dhow. These comfortable traditional style boats will take you from the resort along the coast allowing for some great photo opportunities.
Have your choice of fine wine, beers, sodas and some delicious snacks to see you to dinner

Sunset Cruise including Beer, Wine & Soda’s Euro 30.- per person

Kizimkazi Scuba Diving

Diving Zanzibar Photo Gallery

One Ocean is a PADI Five Star dive centre and offer a full range of PADI certifications from first time Discover Scuba for those who have never dived before up to PADI Divemaster. All of our Instructors are members of PADI and all courses are conducted in accordance to PADI Standards and syllabus. PADI, the Professional Association of Dive Instructors is the largest and most popular training association in the world.

Why not let One Ocean introduce you to the rewarding sport of Scuba Diving, or if you are already qualified you can increase you knowledge, skills and confidence by continuing your dive education. PADI Courses on offer include the following plus others on request.

Discover Scuba Diving (DSD)
Not sure you want to do the course? This takes one day and gives you an experience of being underwater. You dive with an instructor after a short pool session to a maximum of 12m, this can count as credit towards the open water certification.

Scuba Diver
The quickest way to get a certification in diving, takes just 2 days and you complete 2 dives to a maximum of 12m. Can be upgraded to the full open water any time and anywhere.

Open Water
The most popular entry level course in the world, takes 4 days and you are then qualified to dive to 18m. The time could be reduced to 3 days if you complete the e-learning for the theory prior to arrival.

Advanced Open Water
Develop your skills and confidence to beyond what you experience in the open water course, open up new sites for your diving and experience new diving techniques.

Rescue Diver
Get more perspective on diving and other divers, gain the skills needed to assist someone or manage an incident.

Divemaster
Increase you diving experience to enable you to organize and conduct diving activities’, assist instructors as they teach students and lead qualified divers on dives in the local area. Enter the first level of being a PADI professional.

Specialties
Learn more on what interest you. Learn to take great photos with the digital photography course, learn what you are looking and at and how the ecosystem works with our Naturalist or Fish ID course, want to go deep? Learn how to get to 40m with our deep diver specialty, fascinated by wrecks, learn more about them in our wreck diving course., many more on offer ask for details.

Kizimkazi Dive SItes

Kizidi Reef
This site is a mini wall with the top at only three to four meters and sloping down to the sandy bottom at twelve to fifteen meters and gently continuing to slope away. It is located a convenient 10 minutes from the resort by boat. This gem of a reef has an abundance of soft corals, hard corals, interesting mommies, areas of sea grass and lots and lots of fish; big Emperors, Potato Groupers, Angel fish, Black Spot Sweet lips, Blue Spotted Rays, an occasional turtle, and for the observant you may find Pipefish, Leaf fish, Nudibranches including the amazing Spanish Dancer and others. This site is excellent for the beginning diver, those doing a Discover Scuba Diving experience, for the experienced diver who enjoys searching out the small stuff, and for a nice day of snorkeling.

White Reef, Mwamba Mweupe
This is a lovely coral plateau at ten to fourteen meters which can have a bit of current when the tide is running. It is approximately a 30 minute boat trip from the resort and is appropriate for experienced divers. At this site you will find an abundance of Black Spotted Sweet lips, One Spot Snapper, Unicorn Fish and a variety of Angelfish.

Angel Garden
Named for the variety and size of angelfish found at this site, you will be amazed at the amount of life here. Semicircular, African, Royal and Goldbar Angelfish abound as well as schools of Fusiliers, Sweet lips and occasional Jacks. There are large coral outcropping from the bottom at only 12 meters which seem to attract the massive number of fish. You will almost always find a slight of current running at this site.

Tindiji Reef
This shallow reef offers a beautiful coral garden at a depth of four to six meters then sloping away to the sandy bottom at ten to twelve meters. The healthy hard corals offer a haven for the usual suspects on our tropical coral reef; Moorish Idol, Butterfly fish, Trumpet fish, Angelfish… If you look a bit closer and have some luck you may find Pipefish, Electric rays, Blue spotted rays, Ribbon eels, Cleaner shrimp, Moray Eels or even a giant frog fish.

Dolphin Wall (25 meter wall)
Named for its proximity to dolphin viewing, you are lucky if you see dolphins while diving. But the dive site won’t disappoint. The top of this wall starts at 18 to 16 meters and goes down to 25 to 28 meters. We have seen big rays, Ribbon Eels, Groupers and Napoleon Wrasse at this site. Keep one eye out to the blue as there are often passing schools of Barracuda, Jacks and the occasional Sailfish.

Groupers Grotto (30 meter wall)
As you would guess from the name there are Grouper at this site, some of them massive. This site is to the east of the island and is a sloping wall to depths around 35 meters where the sandy bottom gently continues to slope away. Here also have an occasional look into the blue where you may see a Black Tip Reef Shark cruising by. We have seen big rays on this site. At the top of the slope when a current is running the can be masses of fishes schooling and feeding. This is a good site for a drift dive.

One Palm Reef or Mnasi Mmoja
This site is easily found by looking for the solo palm on the shore. It is a sloping wall on the east of the island with the top at approximately 12 meters and sloping steeply down to 35 meters where the sandy bottom gently slopes away. Lots of varieties of Grouper are found here as well as Napoleon Wrasse. We also see green turtles at this site on occasion. With the current running this can be a fast ride drift dive. Great fun!

One Ocean Kizimkazi Price List 2008

These rates are valid from the 1^st of June 2008 for The Zanzibar Dive Centre One Ocean Kizimkazi only. Rates are subject to change and given here as a guide only.

Help us preserve Zanzibar's magic

If you are diving or snorkelling, you may be tempted to collect some pretty shells from Zanzibar's many coral reefs. Please do not, as this kills entire reefs, the devastating effects of which can be seen in the well-trodden areas of East African coast. Although there are shell sellers, you are asked not to buy shells from them, as it simply encourages this harmful industry.