Are There Whale Sharks in Zanzibar?

Estimated reading time: 5 minutes

So, we are coming to Zanzibar soon and want to book a day of diving. We are not so interested in small fish, and we want to dive with the big animals. Preferably with manta rays, whale sharks, whales, hammerheads, sharks, and other big fish. Is it the right season?
We recently get many of these emails, and I often wonder where people get these ideas.

Written by David. Featured image by Domingo Trejo.

Who is diving with Whale Sharks in Zanzibar?

I decided to search the web and find why everyone is so eager to see pelagic in Zanzibar. My first search result let me to climbKilimanjaroguide .com. I found that in Zanzibar you can: “explore forgotten shipwrecks and swim with manatees, rays, whale sharks”. Now, this article is thorough, and very informative. The article includes plenty of stunning photos, Yet most of them were not taken anywhere in the Indian Ocean.

Next, I found the PADI Travel website. Who hasn’t heard about PADI, we teach PADI Courses in our shop every day. Why should they spread misinformation, right? According to the PADI Travel, you can see almost every sought-after pelagic right here in Zanzibar. Their page offers a seasonal calendar for sightings of the magical blue whale giants, manta rays, whale sharks, hammerheads, and more.

Lastly, I found more than 20 websites touting Zanzibar as a pelagic paradise, yet few have direct expertise. In fact, most of these blog authors have never visited Zanzibar.

My advice: always check with the local dive resort. Magazines, directories, bloggers, and even PADI are not experts when it comes to local environments. In fact, there is a good chance that what they write is completely NOT true.

What can you REALLY see underwater in Zanzibar ?

Zanzibar still has beautiful corals, while the variety of small creatures makes the magic of Zanzibar’s reefs.

In Tumbatu Island, we often spot the unusually large seahorses who live on the seagrass at the bottom of that reef. Frogfish, rhinopias, crocodile fish, leaf fish and mantis shrimps are very common and unique to Zanzibar’s marine life, and you won’t find them as frequently in other destinations. In addition, there are octopuses, squids, stonefish, Spanish dancers, nudibranchs, and other sea creatures which make Zanzibar so great for diving.

Common dolphins inhabit the waters around Zanzibar, with two pods frequently spotted between Nungwi and Mnemba Atoll. The chance of seeing, or maybe even swim with dolphins is definitely a good reason to dive in Mnemba Atoll.

Green turtles and hawksbill turtles used to be extremely common in Zanzibar. I remember a day when I counted 23 of them in one spot! Unfortunately, there are fewer of them these days, but there is still a good chance to hop into them on any of Zanzibar’s dive sites.

Humpback whales migrate close to Zanzibar in August-September and are usually seen next to Leven Bank and in the Mnemba channel. On average, we are lucky to spot them 7-8 times in each season. We only spot them from our boats and never underwater as they are moving quite fast. Sometimes they can even be seen right off Nungwi beach.

White-tip reef sharks do live on Zanzibar reefs and can occasionally be seen in Mnemba Atoll. You might get lucky and see them on a dive, but don’t hold your breath waiting for that to happen.

What will you NOT see underwater in Zanzibar?

WHALE SHARKS are from the highest-ranking images on Google when searching for diving or snorkeling in Zanzibar. Sadly, these images were not really taken in Zanzibar water (just like the image at the top of this blog ).

Some whale sharks do pass close to Zanzibar Island, and I even remember the marvel of seeing one passing right in front my diver students in Mnemba Atoll (watch below). Unfortunately, the number of times that a whale shark is spotted in Zanzibar every year can be counted on one hand at the most.

If you really want to snorkel with these giants, they are extremely common and seen daily, in November-December in MAFIA ISLAND, located about 100 nautical miles to the South of Zanzibar.

HAMMERHEADS might pass in the waters near Zanzibar and can be occasionally seen at the fish market, but so far I have met only two instructors who saw them in Zanzibar waters.

None of the experienced old local captains whom I know have ever seen a BLUE WHALE. The Sea of Cortez in Mexico is the best place in the world to see the biggest whale in the planet, the blue whales.

I have personally seen MANTA RAYS twice during my 2000+ dives here. I know that dive instructors spot them once in a blue moon but, unless you are an instructor working here for 2 years, your chances of seeing one are close to zero. If you really wish to see manta rays underwater in the Indian Ocean, then Maldives, Seychelles and of course Mozambique are the best locations for that.

We are trying to get a ship to be sunk next to Tumbatu newly declared marine conservation area, but this has not happened yet. For now, there is only one boat wreck in Stone Town. Some might call it a SHIPWRECK, but it is only a little boat.

So, is the diving good in Zanzibar?

Diving in Zanzibar is wonderful. With warm and clear water almost all year round, stunning coral reefs, diverse array of marine life, including local dolphin pods. Thousands of divers who pass through our dive shop yearly leave satisfied, and many returns or send friends. But, if you are looking specifically for a pelagic destination, I can highly recommend doing a live-aboard in the Maldives or diving in Tofu, Mozambique.