Africa · Tanzania
Kizimkazi & Menai Bay
Coral gardens and walls in a bay where humpback and bottlenose dolphins live.
Kizimkazi is a small fishing village on the south coast of Zanzibar and a starting point for dolphin tours, and its dive boats run out into the Menai Bay Conservation Area. The diving is on coral gardens, plateaus and sloping walls between 10 and 35 m, at sites such as Kizidi Reef, Tindiji Reef and Groupers Grotto. Humpback and bottlenose dolphins live in the bay, and most sites are open to Open Water divers.
About diving in Kizimkazi & Menai Bay
Boats leave from Kizimkazi for the reefs of the Menai Bay Conservation Area, and the day is built around a double dive, run daily. The closer reefs are short hops: Kizidi Reef is about 10 minutes out by boat, while White Reef is about a 30 minute run. The village is otherwise the starting point for dolphin tours. A centre working the south-east coast also dives Kizimkazi often, and transfers collect divers from hotels along the coast.
The sites run from shallow coral gardens and a coral plateau to sloping walls, and most of the reefs slope away to sand. The shallow reefs carry healthy hard and soft corals with emperors, sweetlips, blue-spotted rays and the occasional turtle, while the deeper walls bring big rays, Napoleon wrasse and passing schools of barracuda and jacks. When the tide is running some sites carry current, and a wall dive can turn into a fast drift.
Kizimkazi suits new divers and those in training: Open Water course dives run in Menai Bay, Kizidi Reef works for a first Discover Scuba Diving experience, and most sites need no more than Open Water. Experienced divers who like searching out small life find pipefish, leaf fish and nudibranchs on the same shallow reefs, while a few deeper sites are for Advanced divers only. The bay is not among the mainstream diving locations.
Best time to dive Kizimkazi & Menai Bay
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prime | Prime | Prime | Fair | Fair | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Fair | Prime |
December to late March is the settled stretch: hardly any rain, weaker winds and the sea at 28-30 °C. April to the end of May is the rainy season. From June to the end of October the weather stays good with little rain, but the winds pick up slightly and the water cools to 25-27 °C; humpback whales pass through the conservation area from August to October. November is the light rainy season before the calm months return.
Dive types & marine life
Humpback and bottlenose dolphins live in Menai Bay, though meeting them underwater takes luck. Humpback whales pass through the conservation area for about 3 months, from August to October. Groupers are found on the deeper walls, some of them massive at Groupers Grotto, and giant clams are abundant in the bay.
- Reef
- Coral garden
- Wall
- Dolphins
- Whales
- Groupers
Best dive sites in Kizimkazi & Menai Bay
- 1
Kizidi Reef
Mini wall topping out at 3-4 m and sloping to sand at 12-15 m.
- 2
Groupers Grotto
Sloping wall to around 35 m named for its groupers, some of them massive; good for a drift.
- 3
Dolphin Wall
Wall from 16-18 m down to 25-28 m close to the dolphin grounds; seeing them underwater takes luck.
- 4
Tindiji Reef
Shallow hard-coral garden at 4-6 m, sloping to sand at 10-12 m.
- 5
Angel Garden
Coral outcrops named for the variety and size of their angelfish, with a slight current.
- 6
White Reef (Mwamba Mweupe)
Coral plateau at 10-14 m that takes a bit of current when the tide runs.
Site guides
Reef
Blocks of anemone and their clownfish on a shallow slope
Wall
A wall named for the dolphin-watching grounds nearby
Wall
Massive groupers along a sloping wall
Reef
A mini wall shallow enough for try-dives and snorkelling
A lone palm on the shore marks a steep drift wall
Coral garden
A coral garden at 4-6 m above a sandy slope
How to get to Kizimkazi & Menai Bay
Flights land at Abeid Amani Karume International Airport (ZNZ), about 5 km (3.1 mi) south of Zanzibar City, and taxis or private cars cover the road south. From Nungwi on the northern tip the taxi ride to Kizimkazi takes about 2 hours. Hotels at Paje, Jambiani, Bwejuu, Makunduchi and Mtende are within transfer range.
Questions divers ask
Is there a marine park fee for diving Menai Bay?+
Yes. Since September 1, 2025, a government Marine Conservation Fee of US $10 per person applies to all marine activities in protected areas such as Menai Bay.
Can beginners dive at Kizimkazi?+
Yes. Open Water training dives are run by boat in Menai Bay, most sites list Open Water as the minimum level, and the shallow Kizidi Reef suits beginning divers; Dolphin Wall needs Advanced certification.
When is the best time to dive Kizimkazi?+
December to March, when there is hardly any rain, the winds are weaker and the sea is 28-30 °C. April-May is the rainy season, and humpback whales pass through from August to October.
How is Kizimkazi reached from the airport?+
Flights land at Abeid Amani Karume International Airport (ZNZ) near Zanzibar City, and the rest is by taxi or private car; from Nungwi the ride is about 2 hours. Divers staying at Paje, Jambiani or Bwejuu can be collected by transfer.
Sources
- DiveTime Zanzibar — DiveTime Zanzibar
- Diving in Kizimkazi — DiveTime Zanzibar
- About us — DiveTime Zanzibar
- Locations — DiveTime Zanzibar
- Travel advice — DiveTime Zanzibar
- Courses — DiveTime Zanzibar
- Dive Zanzibar — Buccaneer Diving
- Kizimkazi Dive Sites — Africa Diving
- Zanzibar — Wikivoyage
Embed
Run a dive centre, club or blog? Embed this map of 6 dive sites near Kizimkazi & Menai Bay on your own page.
Similar destinations
Outer-reef drift walls and a seahorse lagoon on Zanzibar’s south-east coast
East Africa's last viable dugong population, in a 1971 national park
Thousands of green turtles nest on one protected stretch of coast
Tidal gaps flush an 800 m channel past sheer coral walls