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A rocky coral reef sloping into blue water, with a yellow fish in the centre and small orange fish swimming above — Paje & Jambiani.

Paje & Jambiani · Tanzania · Lagoon · Muck & macro · Reef

Jambiani Lagoon

Seahorses on seagrass and harlequin shrimp on the Eastern reef

Area photo: mattk1979 · CC BY-SA 2.0

Jambiani Lagoon is a sheltered dive inside the barrier reef off Paje and Jambiani, known for the seahorses that live over its sand and seagrass. Beyond them, the far side of the Eastern reef holds frogfish, leaf fish and harlequin shrimp.

Where it is and how deep

Depth profile of Jambiani Lagoon: typical dive 6–22 m (20–72 ft) 18 m · Open Water30 m · Advanced40 m · Recreational limit6 m22 mtypical dive
Depths on a shared scale to 40 m (130 ft); dashed lines mark common certification limits.

6.3065° S, 39.5583° EApproximate position — the dashed circle shows where the site lies; your operator's briefing has the mooring.

The dive

The first part of the dive searches the sandy and seagrass areas, where the seahorses are usually found. The route then crosses to the far side of the Eastern reef, where frogfish, leaf fish and even harlequin shrimp turn up. Taken together, the three lagoon sites run from 6 m to 22 m in protected water.

Marine life and season

  • Frogfish
  • Macro critters
Month-by-month season rating for Jambiani Lagoon
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
GoodGoodFairFairFairGoodGoodGoodGoodGoodFairFair

Season follows Paje & Jambiani: No month stands out as a peak; March to May brings the main rains, and November and December a second, lesser wet spell.

Sources

  1. Dive Zanzibar - Buccaneer Diving — Buccaneer Diving
  2. Jambiani Lagoon (OpenStreetMap) — OpenStreetMap contributors

More dive sites in Paje & Jambiani

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Lagoon Mounding

Nudibranchs, leaf fish and snake eels on a varied inner reef

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Wall

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Corals crowning the rim of a drop-off beyond the barrier reef

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Reef

Powoni

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Coral garden

Sau Inn Garden

A colourful patchwork of assorted corals rich in small life

6–20 m · max 25 mintermediate

Lagoon

Stingray City

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