Pemba Island · Tanzania · Wall · Drift · Coral garden
Fundu Gap
The sand floor beside the wall drops away past 80 m
Area photo: James Heilman, MD · CC BY-SA 3.0
Fundu Gap separates Fundu island from Njao island, about an hour by boat from the resort. Five dives work the gap - Mandela Wall, Pinnacle, Coral Garden, Crack and South Wall - from 5 m coral shallows to 40 m of wall, in clear water with strong current and large coral formations. Below the recreational profile the sand floor beside the wall keeps going past 80 m.
Where it is and how deep
5.0165° S, 39.6567° EApproximate position — the dashed circle shows where the site lies; your operator's briefing has the mooring.
The dive
Five separate dives sit in and around the gap: Mandela Wall, Pinnacle, Coral Garden, Crack and South Wall, ranging from 5 m to 40 m. The deep drop-offs and the cooler water moving through them grow heavy soft coral - gorgonian sea fans and whole cities of anemones - while the softer coral gardens shallower up are where the macro life is, and both are worth a camera.
Fundu Gap South is best on an incoming tide, starting outside the gap. The top of the reef is 8 m below the surface; the wall goes below 30 m, and as the northerly current carries you nearer the gap the sandy bottom joins the wall and drops away past 80 m. The face becomes a sheer, even overhang on the corner just before you enter the gap itself. The same dive can be run in reverse, dropping inside the gap and drifting out.
Fish come in two sizes here. Dense masses of yellow and black-spot snapper, sweetlips and damselfish sit over the coral, with napoleon wrasse and giant triggerfish among them and red gorgonian fans standing off the wall. Out on the edge the site is known for the larger species instead - eagle rays, napoleon wrasse, giant trevally and barracuda.
Marine life and season
- Eagle rays
- Napoleon wrasse
- Trevally & jacks
- Barracuda
- Reef fish swarms
- Macro critters
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prime | Prime | Good | Off-season | Off-season | Fair | Good | Good | Good | Prime | Prime | Prime |
Season follows Pemba Island: Oct–Mar is the main season with the calmest sea; the long rains in April and May close most operations on the island.
Know before you go
- Visibility can be poor in the outgoing current; dive the gap on an incoming tide and start on the outside if you want the clear water.
- The sand floor beside the wall falls past 80 m with nothing to stop against, so agree a maximum depth in the briefing and hold it on the drift.
Questions divers ask
When is the best tide to dive Fundu Gap?+
Fundu Gap South is better with the current on an incoming tide, starting on the outside of the gap. Visibility can be poor on the outgoing current, when the water inside the gap runs over sand.
Sources
- Diving in Pemba — The Manta Resort
- Diving — Fundu Lagoon
- Fundo, Wete District (island) — OpenStreetMap
More dive sites in Pemba Island
Reef
Coral bommies off the resort's own water entrance
Pinnacle
A summit 40 m long with the reef falling past 60 m
300 fish species on a reef that starts at the beach
Wall
The northbound current sweeps divers through the gap into the lagoon
Pinnacle
A coral mountain from 30 m to 16 m, slack water only
Wall
Camouflaged fish on an easy 5–18 m slope, day or night
Reef
A split in the wall opens into a sand valley at 12 m
Wall
500 m of sloping wall from 6 m down to 25 m
Similar dives elsewhere
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A notched 2 km wall with three manta cleaning stations
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Groupers Grotto
Kizimkazi & Menai Bay · Tanzania
Massive groupers along a sloping wall
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