Pemba Island · Tanzania · Reef · Night
House Reef
Coral bommies off the resort's own water entrance
Area photo: James Heilman, MD · CC BY-SA 3.0
The Manta Resort's own reef, right at the water entrance to the resort. An open patch of sand at 5 m with clear water leads into big coral bommies packed with tropical fish and nudibranchs, and the resort dives it with guests of every level as well as after dark. Large-eye squid and octopus are the things to look for.
Where it is and how deep
4.8825° S, 39.6793° EApproximate position — the dashed circle shows where the site lies; your operator's briefing has the mooring.
The dive
This is the reef at the resort's front door, entered from the water entrance rather than off a boat. It opens with a patch of clean sand in about 5 m with good visibility over it, which makes it a forgiving place to sort out weighting and buoyancy before going anywhere. Because there is no crossing and little depth, it suits a check dive or a snorkel as readily as a full dive.
From the sand the reef builds into big coral bommies, and those are where the dive happens: tropical fish stacked over and around them and nudibranchs on the coral for anyone prepared to hover and look. Keep an eye out for large-eye squid and octopus, which are the site's better finds. The resort runs it for divers of all levels and for snorkellers, and it works as a night dive too, when the octopus are out and the shallow depth makes the timing easy.
Marine life and season
- Octopus & cuttlefish
- Squid
- Nudibranchs
| 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.
Questions divers ask
Can you shore dive at The Manta Resort?+
Yes — the house reef starts at the resort's water entrance, with a sandy patch at about 5 m leading into coral bommies. It is dived by guests of all levels, snorkelled, and used for night dives.
Sources
- Exceptional Diving In Pemba At Manta Resort — The Manta Resort
More dive sites in Pemba Island
Wall
The sand floor beside the wall drops away past 80 m
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
Mandarinfish dancing at dusk among black sea urchin spines
Calm ten-metre sand and coral bay used for training and night dives
Shallow coral-block reef the dive tables list as a night dive
Marbled electric rays on a 10 to 14 m reef