Pemba Island · Tanzania · Pinnacle · Drift
Swiss Reef
A chain of sea mountains drifted one to the next
Area photo: James Heilman, MD · CC BY-SA 3.0
Swiss Reef is a system of sea mountains standing on a platform 25 m down, running parallel to the wall. The mounts vary in size, some only a few metres and others 100 m long, and the dive is a drift from one to the next rather than a circuit of any single one. The operator recommends it for experienced divers, with a good chance of big pelagics and turtles.
Also known as The Swiss Reef.
Where it is and how deep
No published position for this site — the map shows Pemba Island and its other sites; operators know the mooring.
The dive
The reef is not one pinnacle but a system of them: sea mountains standing on a platform 25 m down and running parallel to the wall. Their profiles differ from one to the next, some only a few metres and others as much as 100 m long, so the scale of what you are swimming over keeps changing through the dive rather than settling into one shape.
The way to dive it is as a drift, moving over the system from one mountain to another and reading the reef life on each as you pass. The platform sets the profile at 25 m, so bottom time goes on the tops and flanks of the mounts rather than over the edge. There is a good chance of big pelagics as well as turtles, which makes it worth watching the open water off the mounts as much as the coral on them.
Marine life and season
- Sea turtles
| 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.
Sources
- Diving in Pemba — The Manta Resort
More dive sites in Pemba Island
Wall
The sand floor beside the wall drops away past 80 m
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
Similar dives elsewhere
Zambezi sharks over open ground, October to May
Two caves that ragged-tooth sharks use, marked as a winter feature
Manta cleaning stations on an amphitheatre of rock at 21-26 m
Grey reef sharks off the thila's ocean step on the incoming tide