Mnemba Atoll · Tanzania · Reef
Wattabomi
Plate corals along the north edge of a 20 m bommie slope
Photo: Matthew Proud · CC BY 3.0
Wattabomi is a sloping reef south of Mnemba Island, off the north-east corner of Zanzibar, running to a maximum of 20 metres over a bottom dotted with coral bommies. Schooling fish hold around the heads, and a stand of plate corals marks the northern edge of the site. PADI's listing is the only published description, and no current or visibility figures exist for it.
Where it is and how deep
5.8348° S, 39.3869° EPublished position for this site.
The dive
You drop onto a reef that slopes rather than drops, with the bottom falling away to the site's 20 metre limit. The bommies scattered across that slope are the structure worth working: each isolated head carries its own knot of schooling fish, and moving between them slowly returns more than covering ground does. Nothing on the site pushes the depth, so the profile is set by how long you want to stay rather than by the bottom underneath you.
Working north along the slope brings you to the plate corals stacked at the northern edge, the one feature the published description singles out. Beyond that, no route, no current figure and no visibility figure is on record for Wattabomi, so plan the dive around the profile you want and ask the boat crew what the water is doing on the day; the shape of the site allows a long shallow loop back onto the reef top.
Marine life and season
- Reef fish swarms
| 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 Mnemba Atoll: Jul–Mar is divable, with Dec–Feb calmest and clearest; the long rains in April and May bring poor visibility and rough crossings.
Know before you go
- No current or visibility figures are published for this site, so treat the day's conditions as unknown and take a briefing from the boat crew before you get in.
Photos from Wattabomi
Nand Kapadia · CC BY 3.0
Nand Kapadia · CC BY 3.0
Nand Kapadia · CC BY 3.0
Dive videos
Mnemba Atoll (Kichuani/Wattabomi) · Spanish Dancer Divers on YouTube
Questions divers ask
How deep is Wattabomi?+
PADI lists a maximum depth of 20 metres. The site is a slope rather than a drop-off, so most of the dive can be spent shallower than that figure.
What certification do I need for Wattabomi?+
No site-specific requirement is published. The 20 metre maximum is past the 18 metre Open Water limit, so either keep the profile shallower than that or dive it with an Advanced certification.
Sources
- Wattabomi Dive Site, Zanzibar, Tanzania — PADI
- Mnemba Island — Wikipedia
Photo credits
- Porcelain crab tucked into an anemone on the reef at Wattabomi by Matthew Proud, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Orange-spotted starfish resting on white sand near Zanzibar by Nand Kapadia, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Moorish idol fish swimming over coral bommies by Nand Kapadia, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Blue-striped nudibranch on the reef off Zanzibar by Nand Kapadia, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
In The Logbook
- Cheapest places to scuba dive, and the catchTrip planning · 15 min read
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