Region

Diving in Africa

29 curated dive destinations across 8 countries including Comoros and Kenya in Africa. Conditions peak around Jan and Feb.

Algoa Bay · photo Mig Gilbert

Destinations: 29
Countries: 8
Peak season: Jan–Feb

Common encountersSea turtlesDolphinsWhalesReef sharksNudibranchs

Diving by country

South Africa12
Tanzania5
Kenya4
Mozambique4
Comoros1
Malawi1
São Tomé and Príncipe1
Zimbabwe1

What is diving in Africa like?

Most of Africa's diving is on the Indian Ocean coast, and the south of it is shark country. Ragged-tooth sharks pack Cathedral cave at Aliwal Shoal through the southern winter, great hammerhead schools cruise Protea Banks from November to May, and on the Sardine Run bronze whalers and common dolphins tear through sardine baitballs in open water. All three are rated for advanced divers.

Further north the water warms. Giant oceanic mantas circle a cleaning station at Tofo in Mozambique, the Bazaruto Archipelago holds East Africa's last viable dugong population, and juvenile whale sharks feed in shallow water off Mafia Island most of the year. Watamu and Malindi in Kenya and Mnemba Atoll off Zanzibar are rated for beginners, and Lake Malawi is freshwater diving among endemic cichlids.

Best diving in Africa for wrecks, big animals, beginners, macro and liveaboards

One destination per theme, picked from the species, dive types, access and site records on each destination page.

Wrecks
Durban
South Africa
Its dive sites take in 4 wrecks, including Unidentified and Fontao.
Big animals
Bazaruto Archipelago
Mozambique
Dugongs & manatees, manta rays, whale sharks and 2 more big species are all on its species list, as many as any destination here.
Beginners
Lake Malawi
Malawi
Rated for beginners, with no current to speak of. Best May–Oct.
Macro
Diani Beach
Kenya
Muck and macro diving is one of its main dive types, with frogfish, nudibranchs and octopus & cuttlefish on the species list.
Liveaboards
Pemba Island
Tanzania
Liveaboards run here alongside day trips, best Oct–Feb; manta rays and dolphins are on its species list.

When is the best time to dive Africa?

Peak seasons here are spread across the year; February has the most, with 13 of the 29 destinations at their best.

April is the leanest month, when Durban, Jangamo & Guinjata Bay and Protea Banks are still at their best.

Algoa Bay, Aliwal Shoal, Bazaruto Archipelago and 4 more rate good or better in every month.

Destinations in prime seasonRated good

Destinations in Africa in prime and good season, by month
Month	Prime	Good
Jan	12	12
Feb	13	11
Mar	6	17
Apr	4	13
May	6	10
Jun	8	12
Jul	11	12
Aug	9	13
Sep	10	11
Oct	11	12
Nov	10	13
Dec	11	10

Compare every destination in Africa

Tap a column heading to sort.

Dive destinations in Africa: best months, water temperature, level, signature animal and access

Algoa Bay South Africa	Jun–Jul	14–24°C	Intermediate	Sand tiger sharks	Day boat
Aliwal Shoal South Africa	Jul–Nov	18–26°C	Advanced	Sand tiger sharks	Day boat
Bazaruto Archipelago Mozambique	May–Oct	22–29°C	Intermediate	Dugongs & manatees	Day boat
Cape Peninsula Kelp Forests South Africa	Nov–Jun	8–20°C	Intermediate	Seals & sea lions	Shore, Day boat
Chinhoyi Caves Zimbabwe	Aug–Nov	22–24°C	Advanced	—	Shore
Comoros — Mohéli Comoros	Jun–Oct	25–29°C	Intermediate	Sea turtles	Shore, Day boat
Diani Beach Kenya	Nov–Feb	25–31°C	Intermediate	Whale sharks	Day boat
Durban South Africa	Mar–Jul	21–26°C	Intermediate	Sand tiger sharks	Shore, Day boat
Gansbaai South Africa	Oct–Apr	15–22°C	Intermediate	Great whites	Day boat
Gordon's Bay & Rooi-Els South Africa	Dec–Feb	10–22°C	Intermediate	Nudibranchs	Shore, Day boat
Hermanus South Africa	Year-round	10–22°C	Intermediate	Seals & sea lions	Day boat
Jangamo & Guinjata Bay Mozambique	Nov–May	24–28°C	Intermediate	Whale sharks	Day boat
Kizimkazi & Menai Bay Tanzania	Dec–Mar	25–30°C	Beginner	Dolphins	Day boat
Lake Malawi Malawi	May–Oct	22–29°C	Beginner	Freshwater fish	Day boat
Mafia Island Tanzania	Oct–Feb	25–29°C	Intermediate	Whale sharks	Day boat
Mnemba Atoll — Zanzibar Tanzania	Oct–Feb	25–29°C	Beginner	Sea turtles	Day boat
Mombasa, Nyali & Bamburi Kenya	Nov–Mar	25–31°C	Intermediate	Reef sharks	Day boat
Mossel Bay South Africa	Dec–Feb	17–21°C	Intermediate	Octopus & cuttlefish	Shore, Day boat
Paje & Jambiani Tanzania	Jun–Oct	25–31°C	Intermediate	Napoleon wrasse	Day boat
Pemba Island Tanzania	Oct–Feb	25–29°C	Advanced	Reef sharks	Day boat, Liveaboard
Ponta do Ouro Mozambique	Jul–Oct	21–28°C	Intermediate	Dolphins	Day boat
Protea Banks South Africa	Feb–Apr	16–25°C	Advanced	Hammerheads	Day boat
Robberg & Plettenberg Bay South Africa	Sep–Oct	18–21°C	Intermediate	Seals & sea lions	Shore, Day boat
São Tomé & Príncipe São Tomé and Príncipe	Jul–Oct	25–29°C	Intermediate	Whales	Shore, Day boat
Sodwana Bay South Africa	Apr–Sep	21–28°C	Intermediate	Sea turtles	Day boat
Tofo Mozambique	May–Jun	22–29°C	Intermediate	Manta rays	Day boat
Wasini Island & Kisite-Mpunguti Kenya	Nov–Mar	24–30°C	Beginner	Dolphins	Day boat
Watamu & Malindi Kenya	Nov–Feb	25–29°C	Beginner	Sea turtles	Shore, Day boat
Wild Coast Sardine Run South Africa	Jun–Jul	16–24°C	Advanced	Sardine baitballs	Day boat

Destination guides

29 guides

Best Jun–Jul
Algoa Bay
South Africa
Ragged-tooth sharks settle on the Bay's reefs from November to May
14–24°C · 57–75°Fvis 20 m · 66 ftintermediate
Best Jul–Nov
Aliwal Shoal
South Africa
Ragged-tooth sharks congregate to mate from July to November
18–26°C · 64–79°Fadvanced
Best May–Oct
Bazaruto Archipelago
Mozambique
East Africa's last viable dugong population, in a 1971 national park
22–29°C · 72–84°Fvis 30 m · 100 ftintermediate
Best Nov–Jun
Cape Peninsula Kelp Forests
South Africa
Cape fur seals and sevengill sharks weave through towering kelp canopies.
8–20°C · 46–68°Fvis 15 m · 50 ftintermediate
Best Aug–Nov
Chinhoyi Caves
Zimbabwe
A cobalt-blue sinkhole lake dived past 100 m in constant 22 °C water
22–24°C · 72–75°Fvis 50 m · 164 ftadvanced
Best Jun–Oct
Comoros — Mohéli
Comoros
Thousands of green turtles nest on one protected stretch of coast
25–29°C · 77–84°Fvis 30 m · 100 ftintermediate
Best Nov–Feb
Diani Beach
Kenya
Whale sharks from November to February and 29 sites within 40 minutes
25–31°C · 77–88°Fintermediate
Best Mar–Jul
Durban
South Africa
Wrecks and sandstone ledges off the Bluff and Umhlanga, launched from Vetch's Pier.
21–26°C · 70–79°Fintermediate
Best Oct–Apr
Gansbaai
South Africa
Cage-dive Shark Alley, once the world's surest great white ground, now an open question.
15–22°C · 59–72°Fvis 20 m · 66 ftintermediate
Best Dec–Feb
Gordon's Bay & Rooi-Els
South Africa
Nudibranch-rich rocky reefs and kelp forest dived by boat from Gordon's Bay
10–22°C · 50–72°Fintermediate
Year-round
Hermanus
South Africa
Two-tank boat days pairing a Hermanus reef with a kelp-forest dive
10–22°C · 50–72°Fintermediate
Best Nov–May
Jangamo & Guinjata Bay
Mozambique
Whale sharks are near-certain November to May, with mantas on the outer reefs.
24–28°C · 75–82°Fintermediate
Best Dec–Mar
Kizimkazi & Menai Bay
Tanzania
Coral gardens and walls in a bay where humpback and bottlenose dolphins live.
25–30°C · 77–86°Fbeginner
Best May–Oct
Lake Malawi
Malawi
Some 700 cichlid species in calm, current-free fresh water
22–29°C · 72–84°Fbeginner
Best Oct–Feb
Mafia Island
Tanzania
Juvenile whale sharks feed in shallow water off Mafia most of the year.
25–29°C · 77–84°Fvis 20 m · 66 ftintermediate
Best Oct–Feb
Mnemba Atoll — Zanzibar
Tanzania
An atoll wall and easy coral slopes off Zanzibar's north-east corner
25–29°C · 77–84°Fvis 25 m · 82 ftbeginner
Best Nov–Mar
Mombasa, Nyali & Bamburi
Kenya
A protected fringing reef and the MV Dania wreck, close to the beach
25–31°C · 77–88°Fvis 30 m · 100 ftintermediate
Best Dec–Feb
Mossel Bay
South Africa
Shallow bay reefs that come alive with game fish and soft corals in mid-summer
17–21°C · 63–70°Fintermediate
Best Jun–Oct
Paje & Jambiani
Tanzania
Outer-reef drift walls and a seahorse lagoon on Zanzibar’s south-east coast
25–31°C · 77–88°Fintermediate
Best Oct–Feb
Pemba Island
Tanzania
Tidal gaps flush an 800 m channel past sheer coral walls
25–29°C · 77–84°Fvis 40 m · 130 ftadvanced
Best Jul–Oct
Ponta do Ouro
Mozambique
A resident bottlenose dolphin pod makes for near-daily encounters.
21–28°C · 70–82°Fvis 20 m · 66 ftintermediate
Best Feb–Apr
Protea Banks
South Africa
Great hammerhead schools cruise the pinnacles from November through May.
16–25°C · 61–77°Fvis 30 m · 100 ftadvanced
Best Sep–Oct
Robberg & Plettenberg Bay
South Africa
Shallow seal dives on the sand off the Robberg Peninsula colony
18–21°C · 64–70°Fvis 10 m · 33 ftintermediate
Best Jul–Oct
São Tomé & Príncipe
São Tomé and Príncipe
Equatorial volcanic pinnacles almost nobody has dived
25–29°C · 77–84°Fvis 25 m · 82 ftintermediate
Best Apr–Sep
Sodwana Bay
South Africa
Pregnant ragged-tooth sharks settle on Quarter Mile Reef in summer.
21–28°C · 70–82°Fintermediate
Best May–Jun
Tofo
Mozambique
Manta cleaning stations on the reefs and whale sharks at the surface all year
22–29°C · 72–84°Fvis 30 m · 100 ftintermediate
Best Nov–Mar
Wasini Island & Kisite-Mpunguti
Kenya
Easy reef dives in a marine park where dolphins are seen most days
24–30°C · 75–86°Fbeginner
Best Nov–Feb
Watamu & Malindi
Kenya
Half a century of protection on one of Africa's oldest marine reserves
25–29°C · 77–84°Fvis 30 m · 100 ftbeginner
Best Jun–Jul
Wild Coast Sardine Run
South Africa
Bronze whalers and common dolphins tear through sardine baitballs in open water.
16–24°C · 61–75°Fvis 20 m · 66 ftadvanced