The Zanzibar Archipelago - Pemba Island

Pemba Island is located some 25 nautical miles north east of the north point of Zanzibar Island.  Unlike Zanzibar Island, Pemba has poorly developed infrastructure and only has a handful of resorts to stay at.  It is it's remoteness that makes it such an interesting place to visit, as it is indeed an off the beaten track destination that is highly rewarding to those who go there.  The topography is hilly with coastal tropical rain forest cover, while the coastline is blessed with numerous smaller islands that surround the main island.

Pemba is surrounded by steep drop-off's that sink into deep clear blue water.  The island's diving is world renowned and needs little introduction.  However, the island is large and covers 957 km2, and the handful of shore based dive centres offer diving to a tiny part of what this beautiful island has to offer.  Therefore, there is scope for live aboard trips to Pemba, which offer access to diving in parts of the island that are not dived by any of the shore based dive centres.  One such area is the entire eastern coastline of the island, which has difficult access for boats.  However, a few deep water estuaries provide welcome shelter to yachts that venture that way.  The estuaries provide perfect points of access to dive the remote eastern coastline, where schools of migrating Scalloped Hammerhead Sharks are the main attraction from October through December.

Due to the deep blue water that surrounds the island, Pemba provides some wonderful opportunities to sight large pelagic fish, such as Yellowfin Tuna, Dogtooth Tuna, Giant Trevally, Sailfish, Marlin, and much more.

Along with the pelagic fish, expect to see stunning coral formations and Gorgonian Fans along the reef walls, as well as countless species of fish common to East African waters.  

For those who want an easier dive, Pemba offers some wonderful shallow water diving over impressive coral growth.

At the moment, we are the only company in East Africa that is dedicated to offering live aboard diving to Pemba Island.  Contact us for more information on live aboard scuba diving trips to Pemba Island.