One Ocean Zanzibar

One Ocean Zanzibar has been a fixture of the local diving community since 1993. As the first PADI 5 Star centre on the island, they have spent over three decades developing the diving culture in Zanzibar, providing training and employment for local divers to become PADI Divemasters and Instructors.

The centre operates through several bases, with the Matemwe location being the largest. You can find them in Kendwa, Matemwe, and Stone Town, allowing for easy access depending on where you are staying on the island. They also provide transport for divers staying in Matemwe, Pwani Mchingani, Kiwenga, and Pongwe.

The team is composed of 10 professional instructors and staff, many of whom have been trained locally through the centre's professional development programmes. This deep connection to the local community ensures a high level of local knowledge and environmental awareness during every excursion.

Communication is rarely a barrier, as the team is multilingual. You can expect to interact with staff speaking English, French, Swahili, Dutch, German, Polish, Spanish, Portuguese, Finnish, Swedish, Italian, Canadian, and Cantonese.

The centre provides a complete range of PADI training, from introductory programmes like Discover Scuba Diving and Bubblemaker to full certification courses. You can complete your Open Water Diver or Open Water Referral here, and progress through to Advanced Open Water and specialty courses.

For those looking to move into professional diving, they offer Divemaster training, as well as Rescue Diver and EFR courses. They also provide Refresher/Reactivate sessions and the PADI Deep Diver Specialty.

The fleet includes nine vessels, ranging from traditional Zanzibar dhows to modern speed boats and tenders. The speed boats are powered by twin 90cv engines and are designed to carry a maximum of 16 passengers, with a limit of 12 divers per trip.

Onboard, you will find water, snacks, tropical fruits, and local snacks, as well as beer and wine. The centre also runs night dives, with torches provided for the excursion.

Full rental kit is available on-site for those not travelling with their own equipment. This includes all the necessary soft and hard scuba gear required for both day trips and night dives.

Safety is a core component of their operations, with oxygen and first aid kits carried on all boats, alongside an extra engine for added redundancy during transit.

The reefs are teeming with a vast array of colourful fish. You will regularly see schools of yellow snappers, Fusilier (Caesio), emperors, and parrotfish (Calotomus) navigating the coral. Larger predators such as trevally, jack (Carangidae), and various species of grouper (Epinephelus) are common, while whitetip reef sharks (Triaenodon obesus) and reef sharks (Carcharhinus) may appear in deeper sections.

Macro life enthusiasts will find plenty to observe, including a diverse range of nudibranchs (Chromodoris willani), seahorses (Hippocampus kuda), and ghost pipefish (Solenostomidae). Keep an eye out for the elusive scorpionfish (Scorpaenidae), stonefish (Synanceia), frogfish (Antennarius), and various species of pipefish.

In the sandy areas and crevices, you can find octopus (Octopus vulgaris), cuttlefish (Sepiidae), and various species of rays, including blue spotted stingrays and torpedo rays. For those with a keen eye, harlequin shrimps, anemone shrimp, and porcelain crabs are frequently found among the coral blocks.

Seasonal highlights include the appearance of Humpback whales from July to October, moving northbound and then southbound. You may also encounter whale sharks (Rhincodon typus) at certain sites.

Diving conditions vary by site, with some areas like Ras Msikitini experiencing mild currents. Other locations, such as Chakatuni, can have tricky currents and are best dived during slack tide to ensure the best experience.

Advanced sites like Misoli Reef & Leon’s Wall are subject to unpredictable currents, making them suitable for experienced divers only. At Mnemba, you may encounter a slight current at the Aquarium site, which is often best enjoyed as a drift dive.