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November 2004
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Karibu
Zanzibar! (Welcome to Zanzibar)
In a few short days I experienced a lifetime, yet time stands still in Zanzibar. An intoxicating mixture of African and Arabic influences, I was mesmerized by this unique corner of the world. I headed to the northern tip of Zanzibar to a small fishing village called Nungwi, a tourist’s paradise; white sand beaches, palm trees, crystal blue-green water, music leaking from beachside bungalows and an incredibly laidback attitude. I let this place take over me. The village itself, a dhow-building center (dhow, an Arabic sailboat) and local fisherman’s delight, is also the center to some of the most amazing scuba diving in the world. The Zanzibar Archipelago (including diving off the coast of Zanzibar and a smaller island north called Pemba) in the Indian Ocean holds opportunity to see amazing amounts of reef fish, pelagics, whale sharks and humpback whales, and plenty of sea turtles.
Although the coral around Mnemba was not spectacular, the amount and variety of reef fish was unbeatable, a wonderful mixture of fish of all sizes; parrotfish, lionfish, clownfish and so much more! Visibility was great at around 30 meters/120 ft. and although winter, the water temp sat around 24°C/75°F. And much to my delight, my dives were filled with green and hawksbill sea turtles, my absolute favorites! One after the other, resting on the coral bottom, swimming along next to divers, flying in their slow style, I was in awe to be so close to so many of these ancient creatures. I missed the whale sharks this time around, but Zanzibar is calling, along with all those kasa (sea turtles) and I will return again one day in the near future. Truly paradise, I highly recommend it. A hot spot for Europeans, if you find yourself in East Africa, head that way. I met a lot of people that combined Zanzibar with a safari on the mainland. Dive with Sensation Divers and ask for Joseph Mapunda, an amazing local dive instructor that can show you all the amazing sites of the Zanzibar Archipelago. Stay in a bungalow on the beach, watch the tide roll out, enjoy sunset from a dhow then sail on phosphorescence at night. Visit Mnarani Aquarium, a small natural lagoon that houses a few green and hawksbill sea turtles that you can feed seaweed to. Enjoy amazing seafood, ride a motorbike through the village, have local women paint henna on you, give a massage or braid your hair on the beach, listen to bongo flavor music as you relax at an oceanside bar, let the rhythmic sounds of the Kiswahili language wash over you, enjoy drinks with new friends from around the world and BEST of all, dive the Indian Ocean and never want to return home. Hakuna Matata in Zanzibar! If you have any questions or just want to talk African diving, drop me an email at eallebaugh@yahoo.com .
I recently received the following contribution to the newsletter from a diver who wishes to remain anonymous. The thoughts and experiences shared in the article are a firm affirmation of a principle of diving that I believe strongly in: We could ALL be better divers. Each one of us owes it to ourselves and to our fellow divers to keep our skills sharp, our gear in top condition, and to KEEP LEARNING! So, read on, and enjoy. “Why go beyond open water? That is a question often asked by new divers. I thought I would share my experience, so that maybe you can get a first hand look at why I did. For many years I was an open water diver, and thought that I knew all I needed to be a good diver. I have heard it said "you don't know what you don't know." That proved to be true in my case. As I reached out to try different things, like wreck diving, I discovered what I did not know. If you had asked me before what a wreck reel was, an honest answer would have been I don't have a clue. A friend of mine who had become a divemaster told me that she learned so much and it made her a better diver. “After going on a trip with her where she was one of the divemasters, I saw a new confidence in her, and an improvement in her skills. I wanted that same confidence for myself. How do I get there? My first step was Advanced Open Water. Like I said my impression was I have been diving for over 15 years, my first real dive away from class was Theo's wreck, a deep dive in the Bahamas. By now I also had quite a few wreck dives in North Carolina, and had dove on various islands, deep dives, night dives, pretty much whatever I wanted to do. Why pay someone to give me this little card? Did it really mean anything? “The benefits of continuing education can be illustrated through my story of getting wreck certified. I was so sure of myself that I had the attitude and skills to get my Wreck Diver Card. I was so wrong! The first training dive I did on a wreck with my instructor Mike Marks showed me just how much I had to learn. The dive had about 5 feet of visibility off the coast of North Carolina with a slight current. The old me would not have seen much of that wreck, because I would have wanted to make sure that I could get back to the boat. “I thought, maybe I have something to learn after all, like how to use a wreck reel. When Mike first handed it to me I proceeded to loosen the wing nut on the side too much and then drop it into the boat. OOPS! At least I was still holding the string. Mike kindly retrieved it and I did not repeat that mistake again. I was so totally embarrassed. But what did I see, almost the entire wreck, and with no fear of being unable to find my way back. I had this string to follow! Since we had several more dives planned for the weekend, when we got off the boat I went into the dive shop and bought myself a wreck reel. I knew that I would be prepared for another low visibility situation.” Our friend obviously had a very rewarding and confidence building experience getting Wreck Certified. I hope that you’ll be motivated by this article to take a continuing education course. Always wanted to try photography? How about being able to identify all those amazing critters you encounter? And where IS that dive boat anyway? Need some navigation skills? As your skills get better and better, you will no doubt find that you enjoy your diving even more! So go out there and get learning!
We'd love to talk with your teacher about coming to visit your class to talk about the ocean and the creatures in it. We'll bring scuba equipment and would like you to help us show it to your classmates. We'll talk about the animals in the ocean, the things that are happening to the ocean to hurt the fish and the things that you and your classmates can do to help protect the ocean.
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My first stop after dumping my backpack in my beachside bungalow was to
Sensation Divers, a well run and professional dive shop with very friendly
staff. I signed up for two days of diving at Mnemba Atoll, a small private
island off the northeast tip of Zanzibar. As I had not been diving in a long
while, I was naturally a bit nervous. But I was put to ease by the dive
instructor and in no time was thoroughly enjoying my time underwater. I was
excited to possibly see a whale shark, Napoleon wrasse and more. 
