Chumbe Island Coral Park
Tanzania · East Africa
Chumbe Island Coral Park is the first privately managed marine sanctuary in Africa, protecting over 350 coral species in the Zanzibar Channel. Strict no-take zoning since 1994 means the reef ecosystem — crowned by giant humphead parrotfish and patrolling eagle rays — has rebounded to exceptional density.
Chumbe Island Coral Reef Sanctuary
Gold tier · Awarded 2018
How this reef is doing
ⓘ How we measure thisReef state
Improving under protection: after more than a decade closed to fishing, reef fish biomass inside this sanctuary reached about 886 kilograms per hectare, against roughly 285 kilograms per hectare on the fished reefs nearby (McClanahan et al. 2009).
Coral cover
Fish life
Heat
Fishing
Quiet water, and fishing is fully banned here.
Sources · MERMAID and the survey teams · Global Fishing Watch and reef gravity
Coral cover over time
Live coral cover, by survey year
Across 6 survey years from 2019 to 2026, live coral cover here has fallen from 46% to 36%. Every point is a real survey reading, never a projection.
Live coral cover, percent by year
| Year | Coral cover |
|---|---|
| 2019 | 46% |
| 2022 | 63% |
| 2023 | 48% |
| 2024 | 26% |
| 2025 | 47% |
| 2026 | 36% |
What you will see
14 species across the dive sites here
Red-Knobbed Sea Star
Seen 21 days ago
at Chumbe Reef
House Crow
Seen 27 days ago
at Chumbe Reef
Least concern
Octopus
Seen 1 month ago
at Patch Reef East
Least concern
Coconut Crab
Seen 3 months ago
at Chumbe Reef
Vulnerable
Allard'S Anemonefish
Seen 4 months ago
at Chumbe Reef
Least concern
Indian Peafowl
Seen 6 months ago
at Chumbe Reef
Least concern
Coral grouper
Seen 8 months ago
at Staghorn Gardens
Least concern
Spanish dancer nudibranch
Seen 11 months ago
at Patch Reef East
Bluespotted ribbontail ray
Seen Jun 2025
at Patch Reef East
Least concern
Bumphead parrotfish
Seen year round
at Chumbe Reef
Vulnerable
Humphead parrotfish
Seen year round
at Chumbe Reef
Vulnerable
Longnose butterflyfish
Seen year round
at Staghorn Gardens
Least concern
Spotted eagle ray
Seen year round
at Chumbe Reef
Endangered
Staghorn coral
Seen year round
at Staghorn Gardens
Critically endangered
