Zanzibar Island
Tanzania · East Africa
Zanzibar's main island is ringed by dramatically varied diving — from the oceanic seamount of Leven Bank where great hammerheads and silky sharks circle in blue water, to the reef sharks of Pange Sandbank and the colourful hard coral gardens just minutes from historic Stone Town.
How this reef is doing
ⓘ How we measure thisReef state
Live coral covers 36% of this reef.
Coral cover
Fish life
Heat
Fishing
Open to fishing, and the water is fairly quiet.
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 48% to 36%. Every point is a real survey reading, never a projection.
Live coral cover, percent by year
| Year | Coral cover |
|---|---|
| 2019 | 48% |
| 2022 | 63% |
| 2023 | 50% |
| 2024 | 25% |
| 2025 | 47% |
| 2026 | 36% |
What you will see
22 species across the dive sites here
Rough-Scaled Plated Lizard
Seen 24 days ago
at Kendwa Reef
Least concern
Red-Knobbed Sea Star
Seen 25 days ago
at Kendwa Reef
Giant moray
Seen 26 days ago
at Kendwa Reef
Least concern
House Crow
Seen 27 days ago
at Pange Sandbank
Least concern
Green Sea Turtle
Seen 3 months ago
at Kendwa Reef
Least concern
Allard'S Anemonefish
Seen 4 months ago
at Pange Sandbank
Least concern
Whitetip reef shark
Seen 5 months ago
at Pange Sandbank
Vulnerable
Indian Peafowl
Seen 6 months ago
at Stone Town Reefs
Least concern
Fluted Giant Clam
Seen 6 months ago
at Leven Bank
Least concern
Moorish idol
Seen 6 months ago
at Stone Town Reefs
Least concern
Bluespotted ribbontail ray
Seen Jun 2025
at Pange Sandbank
Least concern
Bubble Coral
Seen Oct 2024
at Leven Bank
Least concern
Dogtooth tuna
Seen year round
at Leven Bank
Least concern
Giant cuttlefish
Seen year round
at Stone Town Reefs
Gorgonian sea fan
Seen year round
at Kendwa Reef
Napoleon wrasse
Seen year round
at Pange Sandbank
Endangered
Nudibranch (chromodoris)
Seen year round
at Kendwa Reef
Rainbow runner
Seen year round
at Leven Bank
Least concern
Silky shark
Seen year round
at Leven Bank
Vulnerable
Spotted garden eel
Seen year round
at Pange Sandbank
Least concern
Titan triggerfish
Seen year round
at Stone Town Reefs
Least concern
Great hammerhead shark
Seasonal visitor
at Leven Bank
Critically endangered
Dive sites
Leven Bank
great hammerhead shark · silky shark · dogtooth tuna · rainbow runner
Pange Sandbank
whitetip reef shark · bluespotted ribbontail ray · spotted garden eel · napoleon wrasse
Stone Town Reefs
giant cuttlefish · titan triggerfish · moorish idol · house crow
Kendwa Reef
gorgonian sea fan · nudibranch (chromodoris) · giant moray · house crow