Blog - Buccaneer Diving

Steve Brakers Zanzibar Trip

Thu, 14 Dec 2023 00:00:00 +0200

Zanzibar Beach Safari
Categories
African Safari, Diving Stories, East Africa
As a lifelong traveler and very keen on scuba diving, I was so happy to have the opportunity to visit Zanzibar, one of the famous spice islands. In particular, a tiny village on the eastern side called Paje.

The occasion was brought on by cheap flights from Europe! Earlier this year my children had booked some horrendous flights that took them from London to Milan, then to Saudia Arabia, and finally Dar-Es-Sallam, all for about two hundred pounds. As they said over the phone, “An absolute bargain, and It will only take two days!”

Stone Town
With all the plans set, my wife, Pauline, and I set off on our short hop from Mombasa to Zanzibar. Our first point of call is always Stone Town. The narrow winding lanes, that weave between the whitewashed houses all bustling with old wooden pushcarts, and hawkers selling all manner of goods from fish to the ever-present spices. As the early morning rays of the sun penetrate the darkened alleyways, it is easy to imagine walking the same cobbled streets with the likes of Dr. Livingstone or Sir Henry Morton Stanley.

Zanzibar Taxi
However, we didn’t have time to hang around the stalls or chat with the merchants this time around. We were on a mission. We hailed a cab for Paje, a small town on the eastern side of Zanzibar. After fifteen minutes of animated haggling, we got the price down to thirty-five dollars, so we hopped in and took off. The journey across the island takes about one and a half hours. It passes alongside the Jozani Chwaka Bay National Park where the red colobus, procolobus kirkii, live. They are beautiful grey and white creatures with red faces and dark eyes. They live high up in the branches, out of sight most of the time, but there are areas where you can spot their white coats among the green leaves of the lower trees. It’s also rumored that the Zanzibar leopard also haunts the shadows. The leopard was considered extinct and may well be, as it has not been seen since 2003. But we can all hope that they are still hiding in the shadows of the thick forest undergrowth. Living their best lives.

Paje
Paje was a sleepy little fishing village that sat on an idyllic soft, white, sandy beach where the tide seemed to go out forever. The Swahili ladies wrapped in their black bui buis working in the shallows sorting through long lines of red seaweed. They harvested the best in baskets and bags that they carried on their heads back to the village where it was sorted, cleaned, and sold. You would be amazed, but the seaweed has very high amounts of carrageenan, an emulsifying agent, used in chicken sausages, yogurt, beer, soap, and toothpaste to name but a few. However, that has all changed, the tourists have arrived, and although Paje still keeps a considerable amount of charm the main drag is lined with restaurants the patrons sitting right on the edge of the tarmac as trucks honk their horns and motorcycle taxis roar past. We were looking for some good biriani; a typical Swahili dish, or samosas; small triangular pockets of meat wrapped in rice flour, but we were offered Moroccan, Indian, Egyptian, and Italian food.
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Our hotel, Paje Beach Apartments, was set just behind the village along a narrow alley ending on the white sand of Paje Beach. The rooms are well-appointed, and clean, with good wi-fi, fresh drinking water, and very friendly staff. We took a two-bedroom apartment with a small kitchen. We left our shoes in the apartment and immediately headed to the beach bar and restaurant for a delicious fish lunch washed down with freshly made healthy juices from the juice bar. We were lucky as the following night was Swahili night with music and food.

Paje Beach
Paje Beach is a tranquil, white sandy beach with a low reef about one kilometer off the shore. The tidal range is huge, the water disappears off into the distance leaving a vast plain of white powdery sand. The Kusi; the southerly monsoon, and the Kaskazi; the easterly monsoon, bring a strong in-shore wind that creates a mecca for water sports. Kite surfing has taken over the area. As the tide creeps in it creates a shallow lagoon of almost flat water in places only inches deep. The kite surfers race across the shallow water doing death-defying tricks, spinning in the air and landing effortlessly back on two feet. If you are lucky and the tide is coming in, you can sit in the Paje Beach Apartments bar with a cold Kilimanjaro in your hand and marvel at the antics of these highly skilled aviators or sailers. I am never sure which!

The Zanzibarians are friendly and helpful, without being overly beach boyish. There are cashew nuts and coconuts for sale from wandering vendors. Everything is negotiable, so you get a free conversation thrown in!

Night Life
In the evening, the beach turns into a main drag with tourists mingling with the Zanzibarians all promenading as dusk turns to night and the stars fill the sky. The evening nightlife begins. There are several bars dotted along the beach where revelers can have a great meal, a few beers, and enjoy the welcome, cool, onshore breeze before turning in. Although Kilimanjaro larger is nice, the fresh fruit juice or coconut cream cocktails are to die for, and the fish, prawns, octopus, and squid straight from the ocean are always available for bitings.

We went to bed early as the following day we had two dives planned with Buccaneer Diving, a Padi Five-Star dive center attached to the hotel.

Scuba Diving
The morning was crisp and dull with low flying clouds looming in the distance, but there was no way we could be stopped from enjoying our scuba diving adventure. The Buccaneer Diving team were very professional and had us all kitted out ready to go before 7 am. As the sun came up, the clouds started to burn off leaving behind a shamelessly blue sky. The captain assured us the journey would be about 20 minutes and he was true to his word. Baker, our guide and qualified instructor, took us through our buddy checks, and in no time, we were back rolling off the stern of the dive boat and into the crystal clear, calm waters.

I love the initial feeling of hitting the warm water, the rush of bubbles, the sense of sinking into the water then being pulled back to the surface, the chill as the cooler water rushes into your wet suit and you take the first gulp of compressed air before tapping your head to show the captain everything is OK.

The first dive was at fifteen meters deep along a gently sloping coral reef leading to a drop off into the depths. It was wonderful to be diving with my children again after so many years. I taught them to dive when they were ten or eleven years old, and happily, they have kept up the sport. We spotted a black moray eel hiding in the crevices of the coral, its mouth wide open, small, bright blue, cleaner shrimps busily cleaning its teeth. The reef was healthy and full of new growth and there were plenty of fish on display doing what reef fish do. Baker pointed out an octopus imitating a coral block on the sea floor. As we floated with the current, we were able to spot a myriad of fish species some large and many very small. Again, Baker tapped his tank to alert us and showed a green frogfish hopping along the sandy bottom looking for a camouflaged spot before he became dinner. After 45 minutes the dive was over, so we made our way to the three-meter mark for an obligatory safety stop then it was back on the boat for tea, fresh fruit, and biscuits.

Dive Two
The second dive was inside the reef at ten meters depth, we swam over sandy patches dotted with seagrass where blue spotted rays lay buried in the sand, only their eyes protruding. As we approached, they would skit off into the murk leaving a cloud of silt behind them. The coral patches were covered in clouds of small fry living in the safety of the calm waters until they are old enough to head out beyond the reef. Lazily finning along a zig-zag pattern was very calming. Scuba diving is a meditative sport where you become lost in your own world. All of the normal above-sea-level sounds are gone, all you can hear is the air as it is expressed through your regulator. I love these relaxing dives it gives me a chance to disconnect from our busy world for a while. There is no WhatsApp, Instagram, Emails, or TikTok down here just you and your thoughts.

My son’s friend, Sara, had come along to do her PADI Open Water course; we watched as she went through her underwater skills on a flat sandy part of the reef. And cheered underwater as she managed the final skill, reading a compass then working on a reciprocal heading and coming back to her original location.

Then all too quickly the dive was over, and we were back on the boat heading to the beach, and a well-earned breakfast. The great thing about these early dives is you have the whole day ahead of you, to relax on the beach, go bargain hunting in Paje town, or just walk the beach and chat with the friendly Zanzibarians.

If you are heading to East Africa, then Paje Beach is a must for the bucket list. If you are a diver, then I could not recommend Buccaneer Diving Paje Dive base more strongly. They are kind and helpful and ensure you have a wonderful diving experience.

And lastly, everyone should carry a great book when they are traveling. For those hot balmy days on the beach between dips in the warm ocean it is always good to have a book by your side. So why not pick up my thriller series set in Africa? I think you will particularly enjoy Africa Jinn the latest in the series, set on the Islands of Pemba and Zanzibar.

Going Pro in Zanzibar!

Mon, 14 Dec 2020 00:00:00 +0200

Zanzibar is a tropical island some 25 kilometres off the coast of mainland Tanzania. Year round warm weather, friendly people, incredible dive sites and marine life means its the ideal place to learn to become a PADI professional.

Buccaneer Diving has been teaching PADI IDCs in East Africa since 1995 and in that time has produced hundreds of dive professionals who are scattered across the globe, earning a living doing what they love to do – teaching and leading diving.

During your IDC you will learn how to give Academic Teaching presentations, how to teach in the confined water and how to teach and lead in the openwater. You will also fine tune your rescue skills, diving skills and of course your diving theoretical knowledge.

Confined water training is part of the PADI IDC
Our classroom and swimming pool are within steps of each other and our openwater training site is only a short boat drive away. The boats are situated right in front of the diving school so it couldn’t be any easier.

The easy logistics and the laid back island lifestyle means that you can focus on the serious business of passing your IDC and IE without worrying about any extraneous logistical issues. Our next IDC starts on November the 18th 2020, contact zanzibar@buccaneerdiving.com to book your slot!

Diving & Snorkelling Mnemba Island from Zanzibar’s South East coast

Mon, 14 Dec 2020 00:00:00 +0200

Dawn patrol- that’s what the instructors call it when a dive leaves as the sun rises, and usually the Mnemba trip is done as a dawn patrol! You would think that it would be used in a sentence such as “ugh- I have a dawn patrol tomorrow” but it never is. Our PADI Instructors and Divemasters always jostle for a place leading diving and snorkelling to the Mnemba Marine Reserve as they know they are in for a great day of scuba diving – also they get to eat as many Zanzibari donuts (Swahili name mandazi) as they like.

Dawn patrol from Paje Beach - Everyone piles in to the bus for the 90 minute drive to the northern part of Zanzibar Island where Mnemba sits like a jewel in an azure blue sea.

As the sun rises over Paje beach the bus is already driving through the mango and palm trees, the famous Jozani forest Red Colobus monkeys are often spotted leaping over head. The bus trip seems to pass quite quickly –so many new things to see, combined with the steady patter of jokes and wisecracks from PADI pro Didi means that in no time you arrive in Matamwe beach, directly opposite Mnemba Island.

Keep an eye on public service vehicles on the way, some of the branding is priceless
On arrival the fishermen are already back from checking their nets and they are ready to supplement their income by helping us load our gear on to the traditional boats that we hire for the trip.

The first drift dive is a coral covered wall dive. The Mnemba Marine Park is home to a myriad of marine life, some highlights that you can hope to see are dolphins, green turtles, reef sharks, octopus, moray eels and if you are very sharp eyed maybe a sea-horse.

We often come across turtles in Mnemba - Our second dive is a sandy bottom dive with where blue spotted stingrays abound and our dive guides make a game of sneaking up as close as they can to groups of garden eels sticking their heads out of the sand. To be honest, the eels seem way sharper than the guides and we never get that close!

We shelter behind the island itself for delicious lunch of beans in a coconut sauce and chicken served taco style in a chapati. Hopefully this should replenish you enough to manage a last snorkel in the crystal clear water. Our theory is that the makers of Finding Nemo drew their inspiration from our lunch spot as you can expect to see plenty of clownfish and blue tangs (Nemo and Dory!!)

Fresh fruit for dessert - After lunch we potter slowly back to shore and head towards home, bidding goodbye to the local fishermen and the beautiful Mnemba island! Until the next trip!

Zanzibar Adventure School students enjoy a PADI Openwater Course

Mon, 14 Dec 2020 00:00:00 +0200

Just recently here at Buccaneer Diving we had the Zanzibar Adventure School visiting during which time 32 of them Gained their Padi Open Water Certification and a further 12 went on to take the Padi Advanced course.
Let us talk to Instructor Willie on what the week was like:
Wow Willie that’s a lot of students, Talk us through the organisation needed to co-ordinate that amount of people at one time?

PADI Instructor Willie teaching gear set up

The organisation of a group this big can be quite difficult so its important for the instructors themselves to be well organised. Making sure that the academics has been completed before the pool starts and everyone is fit to dive.
Planning for boats space and making sure you have enough equipment for everyone involved is high on the list too. If you have everything planned beforehand, if and when small things come up they are easily resolved.
It is Crucial to meet up with the students beforehand, pairing off into groups and introducing yourself. Getting to know the individuals and explaining a plan for the week.
Letting the groups know what is expected from them, what to expect from you, getting everyone on the same page.
Next we need to organise a big pool that can hold this amount of students, both in the shallows and deep end for the skills.
We need to Make sure the instructors have a good vibe, excitement breeds excitement which will help you to make the course run smoothly and can help to dispel any worries sitting in the students minds!

–Where are the students from (Country) and how old?
Most of them are from Denmark and surrounding Scandinavian countries, aged between 17-22.
-It must have been a lot of fun, tell us how the week unfolded?
Saturday: We, the instructors: Willie, DiDi, Polar, Arnold, JoJo and Beka, headed to the Adventure school for a meet and greet. After a short welcome and introduction to who we were we broke them all up into teams of 6 or 5, with aquatic names for fun: Lionfish, Dolphins, scorpion fish, stone fish, seahorse and clown fish. Each team had a sit down and chat to get to know each other and talking about what the week had in store. Before heading to the dive centre to get sized up for equipment.
Sunday – POOL DAY: Bright and early we all headed to the pool, starting them off with a “wake up” survival swim and Float. After that came the “equipment preparation and care” teaching the students about the equipment, how it works, how to set it up and then check that everything is working correctly.Confined water followed this, 5 sections of skills, easily broken down for ease of learning, and maximum FUN!
Monday: was a rest day (mostly for the instructor!!) but also we used this as a catch up day for any students who needed or wanted some extra time to master the Skills.
Tuesday: Open water dives 1 and 2: always a lot of nerves on the first dives so being upbeat and encouraging is a must for the instructors, explaining thoroughly and slowly how everything is going to run. And what amazing dives we all had, 12m down with the spotting of stingrays and Seahorses among many others.
Wednesday: Brought us Open water dives 3 and 4, always a little bit easier as the students have already experienced the underwater world and are keen to get back down. 18m maximum depth for these two dives bringing the course to its completion.Huge congratulations and big excitement for all new members of the Padi Underwater World.
–With that many people there must have been a few that struggled, as an instructor, how do you troubleshoot, deal with and ultimately help the student overcome their fears/difficulties?There will always be 1 or 2 students who have difficulty mastering the skills. Key is to remind the student to be patient with themselves, stay calm and allow them to get there at their own pace. The nice thing with a big group is that you find everyone rallies around, encouraging and helping each other to overcome any issues. Remember, There is a reason we dive with Buddies, not only is it more fun, but we are there to help each other out.

What was your favourite part of the week?Always the pool session. As an instructor it is hugely rewarding to take someone who is apprehensive, excited, but nervous, to be breathing underwater, to that first ‘WOOP” when they surface having had an awesome dive. You learn a lot from your students during the pool, and this can help to determine how the rest of the course will run.

-What is entailed in the Padi Advanced course? And why do YOU think it’s an important course to take?
This is such a great course as it works more on the fun side of diving, focusing on the actual diving side od Diving rather than just drills and skills. It gives you 5 more dives with an instructor briefing you, leading you and helping you to develop. You can take part in Deep dives, Photography dives, learn how to Navigate properly and become a pro at Buoyancy. Not to mention the epic-ness of night diving.It opens the diver up to newer, deeper dive sites, more varied and diverse. Helping to truly experience the full extents of the underwater world.

Logging that dive!
Thank You Willie, Sounds like you all had a lot of fun!

Pucks PADI Open Water Course in Paje

Mon, 14 Dec 2020 00:00:00 +0200

– So Puck, tell us what brought you to Zanzibar?

I was traveling in South Africa before I came to Zanzibar. I came to Zanzibar for the great weather, the clear sea and the relaxed environment and mentality. But most of all I came here to dive. Zanzibar seemed like a good place to do this, and it is not that far away from South Africa.

– How did you come to decide to do your openwater course?

I always wanted to do a diving course, because my parents have got their certificate too and it always looks amazing! I wanted to explore the underwater world myself, so I decided to do the open water course. I really love being in the water and seeing things that you normally would never be able to see.

– Did you do e-learning in advance or when you got here?

I did the e-learning when I arrived in Zanzibar. The day I got there I had to start reading the chapters and watching the videos.

– How did you find the academic side of the diving? Easily accessible/easy to understand?

I think the academic side of the diving was easily accessible. You have to wait for a while till it has all downloaded on your phone (or tablet), but after that you can look at it anywhere you want. I did not have any trouble understanding what was written in the chapters. I read it all once thoroughly and watch the videos, after doing this I passed the exams without any trouble. The academic side of the diving does take some time, I underestimated that a little bit.

– So let’s talk about diving! What was you favorite part of the course?

My favourite part of the course was getting to the practical parts. The moment when you put on your scuba gear for the first time, with the tank on your back. It is something special. Once I had all of my gear on I got into the pool, where I had to carry out the theory that I learned. For me this was the best part, because it is the start of really learning how to dive.

– How did you feel when you first went under!

The first time I got out into the sea was amazing! It was early in the morning and we all got ready to go. We went on the boat and we drove to a good diving spot. On the way we spotted some dolphins, this was a great start! We stopped the boat and got ready. I had to put on all of my scuba gear; BCD, mask, fins, snorkel, regulator and weights. The way to enter the sea was a back-roll from the boat, while holding your mask and regulator. The moment you roll back over and take the first breath under water is amazing. Once everybody was together we started do descend, slowly. It was exhilarating to get down to the bottom of the sea while being able to breathe. After a few minutes I did not even realise anymore that I was more than 10 meters deep, until I looked up and saw the surface above me. It is an indescribable feeling.

– Talk us though what you saw and how it felt?

Once I got to the bottom of the ocean I saw the corals and a lot(!) of colourful tropical fish. I also spotted an octopus, a lion fish, a lobster and more! It was really crazy to see these animals in real life instead of seeing them on a picture. Because of the great visibility and the clear sea I could see everything very good. There was so much to see, everywhere I looked I saw something new. I felt so good!

– Who was your instructor and what was he like?

My instructor was Didi. He is a really great guy, always making jokes, having a smile on his face and making the diving fun. However when it’s time to get serious, like during a pool session or diving in open water, he is focused. He had a lot of patience. For example with me, I could not equalise my ears properly so it took some time to get down to the bottom. This was no problem at all. I really enjoyed him being my instructor, always had a good time and a smile on my face.

– How do you rate your experience and has it made you want to do more?

I would rate my experience a 10/10, I could not say anything that I did not like or think of something that went wrong. The people who work at buccaneer diving made me feel so comfortable and I was always looking forward to seeing them again. They became my friends. I have a really good experience with diving now and I would absolutely like to do more later on in my life!

The Buccaneer Life: Amy

Mon, 14 Dec 2020 00:00:00 +0200

In this series of articles, we’ll be interviewing some of our dive instructors about everything from their favourite dive spots to the secret tips they have to offer recreational divers. Get the inside scoop on what it’s like to have a career in scuba diving in Zanzibar with Buccaneer Diving.

First up: Amy!

Tell us a little bit about yourself.
I’m Amy! I’m twenty years old and love to be outdoors especially on the sea!

What or who brought you into the diving world?
I’ve lived by the ocean for as long as I know and have been diving for as long as I can remember

What were you doing before coming to Zanzibar?
I was at uni doing something I thought I wanted to do…

What was your favorite part of your Divemaster / instructor course?
The lifestyle and the friends I made

What do you feel you gained the most out of during the course?
I feel like the most important thing I gained in my instructor course is student control and how to be calm in most scenarios

Gives us an idea of a standard day at Buccaneer during your training?
Wake up to a fruit platter, get ourselves on the big red boat and find some gorgeous tropical fish!!! Have a chilled lunch before either theory, pool work or equipment maintenance. Then have a sundowner beer, debrief on the day and relax!

What is your favorite thing to see underwater here in Zanzibar?
Humpback dolphins always make me feel special!

What sort of things can you get up to when your not diving?
A lot of surfing, kiting, sunbathing, snorkelling, exploring the islands’ spice farms and forests.

Now that you are a Divemaster/ instructor, what to you hope to do?
I want to work where it all started in the Indian Ocean, but use my qualifications to travel around the world!

What piece of advise would you give to someone considering doing the instructor course?
Just go for it. There are no regrets living on a beautiful tropical island in the middle of Africa; living the sun, salt and sea life!

Thank you Amy for your insights! Look out for the next installment of The Buccaneer Life, where we’ll be interviewing Riana 🙂