Diving
Adventure Activities
Leven Bank Dive Safari
An open-ocean seamount dive for experienced divers, where Pemba Channel currents meet big pelagics.
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- Area
- Mnemba area
- Duration
- 4 hours
- Group size
- 1–8
- Activity level
- challenging
- Private / shared
- Shared
- Swimming required
- Yes
Weather dependent
Leven Bank is an undersea mountain rising from the floor of the Pemba Channel, its shallowest point around 14 metres. Roughly 8 nautical miles north of Zanzibar, it sits fully exposed to the open channel, which is what makes it distinctive: strong currents sweep across the mount, sculpting the soft corals there into spiralling whipcoral formations found at few other Zanzibar sites.
Those same currents draw the marine life divers come for — kingfish, trevally, tuna and barracuda moving through in numbers, along with reef sharks and eagle rays. Dive centers are explicit that it suits only divers with solid experience in strong currents and deep profiles.
Several Zanzibar dive operators run trips here, with no single exclusive concession. Conditions are assessed on the day.
Those same currents draw the marine life divers come for — kingfish, trevally, tuna and barracuda moving through in numbers, along with reef sharks and eagle rays. Dive centers are explicit that it suits only divers with solid experience in strong currents and deep profiles.
Several Zanzibar dive operators run trips here, with no single exclusive concession. Conditions are assessed on the day.
Highlights
- Dive an isolated seamount in the open Pemba Channel
- Spiralling whipcoral formations shaped by strong channel currents
- Regular pelagic sightings — kingfish, trevally, tuna, barracuda, reef sharks, eagle rays
- A genuine drift-diving site reserved for experienced divers
What to bring
Advanced/drift-diving certification and logbook, own mask, reef-safe sunscreen.
Safety notes
Not a beginner site: advanced certification and current experience required.
Meeting point / pickup
Departs by dive boat from a north-Zanzibar dive center.
Best time of year
Calmest channel conditions typically December–March and June–September.
Environmental guidance
Maintain neutral buoyancy and avoid contact with the reef structure.
Cancellation
Cancellation terms are set by each provider and shown at booking. No cancellation policy is guaranteed by this page.
This page is an original Zanzibar.today description, researched from public and provider-supplied information. It is not copied from any single operator's marketing material.