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Zanzibar is a large island in the Indian Ocean, off Tanzania. It is a good example of Arabic influence in East Africa, since it harboured the first Muslim settlements in the region about 900 years ago. The first European to reach Zanzibar – in 1499 – was the Portuguese navigator Vasco da Gama and from then on it served as a commercial basis for merchandise coming from all over East Africa and Asia too. Zanzibar became independent in 1963 but one year later, with Tanganyika, it formed the present Tanzania. The landscape on the island is characterized by extensive areas of forest. Fruit-trees are plentiful and the local spice plantations are renowned world-wide.
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I travelled to Zanzibar in December 2009, planning to spend two weeks’ vacations there – which of course meant two weeks diving! From Nairobi (Kenya) I arrived by plane at Stone Town, the capital city of Zanzibar, on ma Monday morning. Regretfully however and even though Stone Town is classified as a World Heritage site, I did not get to visit the city... The truth is that already from the air the limpid water allowed a beautiful sight of the coral reefs, which were as many promises of fantastic dives. So I merely caught a taxi that in under one and a half hours took me to Matemwe, on the North-eastern part of the island. That day was occupied with all necessary logistics, such as selecting a hotel and a diving club and doing some shopping. I had brought with me all diving and underwater photography gear and everything had to be set for the nearly two weeks diving that were to follow. And I must confess that whenever I have the good fortune to be able to dive in tropical seas such as the one around Zanzibar, I get under water as often as I can! I ended up in the Coral Reef Resort, owned by nice Italian people, just by the beach. It is a simple tranquil hotel but presents every commodity I wished for. My bungalow was surrounded by lovely bougainvilleas and when it rained I could collect Tropidophoras that during early morning were promenading around the resort’s gardens. I am quite thankful to the nice cooks in the resort, who would kindly prepare lunch for me upon my returning from morning dives, usually about mid-afternoon... All dives were made in the Mnemba Atoll but along more than thirty dives I can honestly say that no two were alike. In all I visited seven or eight different spots, which were inhabited by an abundant and distinctive fauna and I found constant opportunities to photograph many different fishes, crustaceans, sponges and molluscs. The support of the One Ocean diving centre, in the Atoll itself, was crucial. Their team was just great, always willing to guide me to the best possible diving spots and to give full help to all slight logistic problems that eventually occurred. I was lucky to be able to dive every single day: not only the sea was constantly calm but it had good visibility. I took the opportunity to take several thousand photos of marine fauna. I did see a number of living molluscs, but I really wasn’t there to collect shells! I was totally devoted to my hobbies: diving and photographing. Many thanks to António Monteiro that kindly made the English translation! |
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