Buccaneer Diving Review by GillF

Buccaneer Diving is located in the grounds of Paje Beach Resort and is a well-organised and busy shop that is also used by guests from neighbouring resorts. They have a dedicated pool for training and several dive boats to offer 2-tank dives each day.

The center itself has a washing area and a dedicated staff member for equipment washing, as well as rental equipment and a briefing area. Guests walk down the beach to the dive boats which are small wooden panga-style boats with a full shade. Entry is via a backward roll into the water, and you can take your equipment off on the surface before boarding after the dive. The surface interval was on the boat and we were given refreshments and water.

One thing to note is that the dive time shifts each day on a 2-week schedule due to the big tidal variation in Zanzibar. This means that your 2-tank dive could start as early as 6am or as late as 2pm. It also means that there is no house reef or snorkeling area at the front of the resort.

We dived in a group of 4 with one guide who was pleasant but didn't point out too many things. The diving is comparable to easy Caribbean diving, gently sloping reefs and good coral and rock cover with a nice range of interesting small to medium-sized fish life. Dive times are limited to 43 minutes so that both dives can be fitted in around the tides.

I would recommend diving with Buccaneer Divers - they were safe, organised, and a pleasure to interact with.