Mbwangawa

Mbwangawa is a reef dive site on Zanzibar's east coast barrier reef, situated in the Nungwi area of northern Zanzibar. The reef slopes gently from 8 metres down to a maximum of around 18 metres, where the gradient levels out onto a flat sandy bottom. It is rated suitable for beginner divers.

The terrain follows a sloping reef profile with notable hard coral formations, including large areas of plate corals and impressive brain corals, alongside a good variety of soft corals. The slope ends where the reef meets the sandy floor, and this transition zone is a productive area for spotting marine life. Anemones with clownfish are found across the reef, along with moray eels and scorpionfish tucked into the structure, and barrel sponges in the sandy sections.

The sandy bottom at the base of the slope is a reliable spot for stingrays, blue-spotted rays, and guitarfish, as well as garden eels. Pufferfish are commonly encountered along the way to a feature known as Turtle House — a sandy area with small rocks and barrel sponges located near the end of the reef where turtles regularly rest, with up to 12 counted in a single dive. The egg cowrie is also noted as a species to watch for on the reef.