Wattabomi
Mnemba Atoll · Tanzania
Coral bommie field on the south flank of Mnemba Atoll, sloping gently from 6m to 30m through a labyrinth of massive hard coral blocks. The site name is a play on what a bommie, and the bommies themselves are the draw. Bottlenose dolphins cruise the shallows throughout the year and often pass through the reef during a dive. Between the coral blocks, crevices shelter stonefish, scorpionfish, leaf fish, frogfish, octopus, and snowflake moray; macro hunters work the coral fingers for nudibranchs and porcelain crabs in anemones. Currents stay mild, so the dive runs as a slow drift suitable for all skill levels.
Conditions
Depth
6 to 30 m
Open water and up
Current
Can be moderate
Can pick up on the edge
Visibility
15 to 25 m
Clearest in the calm season
Water
24 to 30°C
Tropical wetsuit
Month by month
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Water (°C) | 28 | 28 | 28 | 27 | 26 | 25 | 24 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 |
| Vis (m) | 20 | 20 | 20 | 10 | 10 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 |
| Current | Gentle | Gentle | Gentle | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Gentle | Gentle | Gentle | Gentle |
Your chances of seeing each animal
Bottlenose dolphin
Last confirmed Mar 15, 2026 · 65 records
Almost always
Nearly every dive
Leaf scorpionfish
Last confirmed Apr 17, 2026 · 22 records
Very likely
Most dives
Green turtle
Last confirmed Jun 8, 2026 · 5 records
Very likely
Most dives
Octopus
Last confirmed Feb 2, 2026 · 11 records
Very likely
Most dives
Porcelain crab
Last confirmed Feb 3, 2026 · 6 records
Very likely
Most dives
Stonefish
Last confirmed Feb 23, 2026 · 1 records
Likely
About 6 in 10 dives
Snowflake moray
Last confirmed Feb 3, 2026 · 2 records
Likely
About 6 in 10 dives
Frogfish
Last confirmed Oct 29, 2024 · 2 records
Sometimes
About 1 in 3 dives
Gear
Basic kit
For this site
- Macro lens or wet diopter · Reputation here rests on small subjects (frogfish, leaf fish, nudibranchs, porcelain crabs) hiding between coral blocks; a macro setup is the difference between seeing them and missing them.
- Reef hook · Most of the dive is a drift, but pockets between bommies let you pause if you want to work a single subject; a hook holds position without touching coral.