Dolphin Bay

A shallow protected bay on Zanzibar's southwest coast near Kizimkazi village that has sheltered a resident community of Indo-Pacific bottlenose and spinner dolphins for decades. The dolphins use the bay as a resting area in the mornings after overnight feeding runs, and encounters in the water — done with calm entry and passive behaviour from the surface — regularly last 20 to 40 minutes as curious juveniles approach snorkellers. The sandy bottom at 8 to 15 m beneath the dolphin congregation is rich with garden eels, sand-dwelling rays, and juvenile reef fish. An afternoon tide-pool walk along the coral rag reveals intertidal starfish, sea cucumbers, and the occasional octopus exposed at low water.