Spearfishing in Tanzania
Tanzania, with its 950,000 or so square kilometres of land area consisting of beautiful tropical rain forests, mountain ranges and Africa’s tallest mountain, deserts, savannah grasslands, bush and 1,000 kilometres or so of coastline, is arguably the most naturally endowed country in East Africa.
Yes, over 30% of its land mass is set aside as wildlife sanctuaries and conservation, but what we are really here for are its rich tropical waters teeming with large game fish that make this country a spearfishing paradise.
Zanzibar
Zanzibar has one of the most famous archipelagos in the world.
Made up of the two main islands of Pemba and Unguja – the latter better known as Zanzibar – the Zanzibar Archipelago evokes feelings of mystery, adventure, pristine nature, and trade. The two islands of the archipelago are distinctly different. Where Unguja offers world class beaches, quality accommodation, and the famous historical Stone Town to tourist masses, Pemba Island is remote, unexplored, and more attractive to adventurers. Then there is legendary Latham Island, home to the world’s biggest giant Dogtooth Tuna ever landed on spear…
Here you will find the best of both worlds – excellent blue water spearfishing, quality accommodation, culture and history, and a little bit of adventure .Recommended for spearos who want a cultural and beach holiday with friends and family while taking time to do some world-class spearfishing for trophy fish including Wahoo, Black Marlin, Giant Trevaly, Greater Barracuda, Dorado, Green Jobfish, DogtoothTuna, Snapper, Yellowfin Tuna and the mighty Dogtooth Tuna.
Enquiry Spearfishing in Tanzania: Online Form
or email: info@extremebluewaterspearfishing.com
Places of Interest
Latham Island
Latham Island is locally known as “Fungu Kizimkazi” or “Fungu Baraka,”. Part of the Zanzibar Archipelago, Latham is a flat coral island located some 40 nautical miles south east of Zanzibar Island. Latham is a 10 nautical mile by 4 nautical mile reef rising from approximately 500 m of water and coming up to form a sand island at it’s centre. The island is only inhabited by birds, whose nesting sites make up for a highly recommended visit to the island.
From September through March every year, Latham Island is THE top location in the world for hunting Giant Dogtooth Tuna. These fish aggregate there, during which large schools, sometimes numbering up to 30 to 50 fish at a time, average between 30 kgs to 150 kgs in weight.
Latham Island is the location where two of our clients shot what still are the world’s biggest Dogtooth Tuna ever taken by spear, 109.1 kgs and 110.3 kgs. Since then, Latham Island has consistently produced big Dogtooth Tuna, many in the 60 kg – 90 kg size class. Larger fish have been regularly seen and shot, and simply lost due to their sheer power.
Trips on board a luxury sailing catamaran, accompanied by one of our dedicated spearfishing boats, run for a minimum of 4 nights and up to 10 nights. You eat, rest, and sleep on the yacht, and you hunt from our spearfishing boat.
Please Contact Us for more information on spearfishing at legendary Latham Island.
Enquiry for Spearfishing in Tanzania: Online Form
or email: info@extremebluewaterspearfishing.com
Pemba Island
Pemba Island is well known in the scuba diving world for having some of the cleanest waters and dramatic drop-offs in the world. There are but a handful of resorts on the island developed for tourism, so the local population continues to coexist with the natural environment they live in, practising fishing and subsistence farming.
The island is mostly covered in lush vegetation and rain forest, and it’s shorelines are dotted with little coves and inlets that teem with baitfish, making them perfect settings for Dogtooth Tuna and other pelagics to hunt. On a normal day the visibility off Pemba will be 40 m. On a bad day it will be 15 m. On an amazing day the visibility will be over 50 m. Large schools of Yellowfin Tuna feed off the island’s southern and northern points due to the upwelling currents bringing nutrient rich waters to the island’s steep drop-offs. The best season for Wahoo and large Mahi Mahi is from July through October while Dogtooth Tuna are present year round but prevalent in larger numbers from October through March.
Please Contact Us for more information on spearfishing at Pemba Island.
Enquiry Spearfishing in Tanzania:Online Form
or email: info@extremebluewaterspearfishing.com
Our Day Trips in Tanzania
Due to the excellent spearfishing, large choice of airlines servicing Zanzibar and the huge choice of accommodation options to suit all budgets, Zanzibar is an excellent location for day trips. The trips start from one of our two spearfishing centres located on the island of Unguja, better known as Zanzibar. Locations vary between those around the northern tip of the island, the south-east coast, the southern tip of Pemba Island, and more distant Latham Island. Day trips can also be run from Pemba Island by relocating a boat there for the duration of your stay.
The main targeted fish species around Zanzibar Island are Wahoo, Spanish Mackerel, Green Jobfish, Emperors, Snappers, Barracuda, Golden Trevally, Giant Trevally, Sailfish, Yellowfin Tuna, Marlin, and smallish Dogtooth Tuna. Day trips to southern Pemba Island do also target giant Dogtooth Tuna of up to 100 kgs in weight, while Latham Island is generally the top spot in the area for all game fish and famous for its giant Dogtooth Tuna. Our fleet consists of 5 boats that can cater for 4 divers each, with two of the larger boats being super fast and ideal for day trips to the more distant Latham Island. Please Contact Us for more information on day trips out of the Zanzibar Archipelago.
Enquiry for Day Trip from Zanzibar: Online Form
Our Famous Live-aboard trips in Tanzania
The Zanzibar Archipelago, consisting of Unguja (Zanzibar) Island, Pemba Island, and legendary Latham Island, offers some of the best pelagic and bottom game fish spearfishing in the world. With fishing pressure increasing around the shallow more accessible reef slopes, the top spearfishing locations are further offshore and better accessed during a live aboard trip whereby you are constantly on location for the entirety of the trip. While Latham Island is now well stablished in the spearfishing world as arguably the top destination to hunt and land giant Dogtooth Tuna, large aggregations of Yellowfin Tuna and Wahoo at certain times of the year, as well as Marlin, Sailfish, Giant Trevally, Green Jobfish, Snappers, and Emperors add to the array of fish to be hunted at this legendary location. Pemba Island also offers a and enviable variety of all of the above species of game fish.
The departure point for all live aboard trips is Zanzibar Island and the top destination in the Zanzibar Archipelago is Latham Island. Being that the anchorage at Latham does not provide any shelter from bad weather, live aboard trips to Latham only run during the months of February, March, August, September, October, November and December to mid month. On the other hand, Pemba Island offers great anchorages sheltered from bad weather. Being that it is very much a wild and off the beaten track destination offering stunning scenery and windows into local Swahili culture as well as world class spearfishing, this destination is only second to Latham Island. With only a handful of rather pricey hotels and resorts located around the island, Pemba Island is best spearfished on a live aboard trip.
Please Contact Us for more information on live aboard trips to Latham and Pemba Islands.
Enquiry Live-Aboard Trips from Zanzibar: Online Form
How to Get There
With multiple airlines from Europe, the Middle East, and South Africa servicing Zanzibar directly or through nearby Mainland Tanzania, it is easy to get to and reasonably priced. If arriving on Mainland Tanzania, it is a short 20 minute hop to Zanzibar on a local flight. Contact Us for more information on flights from your point of origin to Zanzibar.
Where to Stay
A very large selection of accommodation is provided by various hotels, lodges, and resorts. There is a choice for every budget, from 1 star hostels to 5 star resorts. While prices for accommodation is relatively high, there are some great value options in the vicinity of our spearfishing centres. Contact Us for more information on accommodation to suit your requirements.
Enquiry for How to get there or where to stay in Zanzibar:Online Form
or email: info@extremebluewaterspearfishing.com