Zanzibar: Why Tides and Seaweed are a Good Thing

Episode 8 Zanzibar: Why Tides and Seaweed are a Good Thing

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[00:00:08] André: Welcome to East Africa, everyone. Today, we're going to Zanzibar, where we'll address one of the most common questions that I've received in the last decade. Nadja who is Guest Experience Manager on the east coast of Zanzibar Island, has joined me to help answer it.

Hello, Nadja. And welcome to my podcast.

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[00:00:30] André: Tell us about yourself, Nadja. Where are you from? And how long have you been living and working on Zanzibar?

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Originally, I'm from Germany, but I moved here after falling in love with the island's charm, the nature and of course the people. It's been an incredible journey so far, both professionally and of course also personally.

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[00:01:19] Nadja: Well, that is actually quite a spontaneous story. I first came to Zanzibar for a vacation with my younger sister, and I stayed at one of the hotels owned by our company, the Paradise Beach Resort. And I was immediately captivated by the beauty of the island, the warm-hearted people, and

I also really like the company's concept; the safari journeys you can explore and the beautiful hotels here on the island. And somehow, I couldn't shake the feeling that this might be the place where I belong. So, after returning to Germany, I decided to take the leap. I applied for a position here and everything just fell into place.

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[00:02:16] Nadja: I had always wanted to move abroad, but I never found the right opportunity or timing until autumn and winter 2024 when I finally thought, "now or never".

And yes, so moving into a completely different culture, so far away from home definitely comes with its challenges, but I'm lucky to be surrounded by supportive colleagues and I absolutely love my job.

So, I can honestly say that I'm living my dream.

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Let's head straight into the main question. Zanzibar is known for having pronounced tides: at high tide the water level is very high, and at low tide, the ocean is quite far away from the hotels on the beach. You will also have heard the comments and questions that these pronounced tides put people off traveling to Zanzibar.

What is your opinion on this?

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So, tides are the rise and the fall of the sea level caused by gravitational pull of the moon and the sun. This pool causes the water to bulk in certain areas, creating high and low tides.

And the cycles of the tides are influenced by the precision of the moon, the sun, and the earth. And they happen on a regular basis. So, four circles a day, two times high tide and two times low tide. And the changes are, uh, let's say every, between six and eight hours. So, in Zanzibar, these tidal changes can be quite pronounced, and some people worry that they won't be able to enjoy the beach or water activities because of it.

But honestly, I personally see this as an opportunity, rather than a drawback.

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[00:04:25] Nadja: So, in low tide, the ocean floor is exposed, and this is the perfect time to explore it. You can walk along the sandbanks, discover marine life, and see the hidden beauty that’s usually not visible when the water is high. It’s a whole different experience and allows you to connect with the environment in a way you wouldn't otherwise.

The tides are a natural phenomenon, a key part of the island's ecosystem, and something to embrace rather than avoid. So, I would encourage all of the visitors to see it as an exciting and unique feature of Zanzibar's charm.

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Believe it or not. I actually once had someone asked me to put together a table for them, showing what the tides are like on each beach in Zanzibar for each month of the year. I just had to laugh and say "no", nicely. But the tides and the beaches are not the same on all parts of the island, are they? Can you tell us about that?

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While we can predict the general pattern of the tides based on the moon and the sun's position, the exact timing can change slightly depending on the location and also due to other factors like the shape of the coastline and local weather patterns.

However, it's absolutely possible to estimate the tides for specific days, and many hotels provide their guests with a daily tide table. The tables show the times for high and low tide, so guests can plan their activities accordingly.

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[00:06:22] Nadja: These tables usually give an overview for the whole day, showing when the tide will be high and low.

But they do not go into extreme detail, as the tides can shift slightly from beach to beach. So, while it's not possible to pinpoint the exact tides for every beach every month, the general idea is pretty predictable and the tide charts that hotels provide are a great resource for planning.

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This brings me to another question that we often got, which also got me a little worked up sometimes because it really feels like people are trying to control nature.

Seaweed on the beaches. Even though the oceans all have, and need, seaweed, a lot of people don't like seeing seaweed on the beaches when they're on holiday and wanted to take a walk. I know that some hotels even sweep the beaches clean of seaweed every morning.

Can you give us your opinion on this Nadja?

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But again, also, the seaweed topic varies from beach to beach. There are areas where you may notice very, very little seaweed, also during the green season, and other places where it can be more abundant. I also want to point out that seaweed is not harmful to health, even if I hear those accusations quite often in the last month.

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[00:08:13] Nadja: In fact, it plays an important role in the environment here in Zanzibar. For the local communities seaweed is crucial, it supports seaweed farms, which provides livelihoods for many, many people here. Additionally, seaweed is used in creating cosmetics and other products, which is a growing industry here in Zanzibar.

Me personally, I believe that there's a valuable lesson here: instead of working against the nature, we learn to, we should learn to work with it. Embracing the natural cycles and understanding their importance, as the local communities do, can help us create more sustainable and harmonious tourism practice.

While it's understandable that not everyone wants to see seaweed on the beach, we should also appreciate its role and find its way to coexist with nature, just as the locals do.

Embracing the natural beauty of Zanzibar, including its seaweed is part of the island's charm and its authenticity. Of course, cleaning up the beach for safety and comfort is definitely necessary, but we should respect the environment too.

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Zanzibar has become a very popular destination to travel to in the last couple of years. The exotic spice island is on many bucket lists. So, many people will know about the spice tours, on this island in the Indian Ocean, or will spend one or two days in the capital Stone Town, which I really, really recommend. It's a fascinating town.

What are one or two less well-known things that visitors on the island can do or see?

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It's really difficult for me to limit myself to just two hidden gems because there so much to explore. But if I had to choose, I would say the Butterfly Centre and the many, many caves scattered around the island.

The Butterfly Centre is a great place to visit if you want to experience Zanzibar's wildlife in a very unique setting. It's not only educational, but also quite beautiful.

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[00:10:47] Nadja: Many of them are located along the coast, especially in the east and the southern part of Zanzibar, like Paje, Jambiani, and more in the south, and offer a fantastic opportunity, especially to swim during the low tide, which is all over a very special experience.

These places offer something a little different and allows guests and visitors to explore the beyond the usual tourist spots. But Zanzibar is in general full of hidden treasures and I'm pretty sure that those who venture off the beaten path will definitely have an unforgettable experience here.

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And just to finish off, I have two questions for you.

Firstly, what is your favourite place to eat on Zanzibar? And you can't mention one of your own restaurants.

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[00:11:56] André: I can understand why you enjoy Forodhani food market. We had a fantastic evening there, spending time with the locals and enjoying some of the excellent food, right at the Harbor and the water. I love it there.

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So, a small, hidden gem, would be to visit the floating bar, it's also at the Forodhani, everybody can advise where it is. And to watch the sunset there and after that to go to the Forodhani for some street food.

And it's not only incredibly delicious, but it's also super affordable. So, for not even 15 Dollars, you can eat a lot there. And the market itself has a great atmosphere, especially in the evenings and offers the true taste of Zanzibar.

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And lastly, Nadja, what is your favourite animal and why?

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[00:13:43] André: You're the first interviewee that doesn't mention one of the wild animals, but I completely get it. The relationship with one's dogs are very, very special. So that's very sweet.

Thank you so much for your time and insights today, Nadja. I really appreciate it. And I hope that this has cleared up some of the misconceptions that our listeners and some of our travellers have out there.

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[00:14:20] André: You're very welcome. And I trust that you, dear listener, found this interesting and informative as well.

Today, we spoke to Nadja about her life on Zanzibar and in particular about the issues of the high and the low tides and the seaweed on the beaches. And how this can actually be an opportunity for you as a visitor, and how important they are for the locals living on the island and earning an income there.

Nadja also told us about one or two of her favourite spots on the island. And things to do, and especially the food to taste at the Forodhani food market.

I would love to hear from you, if you have ideas of who else you would like to hear from on this podcast. Or comments or questions that you have: send me an email on podcast@africawithandre.com. Or leave a comment on Spotify or on my Instagram page. Until next time.