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ABOUT US
Who are we?
We are the Kizimkazi Ethical Dolphin Tours Agency and we work to protect the local dolphin population in Kizimkazi, Zanzibar, while also giving our guests the experience of a lifetime seeing and swimming with these beautiful mammals in an ethical way!
Why are we here?
If you look up Kizimkazi Dolphin Tours online, they are often described as a dolphin chase. Too many boats are chasing a very small number of dolphins, disturbing their natural behavior. Unfortunately, there are no regulations in place to improve this situation and protect the dolphins in the Menai Bay. African Impact is the only organisation that is consistently collecting data on dolphin-tourism and have been doing so for 5 years.
We see how the industry is negatively affecting dolphin behavior in the Menai Bay daily. This August, we observed 102 tourists on 26 boats chasing only 4 dolphins during only one morning. Over this peak tourist season, there is a correlation between bad boat behavior on the water and a decrease in time spent on the surface by dolphins. We have also observed a significant change in the location where dolphins are most commonly seen in the Bay. Boats have to drive further and further from Kizimkazi Dimbani to locate them.
What do we do?
All of our boat drivers receive training from African Impact volunteers, a sustainable development organization that works throughout Africa- over the course of many months where they learn about environmental and marine education, English lessons, business practices, customer service, and ethical driving and swimming guidelines. Our boat drivers proceed through several modules in our Ethical Training workshops until they take practical exams and written exams testing their knowledge and comprehension. The workshop aims to empower boat drivers to offer ethical tours that can sustain their economic needs while decreasing the tours disruption to the dolphin’s natural behaviour. Every year, the drivers participate in a recertification course, assuring their ongoing ethical practices for a sustainable tour industry.
Dolphin info & fun facts!
The two kinds of dolphins we have here in Zanzibar are the bottlenose and humpback dolphins. There are around 200 resident dolphins in Kizimkazi. On your tour you will most likely see the bottlenose dolphins as they are more social and interactive than the shy humpback dolphins. Dolphins are warm blooded mammals who breathe through their lungs. Dolphins are part of the whale family and there are 42 different species of dolphin, including 38 types of marine dolphin and 4 types of river dolphin. They are the only mammal who give birth with the tail first rather than the head. They breast feed their young. They aren’t voluntary breathers so they sleep with one side of their brain at a time. They sleep near the surface so they can breathe easily. They can swim up to 260m under water and can jump as high as 6 meters out of the water! Did you know each dolphin responds to it’s own name? Dolphins aren’t swimming around with name tags but every dolphin has it’s own unique whistle. Scientists believe that dolphins use these signature whistles for life and female dolphins may even teach their calves their whistles before they are born. Dolphins use their signature whistles to call out to one another and may be able to remember other dolphins whistles after decades apart.