The Manta Resort has announced the launch of a fully reimagined Underwater Room in the waters off Pemba Island, Tanzania — the lesser-known companion island to Zanzibar, situated in the ecologically significant Pemba Channel of the western Indian Ocean.
The new structure places guests three metres below the surface of the Indian Ocean, with reef life visible through the bedroom windows. Tropical fish, coral formations, and open-water marine activity are observable from inside the room, offering direct proximity to the marine environment without disturbance to it.
Third Generation of an Underwater Hospitality Concept
The launch marks the third iteration of the concept. The lineage traces to Utter Inn in Sweden in 2001 — one of the world’s earliest underwater hotel concepts — followed by The Manta Resort’s original Underwater Room in Tanzania in 2013. After more than a decade of operation, that original structure has been fully submerged and placed as part of the nearby reef, where it will function as part of the marine ecosystem within the resort’s protected replenishment area.
The new room was developed by Genberg Underwater Hotels, drawing on twelve years of operational data to improve design, materials, and onboard systems for long-term performance, safety, and guest comfort in a saltwater environment.
Conservation Channeled Through Tourism
The project is structured around a direct link between guest revenue and marine conservation. Through a collaboration with the tourism division of Blue Alliance, all proceeds from the Underwater Room are directed toward coral reef restoration, environmental monitoring, and community programs supporting sustainable fishing and local livelihoods.
The Pemba Channel is among East Africa’s most ecologically significant marine areas. The resort’s approach positions the Underwater Room as a conservation instrument as much as a hospitality product — using close-range observation of reef life to build awareness and fund protection of the same ecosystems guests are experiencing.
“The underwater room has shown that a very small footprint can still create meaningful impact,” said Matt Saus, CEO and co-founder of The Manta Resort. “This project has always been about more than just creating a unique place to stay. It shows how tourism and innovation, when carefully managed, can contribute to protecting marine ecosystems and supporting coastal communities.”
Pemba Island as a Destination
Pemba Island remains substantially less trafficked than Zanzibar despite sharing the same Tanzanian archipelago. Its relative obscurity has helped preserve the health of its surrounding reefs — a condition that makes the Underwater Room viable and gives the conservation framing genuine weight. For travelers seeking immersive marine experiences outside the busier corridors of East African island tourism, Pemba represents an increasingly deliberate choice rather than an accidental one.
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