Dive site
Mafia Island
Indian Ocean, Tanzania
- Typical depth
- 25 m
- Type
- Reef
- Level
- Intermediate
Notes
Whale shark season Oct–Mar.
Marine life
- Rays
- manta ray, eagle ray, stingray
- Corals
- hard coral gardens, sea fans, soft corals
- Sharks
- whale shark (Oct–Mar aggregation, juveniles), whitetip reef shark, occasional blacktip
- Turtles
- green, hawksbill
- Pelagics
- giant trevally, barracuda, tuna, kingfish
- Whales & dolphins
- humpback whale (Jul–Sep passing), bottlenose dolphin
- Reef fish
- napoleon wrasse, grouper, snapper, sweetlips, schooling fusiliers
Site features
- Whale Shark Aggregation
- Snorkel + Dive
- Marine Park
- Channel Drift
- Reef
When to dive
- Best
- Oct–Mar
- Avoid
- Jun–Aug
Mafia Island sits off the Tanzanian coast at the mouth of the Rufiji Delta, where nutrient-rich outflow draws a seasonal aggregation of juvenile whale sharks into Kilindoni Bay Oct–Mar (peak Nov–Feb), surface-feeding on copepod blooms. Chole Bay marine park holds the general reef diving — coral gardens, walls, and channel drifts. NE monsoon (Nov–Mar) brings calm seas and warm water; SE monsoon (Jun–Sep) brings rough crossings and many operators close.
Conditions & access
- Visibility
- 15–30 m
- Water temp
- 25–29 °C
- Current
- Moderate
- Access
- Seasonal
- Min cert
- Open Water; Advanced recommended for the channel drifts
Location
7.8500° S, 39.8500° E
Sources
Curated from 2 sources
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