The most outstanding dive site in Mafia Island is Chole Bay. It is a vast circular bay where the depth goes from 5 to 27 metres.

Almost all Mafia's best diving is at depths of less than 30m so it is a sport diver's paradise.

The reefs of the archipelago offer a staggeringly beautiful and varied display of marine life.

The excellent condition and high diversity of the reefs stimulated the creation of Mafia Island Marine Park,Tanzania's first marine park. Examples of most kinds of tropical marine habitat occur here, including exposed fringing reefs, rock walls, soft coral and algae-dominated reefs. The diversity of animal and plant life is hard to match, with over 48 genera of coral and 400 species of fish so far identified. There are excellent examples of giant table coral, delicate seafans, whip coral, and huge stands of blue-tipped staghorn coral. Large predatory fish and turtles are common and surprisingly unaffected by approaching divers.

Many reef creatures are nocturnal, avoiding daytime predators. As the light fades and the rich "soup" of plankton rises from deeper water, the daytime, rock-like appearance of coral is transformed into a brilliance of colour as the polyps emerge from their stony cups to feed on the plankton. Night diving focuses the attention on the many small, delicate reef species usually missed during the day. A spectacular occurrence is the spawning behaviour of coral. Chole Wall and the Coral Gardens are an excellent night dive.

The snorkelling on the shallow reefs surrounding the many islands in and around Chole Bay is a great attraction for non-divers and divers alike.

DIVE SITES INSIDE THE BAY

• KINASI WALL: depth 8-21m
  running 800m in width
• CHOLE WALL: depth up to 15m
  joins Kinasi Wall
• CORAL GARDENS: Shallow water
  dive, excellent for snorkelling
• CORAL PATCHES: depth 9-17m
• THE PINNACLE: depth up to 24m
  12m spire ancient coral rock
• KINASI PASS: depth 6-26m

DIVE SITES OUTSIDE THE BAY

• DINDINI WALL: depth 8-28m
• JINA PASS: depth 8-20m
• JINA REEF: depth up to 26m
• KITUTIA REEF: depth up to 21m
• MANGE REEF: depth up to 20m
• KIFINGE BAY: depth 18-20m
• RAS MKUMBI: camping excursion
  due to distance.
• OKUZA ISLAND: camping excursion.
  Depth up to 32m

Information courtesy of Pole Pole Resort