Mafia Island · Tanzania · Coral garden · Reef
Coral Islands
Three coral patches divided by bright sand channels
Area photo: brittonpaul83 · CC BY-SA 2.0
Three extensive coral patches sit separated by sand channels off Mafia Island, starting at around 9 m and levelling out at about 17 m. The channels bounce ambient light back across the coral, which is the point of the site: a bright coral garden dived as a circuit of the three patches rather than as a single reef line.
Where it is and how deep
7.9451° S, 39.7935° EPublished position for this site.
The dive
The descent puts you on the first of three coral patches at around 9 m. Each one is a substantial block of healthy coral in its own right, and the sand channels between them are wide enough to cross in open water, which is what gives the site its name. The pale sand reflects ambient light up onto the coral flanks, so the formations stay lit from below as well as above and the dive rarely needs a torch.
Work the patches in turn, following the edge of one until it runs out, then crossing the channel on a bearing to pick up the next. The ground falls away slowly as you go, levelling out at about 17 m at the deepest part of the site. Keep the deeper channel crossings for the first half of the dive and the shallow coral tops for the second, and the profile takes care of itself: the last stretch and the safety stop both pass over the reef.
Marine life and season
The sources we used don't single out particular species here.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prime | Prime | Fair | Fair | Fair | Good | Good | Good | Good | Prime | Prime | Prime |
Season follows Mafia Island: Whale shark season peaks October-March; the March-May long rains bring rougher seas and reduced visibility.
Questions divers ask
How deep is the Coral Islands dive?+
The coral patches start at around 9 m and the site levels out at roughly 17 m, so the whole dive fits a straightforward recreational profile.
Sources
- Coral Islands - Scubago — Scubago
More dive sites in Mafia Island
Reef
The north end of an 800 m reefbank, 5 m to sand at 17 m
Reef
Reef rays resting on the rubble at the foot of the reef
Wall
A coral bank to 15 m, dived by day and after dark
Wall
An archway in the rock wall, ringed by reef fish
Wall
A vertical face with shallow caverns, 8 m to 26 m
Reef
Pink and purple corals down a seaward reef slope to 26 m
Channel & pass
The channel through the centre of Chole Bay, dived as a drift
Drift
A drift along a coloured coral slope to 25 m
Similar dives elsewhere
A brain coral and a rare red anemone at 12 to 20 m
300 fish species on a reef that starts at the beach
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Fusiliers and damsels wearing colours you would not expect