Mafia Island · Tanzania · Channel & pass · Drift · Wall
Kinasi Pass
The channel through the centre of Chole Bay, dived as a drift
Area photo: brittonpaul83 · CC BY-SA 2.0
Kinasi Pass is the channel that runs through the centre of Chole Bay, and the best known dive on Mafia. It is dived as a drift along two stepped walls, a deep shelving reef at 20 to 26 m and a shallower one at 6 to 15 m, with resident giant groupers on the rock and schools of fish packed into the cracks in it.
Where it is and how deep
7.9501° S, 39.7975° EApproximate position — the dashed circle shows where the site lies; your operator's briefing has the mooring.
The dive
Dives on the pass commonly begin at the Pinnacle in the inner channel. After completing a tour of that rock you head south-west to the side of the channel and pick up the drift. There are two walls to work with: a deep shelving reef running from 20 to 26 m, and a shallower one at 6 to 15 m, so the profile depends on which step you are put on and how hard the water is moving.
From there the current does the work. You float along a wall of small caverns and overhangs, watching for the resident giant groupers, pompano and barracuda, with the occasional eagle ray crossing the channel. Cracks in the rock hold schools of trevallies, sweetlips and snappers, and shoals of juvenile and adult reef fish and carangidae are thick enough at times to block out the light. The pass often runs strong, and the dive centre is direct that it does not suit every diver.
Marine life and season
- Groupers
- Barracuda
- Eagle rays
- Trevally & jacks
- Reef fish swarms
| 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.
Know before you go
- The pass often carries strong current and the dive centre says plainly that the site is not suitable for everyone; dive it with the flow rather than against it and stay close to the guide.
- The deep wall shelves to 26 m while the shallow one starts at 6 m, so it is easy to run a sawtooth profile if you cross between the two steps.
Dive videos
Kinasi Pass Mafia Island · Eco Shamba Kilole Lodge on YouTube
Kinasi Pass Mafia Island Marine Park · Eco Shamba Kilole Lodge on YouTube
Questions divers ask
How deep is Kinasi Pass?+
The site has two walls: a deep shelving reef from 20 to 26 m and a shallower one at 6 to 15 m. The maximum depth given for the pass is 26 m.
Do I need experience to dive Kinasi Pass?+
Yes. It is run as a drift and the current is often strong, with the dive centre stating that the site is not suitable for everyone, so drift experience and an advanced certification are the sensible bar.
Sources
- Fun Diving | Big Blu Mafia Island Dive Centre — Big Blu Mafia Island Dive Centre
- Diving | Mafia Island — Mafia Island (Kinasi Lodge group)
- Mafia Island travel guide — Wikivoyage
In The Logbook
- Drift diving: how to read and ride a currentDrift & current · 8 min read
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
Coral garden
Three coral patches divided by bright sand channels
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
Drift
A drift along a coloured coral slope to 25 m
Similar dives elsewhere
Overhangs and cavities from 10 m to beyond 30 m on the channel's south side
Occasional scalloped hammerheads on the deep edges of a tidal channel
A notched 2 km wall with three manta cleaning stations
Eagle rays and grey reef sharks crowding the channel as the tide floods in