Mafia Island · Tanzania · Reef · Coral garden
Nudibranch City
A shallow reef inundated with nudibranchs, 300 m off the beach
Area photo: brittonpaul83 · CC BY-SA 2.0
Named for the number of nudibranch species found on it, this shallow reef lies around 9 m deep and about 300 m off Utende Beach on Mafia Island. Soft corals and anemones cover the ground, and the dive is spent close to it: this is a slow search rather than a tour of a reef.
Where it is and how deep
7.9734° S, 39.7519° EPublished position for this site.
The dive
Getting there is the effort: the reef is roughly 300 m off Utende Beach and lies at around 9 m, so either you swim out on the surface and drop, or the boat runs you the short distance from the same beach. Once down, the depth stops being a factor. Nine metres of water and a bottom covered in soft corals and anemones means gas lasts, the light is good and the whole dive can be spent within a small radius.
The site is named for its inundation of several different types of nudibranch, and finding them is the dive. Work slowly along the soft corals, checking the bases of the anemones and the shaded sides of the growth rather than covering distance, and expect to spend the whole tank inside a patch of reef you could cross in a minute. It is the sort of dive where the second pass over the same ground turns up more than the first.
Marine life and season
- Nudibranchs
| 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
Can you shore dive Nudibranch City?+
It is reachable from land: the reef is about a 300 m swim off Utende Beach and sits at roughly 9 m. Boats run out from the same beach if you would rather not swim it.
What is there to see at Nudibranch City?+
The site is named for its inundation of several different types of nudibranch, and the ground is covered in soft corals and anemones. It is a macro dive rather than a scenic one.
Sources
- Nudibranch City - 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
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
Channel & pass
The channel through the centre of Chole Bay, dived as a drift
Similar dives elsewhere
Gestating ragged-tooth sharks settle here from December
Deeper outer system of branching, table and plate corals
The 'Christmas Tree' green tree coral on the seaward drop-off
Marbled electric rays on a 10 to 14 m reef