Mafia Island · Tanzania · Pinnacle
The Pinnacle
A coral spire from 24 m to just under the surface
Area photo: brittonpaul83 · CC BY-SA 2.0
The Pinnacle is a 12 m spire of ancient coral rock standing in the inner Kinasi Pass, close to the last rock island, with its base at 24 to 26 m. Dives tour the rock, which is usually surrounded by big schools of rudderfish, trevallies and batfish, and then often carry on south-west into the Kinasi Pass drift.
Also known as Pinnacle.
Where it is and how deep
7.9501° S, 39.7975° EPublished position for this site.
The dive
Boats put you on the rock in the inner pass and the dive starts as a circuit of the structure, which extends from the sea floor to just below the surface. How deep that circuit runs depends on the plan and on the water: the base is given as 24 m by Kinasi Lodge and 26 m by Big Blu. The tour is commonly the first half of a longer dive, since after completing it divers head south-west to the side of the channel and pick up the Kinasi Pass drift.
The rock is usually surrounded by big schools of rudder fish, trevallies and batfish. Closer in, the resident list runs to a very large potato cod, many giant batfish and a large resident moray in a hole on the whale-back of rock that slopes off the western side of the stack, and with luck there are big lobster, turtles, giant reef rays and giant grouper circling it. The current here is often strong, and the dive centre states that the site is not suitable for everyone, which is what sets the bar for diving it rather than the depth.
Marine life and season
- Groupers
- Sea turtles
- Stingrays
- 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 pinnacle sits in a tidal pass and the current is often strong; the dive centre says the site does not suit every diver, so time the dive to the water rather than the schedule.
Questions divers ask
How deep is The Pinnacle?+
The spire is 12 m tall and rises from the sea floor to just below the surface. The depth at its base is given as 24 m by Kinasi Lodge and 26 m by Big Blu.
Sources
- Diving | Mafia Island — Mafia Island (Kinasi Lodge group)
- Fun Diving | Big Blu Mafia Island Dive Centre — Big Blu Mafia Island Dive Centre
- Mafia Island travel guide — Wikivoyage
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
A rock pinnacle circled in one easy lap, out to 20 m.
A rock formation named for a sunken ship that isn't there
Caribbean reef sharks around a lone rock breaking the surface far offshore
A large pinnacle with drop-offs, dived between 14 and 40 m