MAFIA ISLAND DIVING
Chole Bay is blessed with a number of excellent dives within the bay, ensuring diving in almost any weather, as well as easy access. Visibility varies with the wind and tides, and is generally poor on outgoing tides as there is the normal accumulation of organic and granular matter in the water. The diving is tide-dependent for this reason and also to avoid strong currents at the dive sites which are close to the mouth of the Bay (Kinasi Pass). We usually dive on the full low, full high or on the incoming tide for the Kinasi Pass drift dive and the Chole and Kinsai walls. Diving outside the Bay is subject to weather conditions and tides, as it can be dangerous to negotiate Kinasi Pass on an outgoing tide; however, once outside the Bay the dives are not tide dependent.
Snorkelling in the bay is also good, though visibility can be low on an outgoing tide.
Snorkelling in the bay is also good, though visibility can be low on an outgoing tide.
Kinasi Pass has a impressive quantity of fish; snappers are plentiful, morays and schools of barracuda are common, and it is rare to not see at least one large grouper per dive here. Of the reefs outside the passes Dindini caves north and south are a long series of overhangs in the rock wall that drops from the reef top at six metres down to the bottom at around 30 metres. Visibility is nearly always over 20 metres here and often more, and the overhangs are favourite haunts of large potato groupers. These cuties can grow up to two metres long and 200 kilos, and often treat divers with curiosity, happily hanging around to have their picture taken and show that they are not disturbed by our presence. There is also good macrolife on the walls, with plenty of whip corals and resident gobies. The sites down by Juani are covered in soft purple and pink corals, and are excellent places to encounter turtles.
mafia island diving ITINERARIES
Below you will find some Mafia Island diving itineraries with images of the different lodges in them, but this lists is by no means exhaustive. Below the itineraries is a link to all our favourite hotels and lodges in Mafia Island, from 3-star to 5-star luxury.
8-day Mafia Island Dive Holiday at Chole Mjini
including return airport transfers and 12 dives from USD 2,255 person sharing interactive itinerary here |
8-day Mafia Island Dive Holiday at Mafia Island Lodge
CLOSED FOR RENOVATIONS. REOPENS AUGUST 2023 including return airport transfers and 12 dives from USD 1,565 person sharing interactive itinerary here |
8-day Mafia Island Dive Holiday at Pole Pole Lodge
including return airport transfers and 10 dives
from USD 2,275 person sharing
interactive itinerary here
including return airport transfers and 10 dives
from USD 2,275 person sharing
interactive itinerary here
