Diving on Mafia Island
Mafia Island Diving
“Where in the World can you snorkel with Whale Sharks in the morning and dive with sea horses in the afternoon?”
Mafia Island.
Dive Mafia & Baobab Reisen GmbH is proud to introduce The Swiss owned & managed Dive Planet as our partners. Whether for experienced Global divers or for someone doing their PADI open water, Deus & Gianna and their team provide a safe and serious base for all the dives.
At their newly built base a few hundred meters from the ocean shore in Utende they have two accommodation bandas (soon to be four) and a lovely swimming pool. The dining is outstanding and arguably they have the best coffee on the Island!
The equipment is first rate if you are going to rent – which we advise as often the flight
allowance is only 20kg with the local airlines. They have a fleet of well-maintained boats and regularly reach further reefs such as Mange.
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Happy Mafia Island Divers
The Mafia archipelago consists of one large island and several smaller ones, each boasting a unique history and bursting at the seams with natures personal touch. The tropical islands are teaming with fantastic colours and lush vegetation, giving a home to a wide amount of animal species from the tiny butterflies to the graceful fruit bat.
Slipping just below the surface of Mafia’s ocean, you find yourself in one of the greatest locations to either start or continue your diving adventure. The majority of the time you will find yourselves as the only divers on site, having a whole section of the ocean just for yourself. With one of the healthiest and diverse coral reef systems, warm waters averaging 26’C, visibility of 25-30 metres and the added security of the largest Marine Park in the Indian Ocean – there is not much more to ask for!
Dive Planet 5* PADI Dive Base has been operating since 2021 and steadily collecting great reviews. New for 2026 they will be offering Diving with the whale sharks.
The best diving in Mafia Island is found in Chole Bay. It is a large circular bay where the depth goes from 5 to 27 m. Safe dives are possible throughout the whole year in the bay, which is like a natural harbour. Outside Chole Bay world-class dive sites can be found with, among other attractions, 20m+ deep walls in pristine condition and one of the most varied and vibrant sea life gatherings in East Africa.
Dive Planet offers great diving for advanced and novice divers in safety under professional instruction (PADI certificate). The snorkelling on the shallow reefs surrounding the many islands in and around Chole Bay is a great attraction for non-divers and divers alike. Trained diving assistants handle all equipment, help divers and check their equipment, so that you are free to enjoy the dives and all other activities during each day.
Almost all Mafia’s best diving is at depths of less than 30m so it is a sport diver’s paradise. The reefs of the archipelago offer a staggeringly beautiful and varied display of marine life. The excellent condition and high diversity of the reefs stimulated the creation of Mafia Island Marine Park, Tanzania’s first marine park. Examples of most kinds of tropical marine habitat occur here, including exposed fringing reefs, rock walls, and soft coral and algae-dominated reefs. The diversity of animal and plant life is hard to match, with over 48 genera of coral and 400 species of fish so far identified.
Large predatory fish and turtles are common and surprisingly unaffected by approaching divers. Many reef creatures are nocturnal, avoiding daytime predators. As the light fades and the rich “soup” of plankton rises from deeper water, the daytime, rock-like appearance of coral is transformed into a brilliance of colour as the polyps emerge from their stony cups to feed on the plankton. Night diving is focused on the many small, delicate reef species usually missed during the day.
Note that entry to the Mafia Island Marine Park on The east Coast is EXTRA and costs US$23.6 + VAT per person per day; you will need to prepay this amount on entering the Park. Payment can only be made by CREDIT CARD! Prices can fluctuate, so please check when booking.
Baobab Reisen GmbH & Dive Mafia are happy to arrange your Mafia Island experience. For the Internal flights, Hotels, Transfers, Excursions, Activities and Scuba Diving and a Safari before or after – allow us to Tailor make your holiday.
The prices will be the same if you chose to book directly with any of our partners so we are happy to provide links to their websites.
We hope that our local knowledge and combination of British, Swiss and Tanzanian experience will encourage you to book with Dive Mafia and Baobab Reisen GmbH.
Baobab Reisen GmbH is a registered Swiss Company.
Dive Mafia & Safari Ruaha are Divisions of Baobab Reisen GmbH.