Yes it is but we were diving so not sure how good it is. We snorkeled with the whale sharks but the visibility was not good due to the tide state.

The easiest is definitely by plane. It is kind of possible by ferry, but it will take you close to 24 hours. There are no direct ferries from Zanzibar to Mafia (and no direct flights either by the way), so you'll first need to go to Dar, then find a bus to take you to a place Nyamisati (about 4 hours drive) then hope for a ferry there who tend to leave around 16:00 and then have 4 to 5 hours ride to Mafia.

Dear Anitta, The price can vary depending on many factors, but to give you a general idea, 2 boat dives (one trip) including equipment rental would come to $130 for someone who is already a certified diver, and $175 for someone who has never done it before and would like to try. Please do not hesitate to contact us by email should you require more specific information. Warm regards, Mafia Diving Team

Dear Mark, Diving on Mafia is not season dependent when it comes to visibility and marine creatures. Visibility is affected by the tides, so is reasonably predictable in advance. Once every second week we can dive on high tide which turns the water blue, and the other week we dive on low tide which make the water more green. That being said, our "summer" starts from roughly October till end of March. During that time, is you have an advanced certificate or above, we have more dive sites open which are not tide dependent when it comes to visibility. Regarding animals, when it comes to the fish life while diving, there is hardly any difference any time of the year. However, we do have certain periods where some special events happen. From June to mid-August you have a good chance to be able to witness the green turtle hatching. From mid-August till late September/early October we usually have the humpback whales around (last year was amazing, this year we had none) From Early October till late February we then have the whale sharks around. This year they even came early September. This is a snorkelling only excursion, no diving. Please do not hesitate to contact us directly for more information. Best regards, Mafia Island Diving Team

Mafia Island Diving have sent you an email :-)

Dear Mohamed, Thank you for contating us. We do not run the whale sharks excursions ourselves. There are several opeartors on the island ranging from $60 to $100. The two we recommend are Afro Whaleshark Safaris and Kitu Kiblu May you have a nice day. Mafia Island Diving Team

Dear Sir, Mafia Island can indeed be qualified as world class when it comes to diving or whale sharks sightings (in season). When it comes to beaches themselves however, we unfortunately do not enjoy "paradise" beaches such as those yu would see in magazines. We do have beaches of course, but they are not kilometre long pure white sand with corals immediately acessible.

Dear Pierza, Our archipelago in general, and the Chole bay more specifically were very lucky and hardly suffered and damage from the recent Niño. Our reef remains one of the most pristine reefs in Africa. May you have a nice day