Tanzania Marine Conservation & Diving

Tanzania's coast is home to some of the most spectacular diving in the world. The crystal clear waters host a wealth of marine habitats and wildlife, making this a perfect location to scuba dive and explore this pristine and magical underwater world.

The vivid, multi-hued coral reefs support a dazzling array of tropical reef fish and provide rich feeding grounds for turtles, rays and other marine creatures, whilst the deep blue offshore waters support sharks, dolphins and whale sharks, as well as vast shoals of cruising pelagics.

Dive and snorkel to explore this pristine seascape and you'll discover and chart extensive areas of undamaged coral, find healthy populations of multicoloured fish, see turtles and marine mammals, and learn to recognise a huge diversity of inter-tidal animals from tiny hermit crabs to pastel-hued anemones.

On shore apart from relaxing on the island's perfect, undeveloped beaches, you may have the chance to work in the lush mangrove forests, unique ecosystems which straddle water and land. You'll learn about the activities of the traditional shark fishermen and the inter-tidal gleaning women, as well as discovering and reporting which marine organisms are being sustainably harvested and which are being dangerously depleted.

The work you carry out will be rewarding and exciting, and hugely beneficial to Marine Park's conservation efforts, as well as being amazing fun! At the end of the day you will gain immense satisfaction from knowing that you have helped to save this precious marine wilderness, protecting it for future generations.

PROJECT HIGHLIGHTS

• Help to monitor & conserve coral reefs and observe rare African marine wildlife
• Earn your PADI Advanced Open Water certificate 
• Make lifelong friends as you snorkel and dive in the crystal blue tropical ocean

Location	Mafia Island, Tanzania
Activities	Dive and snorkel to locate & map coral reefs Dive and snorkel to study the various coral reef communities Discover & record living organisms Dive and snorkel to do underwater visual census of reef & commercial fish Assess algal & coral reef cover to determine the extent of coral bleaching & damage Line intercept transects for benthic life & indicator invertebrate species Record observations of the feeding habits & behaviour patterns of a range of marine life Study the impact of dynamite fishing on the corals reefs Report the effects of global warming on marine communities Observe the impact of the marine-curio trade on endangered marine invertebrates
Transport	Airport pick-up (subject to arrival date) Transfer to camp from Mafia Island Airport
Accommodation	Communal camp

Before you go

Pre-departure support Travel & medical advice & documentation Equipment advice Discounted medical kit Free Frontier t-shirt UK residential briefing weekend including food, accommodation and training FREE for 10 week+ volunteers (£80 per person for those participating for less that 10 weeks)

In-country

Airport pickup (subject to arrival date) Accommodation Food Outward journey ground transfers (not air or ferry transfers) & in-transit accommodation (subject to arrival date) Airport drop off,  return journey in-transit accommodation & return journey ground transfers for 10 & 20 week volunteers Local orientation Project training Dive training courses available PADI Open Water £250, PADI Advanced Open Water £230 FREE use of Frontier project dive equipment, including tanks, BCDs, Regs, weights, compressor Personal dive kit available for hire   24-hour international HQ back-up In-country emergency support Vocational qualification diploma or certificate in Tropical Habitat Conservation may be available depending on length of stay Free park & reserve entrance fees(usually $20 per person per day) & research permits if applicable Discounted advanced dive courses: PADI Emergency First Response (£120), PADI Rescue Diver (£275), & PADI Divemaster qualifications (£500) CoPE qualification available depending on length of stay

What Next? Apply Now!

WHAT DOES THE PROJECT DO?

Migrating Humpback Whales & Whale Sharks

Mafia Island is about as close as you can get to the quintessential Indian Ocean tropical paradise. The tiny island of about 40,000 is a friendly, laid-back place that has long been praised as a diver and sea angler's paradise.

Mafia's luxuriant mangroves, luminous sea grass beds and dazzling coral reefs play host to a multitude of tropical reef fish, thorny and spotted seahorses and four species of graceful and gentle sea turtles. Offshore there are dolphins and manta rays, and the deeper waters are a regular stop-off for migrating humpback whales and giant whale sharks. You can experience all this when you join the Frontier beach-camp on Mafia Island and learn to dive in the crystal clear, immaculate waters of Tanzania's exclusive Marine Park.

Dynamite Fishing Damaging Coral

Threats to the coastal environment on and around Mafia Island are on the up as unregulated tourism is on the increase and the level of the local population is rising. Increasing competition for food means that artisanal fishing techniques such as seine-netting become inadequate and inefficient, encouraging use of less discriminate catch practices such as dynamite fishing. Other threats include the over-harvesting of shark fins, octopus and sea cucumbers and the over-collecting of shells and corals for the expanding marine curio trade.

Swim with Dolphins, Rays & Turtles

Your underwater exploration will involve you in mapping the incredible biodiversity of the coastal area and marine habitats. While diving you will locate and record spectacular coral reefs and survey dazzling reef fish, observe marine mammals and turtles, and examine the effects of dynamite fishing and global warming on the coral reefs.

Discover Swahili Culture

Sailing out on the traditional Frontier dhows you will dive from the boat and discover what it is like to sail on a traditional Tanzanian fishing vessel. Through participating in environmental awareness raising in local schools and community activities, you will experience the cultures and lifestyles of local peoples.

WHAT WILL I BE DOING?

The marine research and conservation programme is run in association with the University of Dar es Salaam (with whom Frontier has been in partnership for over twenty years). The project aims to provide the local stakeholders and government bodies with the information they need to design and implement management plans for the future protection of this marine ecosystem. To gather the data needed you will dive and locate and map the extensive coral reefs and study the various communities existing on them.

You will also explore and record the living organisms that inhabit the luxuriant mangrove forests, dense sea grass beds and productive inter-tidals in the area. To do this you will use a wide range of newly learned research skills and scientific techniques including: underwater visual census of reef and commercial fish such as trigger fish and parrot fish, assessment of algal and coral cover to determine the extent of coral bleaching and damage, and line intercept transects for benthic life and indicator invertebrate species such as nudibranchs. You will record observations of the feeding habits and behaviour patterns of a range of marine life. You may even get to study the impact of dynamite fishing on the corals reefs, report the effects of global warming on marine communities or observe the impact of the marine-curio trade on endangered marine invertebrates.

Whilst diving, you'll see an extraordinary array of animals from turtles to manta rays, sea cucumbers to feathery starfish, and spiny urchins to octopus. When you sail out each day on the Frontier sailing dhow to distant dive sites you may even be accompanied by dolphins or encounter gigantic Whale Sharks. By the end of your project you will be expert at identifying hundreds of coloured and patterned reef fish as well as being an experienced and competent diver. Although the work is intense and challenging you'll get immense satisfaction from having survived and from having made a valuable contribution to the conservation of this untarnished marine wilderness. You will return home with the new friends you've made and a wealth of incredible memories.

You'll find your team to be a fun, dynamic mix of ages and experiences, with members who all share a passion about travelling in developing countries and saving endangered marine life. Your staff will be young, friendly individuals who are highly experienced in their field and many have also volunteered on a Frontier project earlier in their career.

For further information about Frontier marine conservation work please refer to the publications section of this website.

DIVING OPPORTUNITIES

Check out our video on Frontier Gap Year TV from Frontier-Tanzania, showing you our volunteers diving.

What Next? Apply Now!

WHAT HAPPENS WHEN I ARRIVE?

This depends on when you arrive and your length of stay. If your arrival coincides with the our regular first Monday of the project airport reception you will be met at the airport in Dar es Salaam by a Frontier staff member and your onward transport arrangements will be organised and flight reservations made for you, but not paid for (the return airfare to Mafia Island will cost you around £100).

If you are travelling independently, arriving on a different date, or joining for less than four weeks, we will provide you with detailed instructions on how to reach the Mafia Island camp. 

It is possible to reach Mafia Island by road and ferry but sailing times can be very unpredictable. If you choose not to fly you will need to travel via  the port town of Nyamasati, 90 km south of Dar, from here you will travel by ferry, (approximately a 6-hour trip) to the town of Kilondoni on the western side of Mafia Island. Once on the island you will be met by the Frontier marine field staff, either at the small harbour town of Kilondoni or at the airport on Mafia and transferred by boat or vehicle to the project camp site.

WHERE WILL I BE STAYING?

During the project you'll live on our research camp at Utende on the east coast of Mafia Island. You will have a unique and memorable living experience. The Frontier marine camp was constructed by local craftsmen, using traditional building techniques, from locally sourced, environment friendly, building supplies. The camp, which is situated close to a beach near the local village, was designed to blend harmoniously with the surroundings.

Camp life is very simple, unsophisticated and fun. You will be staying in communal bandas; huts made from makuti (woven palm leaves), poles and mud, sleeping on beds constructed from sustainably harvested wooden poles, your "shower" will be a jug or a bucket of water and you cook over an open campfire: so prepare for the basic, unencumbered lifestyle! On occasions you may have to sail further to reach a distant dive site, and then you will stay in a "satellite camp", usually a mosquito net pitched on a beach. Upgrades to local lodge style accommodation are available at an extra cost of £12 per day.

As well as the diving and marine conservation work you may help with the scientific data entry and daily camp maintenance, taking turns to cook, tidy and clean the camp, clean and oil the compressor, rinse dive kit, collect firewood, prime hurricane lamps, collect and treat and water, and help with a wide variety of other essential camp duties.

WHAT WILL I BE EATING?

Camp food is simple and nutritious and consists largely of rice, vegetables, beans, noodles, and fruit all of which are purchased locally in order to help support the local economy. Luxuries such as chocolate, biscuits, peanut butter and drinking chocolate have to be brought down to Mafia Island from Dar es Salaam, so make sure you stock up before heading to the field!  Part of your role on camp will be to help with the cooking, so get your cookbooks out now and start practising! Also, with luck you'll be invited to local parties and festivals – a great way to integrate with the local communities in the nearby villages and absorb the local culture. 

What Next? Apply Now!

ENVIRONMENT AMBASSADOR'S AWARENESS RAISING DAY  | 14 May 2012
This weekend, we were celebrating the Environment Ambassador’s Awareness Raising Day at the...

Read more

Settling down on Mafia Island  | 12 Apr 2012
After spending over 5 months travelling, I was really looking forward to settling down and stayin...

Read more

Excitement brewing in Tanzania  | 30 Mar 2012
New staff and volunteers are starting to gather in Dar with Principal Investigator Owen for the b...

Read more

5 weeks of paradise on Mafia Island  | 14 Mar 2012
It was over five weeks ago now that I arrived on Mafia Island to start the volunteering programme...

Read more

A need for speed on the final surveys of phase  | 9 Mar 2012
After a full week diving outside the bay with the Mafia Island Marine Park we have finished our s...

Read more

Diving, teaching and hippos on Mafia Island  | 20 Feb 2012
It has been a very busy week for everyone on the Tanzania Marine Conservation & Diving projec...

Read more

A busy week in Mafia Island  | 15 Feb 2012
Tanzania Marine’s new volunteers are settling in at camp, working on their Advanced Scuba c...

Read more

Eco tourism, whale sharks and diving in Tanzania  | 24 Jan 2012
It has been an incredibly busy and successful start to the year on our Tanzania Marine project, b...

Read more

Hippos, Whale Sharks and Friendly Tree Frogs  | 19 Jan 2012
Tanzania Marine project have had an exciting start to 2012 with new staff members and volunteers ...

Read more

Sights to be seen on Mafia Island  | 6 Jan 2012
  At the Frontier Tanzania Marine Project on Mafia Island, staff and volunteers took a w...

Read more

1 to 10 next >

Unknown underwater biological noises aka: fish farts!  | 4 Apr 2012
    Marine biologists from the Centre of Ocean Technology at the Universit...

Snorkel surveys with local students on Mafia Island  | 13 Dec 2011
Research on the Tanzania Marine Conservation & Diving project based on Mafia Island has been working more closely than ever with the local schools in the last week.

Research in Tanzania is go, go, go!  | 16 Nov 2011
A jam-packed phase for research volunteers in Tanzania

A whale of a time with whale sharks!  | 2 Nov 2011
It’s an exciting time to be with the Frontier Tanzania marine project at the moment!

Hippo Excitement in Tanzania  | 27 Oct 2011
With volunteer training coming to an end anticipation is high for surveys to begin

Mud, mud, glorious mud – hippos wallowing in Tanzania  | 22 Sep 2011
Finishing last phase with a bang, our team on Mafia Island off the Tanzanian coast went to investigate sightings of a 'bloat' of hippopotamus....

A fishy solution?  | 20 Jun 2011
It would be fair to say that the connotation of successful captive breeding programs for endanger...

Protecting earth's 'blue' carbon  | 28 Mar 2011
The rapid destruction of coastal ecosystems has seen the importance of these huge carbon sinks in the fight against climate change.

trigger happy  | 17 Mar 2011
An welcome increase in trigger fish!

Is ecotourism beneficial to mangroves?  | 10 Feb 2011
Recent mangrove surveys on Mafia island, Tanzania have highlighted the role that the tourism industry can play in habitat destruction.

De-Finned Shark Found in Chole Bay  | 21 Jan 2011
The Mafia Island team in Tanzania found a shark without its fins this week; a sad sighting which is part of a much larger global problem.

Over-fishing blamed for Urchin outbreak  | 17 Jan 2011
New research shows that over-fished areas have a higher abundance of sea urchins comes as bad news for coral reefs. This emphasises the importance of fishery management strategies, such as MPA's.

Birds & Bats: Life on the Line  | 6 Dec 2010
Power lines are resulting in numerous bird deaths. However, according to a recent report, preventetive measures can be taken to reduce the incidence of fatalies.

Warning: Ecosystems Out of Service  | 26 Oct 2010
The need for conservation is greater than ever, according to a recent report from the WWF.

Turtles Ahoy!  | 22 Oct 2010
On a recent dive the volunteers on the Tanzania Marine project were lucky enough to see not one, not two, but FIVE turtles!

Fish on the menu again!  | 31 Aug 2010
The Frontier Tanzania Marine team have been collecting data on the commercial fish around the Marine Park, to determine the extent to which fishermen are benefiting from the conservation measures.

Reef Fish populations recovering on Mafia Island  | 29 Jul 2010
Reef fish are extremely important within coral reefs; however, many species are threatened. In Tanzania the Frontier team have been studying the reef fish populations in intensively fished areas.

Promising Results for Corals in Tanzania  | 21 May 2010
Tanzania African Wildlife Conservation AdventureIn 1995 the first multi-user marine park was created in Mafia Island based on Frontier data

Great hopes for fisheries on Mafia Island!  | 18 Mar 2010
Following the return of Frontier within the Marine Park boundaries, near the village of Utende, monitoring efforts are now concentrating on investigating the impact of the Marine Protected Area

Diary of Henry Marriner  | 1 Mar 2010
We went snorkelling along a reef in the bay this afternoon; just to give us a quick taster of what’s to come. There are so many fish!

Coral Recruitment and Recovery in Tanzania  | 5 Feb 2010
Following the recent move of the Tanzania Marine team back within the Mafia Island Marine Park, the research team have begun a new research project

Back to the marine park!  | 21 Jan 2010
Current volunteers in Fiji were given the unique chance to snorkel with some gentle giants as Manta birostris

Swimming with Whale Sharks in Tanzania  | 10 Dec 2009
I glance above the water and 20m away a monumental fin towers upwards

Sharpnose Puffer Fish Population Inflates!  | 16 Nov 2009
The Tanzania Marine Research team has recently observed an unusual phenomenon on the reefs of Mafia Island

There She Blows! Frontier’s Having a Whale of a Time  | 1 Oct 2009
Volunteers on both our Tanzania Marine and Madagascar Marine Programmes have been rubbing shoulders with ocean giants – humpback whales

Fish spa on Mafia Island  | 8 Sep 2009
In the crystal east coast waters of Mafia Island, Frontier’s Tanzania Marine Research Team are carrying out a groundbreaking study into a shark's best friend: cleaner wrasse

Where eagles nest  | 25 Jun 2009
Frontier's marine research team on the Tanzanian Island of Mafia don't spend all their time with their heads down surveying the coral reefs

Fish on the menu again!  |
The Frontier team in Tanzania are currently collecting data on the commercial fish both within and outside the Mafia Island Marine Park in order to assess the potential benefits to local fisherman.

FRONTIER GAP YEAR TV

We have two fantastic videos available on our Official Youtube page, which show you the diving conditions on Mafia Island, showing you the beautiful marine life you are likely to be swimming with! 

Tanzania Marine Highlights

Mafia Island Diving 2010 by Russell Knight

ADDITIONAL OPPORTUNITIES

The Frontier-Tanzania camp is fun and in your spare time you'll have opportunities to swim and snorkel, play football against the unbeatable local side or try out beach volleyball. Alternatively you may enjoy a traditional Saturday night themed camp party, play poker, chess or backgammon or join in a camp quiz night. After a long hard day of sailing and diving you may prefer to relax with a drink and sway in the camp hammock, or sit and chat to your new friends beside a roaring campfire, under a sky lit up by millions of stars. Later you will drift off to sleep lulled by the gentle lapping of the Indian Ocean.

diving rates (not available in april/may)

• Single Day Snorkelling £10
• Single Day Dive £30
• Double Dive £50
• 4-dive package £100
• 10-dive package £200

courses*

• Discover Scuba Diving £65
• Open Water Dive Course £250
• Advanced Open Water £230
• Medic First Aid/Emergency First Response £100
• Rescue Diver £300
• Dive Master £500

*Medical certificate is mandatory for participation in dive courses

rental equipment (prices per day)

• Jacket/BCD £5
• Regs £5
• Wetsuit £5
• Mask/Snorkel £3
• Fins £3
• Computer £7
• Torch £7