Mafia Island, Tanzania
    Mangrove

    Tom’s Garden

    Best months: Jun–Oct

    Protected Area

    Mangrove

    Why dive here

    With 165+ marine species recorded in the area - including humpback whales, sea turtles, sperm whales and whale sharks - Tom’s Garden offers some of Mafia Island's richest reef diving. Water ranges 26-29°C, warmest February, March, April.

    Best timeJun–Oct
    WetsuitA 3mm shorty or thin full wetsuit
    Marine lifeHumpback Whales, Sea Turtles, Sperm Whales and Whale Sharks · 165+ species recorded
    Water26-29°C · warmest February, March, April
    CharacterReef dive
    StandoutExceptional marine biodiversity

    Tom’s Garden is a sweet little spot, perfect if you’re happy to slow down and really look. It’s shallow, only around 7 metres, though you can drop to 13m if you explore the sand nearby. We've spent time here just hovering, searching for the seahorses and frogfish that seem to pop up from nowhere. Visibility is usually around 9 metres, so not gin-clear, but enough to appreciate the smaller stuff – think Indian walkmen or razor shrimp fish tucked into the corals. It’s a site for the patient diver, someone who finds joy in the tiny, intricate details rather than big pelagics.

    Today06:0118:1612h 15m daylightGolden hour 17:48

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    Conditions

    Ocean conditions, forecast and tides for Tom’s Garden

    Tom’s Garden Ocean Conditions

    Monthly averages for Tom’s Garden, sourced from Open-Meteo marine data - nearest station: Open-Meteo marine grid (-8.12, 39.65) (37km away)

    ExcellentGreatGoodFairPoor★Best monthsThis month

    October Averages

    Sea Temperature

    27°C

    81°F · Range: 26.2–28.4°C

    Air Temperature

    26°C

    79°F

    Wind Speed

    7.33 m/s

    14.2 knots

    Atmospheric Pressure

    1014 hPa

    Based on 4 years of monitoring data · Data sources: Open-Meteo marine data

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