As fascinating as Serengeti, only underwater

The rough cotton sail heaves on the ropes and the wooden boat creaks under the strain of powerful winds propelling the dhow across the Indian Ocean. On board, exhilarated divers describe their encounters with a dazzling array of colorful marine life among the coral reefs in the Mafia Marine Park.

“Did you see the manta ray in blue sunglasses passing us overhead?” the South African scuba diving instructor asks while grabbing a can of beer from the cooler. “There was also a mermaid in a pink G-string at the last coral reef we visited.”

An astonished silence drops among the dripping-wet trainee divers before they catch on that Audie Murphy is pulling their legs -- yet again.

Despite its name, which means “a place to rest” in Arabic, Mafia was once a hunting ground for cannibals from Madagascar. The island was used by Britain to mount a successful hunt for the German warship SS Konigsberg, which wreaked havoc on the British fleet up and down the East African coast during World War I.

Today, divers and snorkelers who patrol the waters say it’s like swimming in an aquarium with thousands of fish among the coral reefs surrounding the group of islands.

The sea around Mafia is among Tanzania’s premier wildlife habitats, yet it is among the least explored and least disturbed by mass tourism.

With more than 460 species of reef fish, 40 types of colorful hard corals and extensive soft coral, Mafia is comparable in diversity to such terrestrial parks as the fabled Serengeti and Ngorongoro Crater.

Sea grass and algae beds, all fringed by mangroves, confirm Mafia as one of the best preserved and most extensive reef systems on the East African coast.

Mafia is situated 25 miles off the southeastern coast of Tanzania. It was once part of the Zanzibar Sultanate when it was ruled by Omani Arabs. British colonialists took control in 1922, when the Zanzibar sultan sold Mafia and a 10-mile coastal strip on the current mainland of Tanzania and Kenya.

A mere 600 tourists fly to the islands in a year to spend an average of five nights, making Mafia one of the most unspoiled areas on the coast of East Africa.

About 90 percent of the visitors stay at the exclusive Kinasi Lodge, which only accommodates 28 guests in cottages built from palm thatching and whose architecture reflects African, Arabian and European influences.

A 45-minute flight from Dar es Salaam by light plane is met by Kinasi Lodge owner Peter Byrne and 1-year-old daughter Ilya. Then there is a 30-minute drive to the lodge overlooking Chole Bay.

The islands’ serenity betrays the fact they were once hunting grounds for Sakalava cannibals from Madagascar. Around 1829, Mafia’s capital at Kua was attacked by 320 cannibals who arrived aboard 80 war canoes and destroyed the town before dining on the inhabitants.

The town was never rebuilt.

But now, isolated islets, beaches and lagoons provide private swimming and picnicking hideaways.

For those preferring not to stray from the water’s edge, they can drink in the view of the sea from seaside hammocks.

The more active go sailboarding, take the 20-minute boat ride to the coral gardens for scuba diving and snorkeling, or go fishing.

The lodge also offers a two- or three-night sea safari to the islands south of Mafia.

The trips include scuba diving, snorkeling, fishing and beach camping.

GETTING THERE

The nearest international airports are in Dar es Salaam or Zanzibar, which are serviced by KLM and British Airways. Then there are regular flights on Eagle Air or Precision Air for $100 from Dar es Salaam. Flights from Zanzibar are $170. Flights charted from Kinasi Lodge cost $150 from Dar es Salaam and $120 from Zanzibar.

STAYING THERE

Most visitors stay at the Kinasi Lodge at $140 per person, per night with full board during the high season; the rate is $110 per person in low season. Dives cost $35 each and are booked through the hotel.

WHEN TO GO

Mafia has a mild, tropical climate and is rarely very hot or humid. December through March are the most humid months with great weather, and October is hot but dry. The cool months are June through September, a superb time in East Africa. July can be windy when the persistent southeast monsoon is strongest. November is sometimes wet.

INFORMATION

For more information, call Kinasi Lodge, 255-741-325-820, or fax 255-24-223-8220. On the Web, newafrica.com/travel/mafia or www.tanzania-web.com/mafia/home.htm.