Chole Bay

The sheltered water inside Chole Bay is where Mafia does its quiet, detailed work. Coral gardens rise from seagrass and sand in a patchwork that suits long, shallow dives: ribbontail rays and juvenile fish nurseries in the grass, dense hard-coral heads with anemonefish and sweepers, octopus and lionfish on the rubble edges, and nudibranchs enough to slow any photographer to a crawl. Because the bay is protected from the open swell, it dives in almost any weather (including the windy kusi months when the outer walls are off the menu), and it doubles as the park's training ground and night-dive venue.

اللحظة التي جئت من أجلها: All-weather lagoon diving; seagrass-and-coral mosaic full of juveniles and macro

التضاريس: Lagoon mosaic of coral gardens, seagrass beds, and sand channels

التيار: Sheltered inside the bay; tidal movement is gentle away from the passes.

المخاطر: Shallow coral heads on low spring tides.

التصاريح والقواعد: Marine-park daily fee applies.

الحفاظ على البيئة البحرية: Seagrass is nursery habitat: fins well clear when crossing the shallows.