Five of the seven species of turtles in the world's oceans can be seen off the Tanzania Coast: leatherback, loghead, olive ridley, hawksbill and green. The green turtle is commonly seen around Maziwe which is a key nesting place for them. The eggs are normally removed by a Conservation Officer as poaching by local fisherman is common and the island itself is covered at high tides which means the eggs will not survive. Until the late 1970's the island was covered with casuarina trees but as a result of sea erosion they were all swept away.
Maziwe Island is now a Tanzanian Marine National Park which is assisted by two organizations to preserve the island for the turtles and other marine life. Sea Sense, a community based NGO, is one of them and the other is Friends of Maziwe. Most of the local hotels and other places involved in tourism are assisting these organizations. The turtle eggs that are removed from the island are translocated to a site along Ushongo Beach where they are protected.
The Tanzania government does not have the resources to patrol such a long
coastline and consequently the harvesting of marine products has been largely
uncontrolled. Both local fisherman and the deep sea trawlers of other nations
have done immense damage and harvested way above their stock. It has been
rumored that a fishing vessel from a far eastern nation was in early 2009 caught
fishing in the Tanzania economic fishery zone and the vessel impounded. Without
drastic punishment the harvest from the sea is going to be considerably
curtailed in the not so distant future.
Boat trips to the islands can be arranged for $45 per person (children $25). This includes the boat with crew, the national marine park fee, and snorkel and
flippers. The boat leaves at 8 am and return 3 to 4 hours later depending on conditions. Lunches can be arranged if you wish to spend more time on the islands. Please avoid stepping on live coral and do not collect "souvenirs". Sea Urchins exist on the coral reefs but fortunately are not common. If you intend walking on the old coral of the islands, it is strongly advised to wear suitable foot ware such
as sandals.
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Fungu Island lies three kilometres
south of Maziwe and takes about 30 minutes to get there from Ushongo Beach. For
snorkeling the best hours are just before and after low tide. With little cover
from the overhead sun it is easy to get horribly sun burnt or go down with sun
stroke. It is best to wear a T-shirt whilst swimming. Like Maziwe Island, Fungu
is also fully submerged at high tide. The coral reef around it has been damaged
by dynamiting but it is nevertheless good for snorkeling. Fisherman still use it
for catching fish but it will probably be made a marine park sometime in the
future.