7 August 2023
Five marine parks protect Kenya's fringing coral reef. Her coastline is on the Indian ocean, with Tanzania to the south.
Photo credit: joakant/Pixabay
The water is warm in Kenya - average temperatures range from 25 oC in August to 30 oC in March. April and May are the wettest months. You can dive all year round but October to March when seas are calmest is the best time. Whale sharks and manta rays visit between November and February, and humpback whales appear from July to October.
More properly called the Republic of Kenya, you need a visa to enter. You can either get a visa on arrival at the airport. To minimise time spent queuing at the airport though, it's best to get a visa before you travel.
According to the British Foreign Office, the southern coast - where the main diving areas are - is generally trouble-free, but you should avoid the areas of Kenya adjoining Somalia. The coastal areas are predominantly Muslim. Although there are no strict dress codes, you should dress conservatively away from the hotels. Homosexual activity is illegal. Take adequate insurance with diving cover.
Dive Sites of Kenya • Kenya Dive Operators • Hotels and Travel Agents in Kenya • Your Comments
Kenya has several marine parks, including Diani - Chale, Kisite-Mpunguti, Kiunga, Malindi, Mombasa and Watamu. The best dive sites? Diving highlights include the deep wall at Nyuli where two currents meet. The Canyon at Watamu Marine Park also features steep walls. Galu Reef is good for macro divers with ornate ghost pipefish, seahorses, frogfish and leaf scorpionfish. A good reef to see large pelagics is Kinondo Reef, which also has huge shoals of smaller fish. For wreck diving take a look at the Dania Wreck. She was deliberately sunk as an artificial reef in 2002 and is a popular dive spot.
The Watamu marine reserve is an important area for green turtles - they are especially common on Turtle Reef. Whale sharks pass by November to January. For leopard and white tip reef sharks, and large manta rays, head to Kisite. Here you also find Dolphin point and may even see a humpback whale in November or December.
Ghost Pipefish. Photo credit: Tim Sheerman-Chase, CC-BY-SA-2.0
"The 1st purposely sunk wreck in East Africa. 400 ton fishing
trawler sitting at a ideal depth and has become a very successful artificial
reef and home to marine life.
"
Daniel Floren, Diving the Crab Dive Centre
"Great site to see Turtles. Nice start site for beginners and
experienced divers and a short boat ride. Colorful corals everywhere.
"
Daniel Floren, Diving the Crab Dive Centre
Photo credit: Rudy and Peter Skitterians/Pixabay
Large shoals of fish live here - barracuda, trigger fish, snappers. There is also a good chance of seeing larger animals like dolphins, or, in season, whale sharks. Depth between 10 and 20 m.
A deep dive where currents converge. A coral reef wall starts at 28 m. Look for leopard and white tip reef sharks on the sandy bottom. You may also encounter Napoleon wrasse, large groupers and manta rays. You need to be experienced to dive this site, and you can generally only dive it in the dry season.
Watamu marine reserve, north of Mombassa, is a great place to see green turtles as they lay on the beaches here. Turtle reef is quite a shallow dive, at 15 m. You will also see many parrot fish and surgeon fish.
Steep walls mark the Canyon. When a current flows look for white tip reef sharks. An impressive arch covered in coral is a highlight. Whale sharks visit from November to January. .
Cargo boat which was purposely sank in 2002 for divers. 80 m long, she lies in around 30 m.
"Wreck that Buccaneer [diving centre] sank. 77 m cattle craft @ 30 m amazing wreck still complete."
Finn Fraser
"Great reef at 12-25 m on sand flat where white tip reef sharks gather. "
Finn Fraser
"Shark Point is one of the best dive sites at the Mombasa Marine Park. Its on a slope starting at 12 meter going down to about 24 meter. A great chance to see White Tip Reef Sharks. Also very common are:Turtles, Napoleon, Giant Moray Eel, Leopard Moray Eel, Scorpion Fish, Giant Grouper among others."
Chris (Peponi Divers)
"Turtles galore! Beautiful slow sloping reef 10-18m. "
Finn Fraser
Peponi Divers Mombasa
c/o Bahari Beach Hotel
Mombasa
Kenya
E-mail: peponi@peponidivers.com
Tel: +254 722 412302
peponidivers.ch/
"Peponi Divers Mombasa under Swiss management. Teaching all PADI courses in English and German. We are registered PADI and BSAC resort.
Feel free to enjoy best diving with Peponi Divers Mombasa. With 25 dives sites the greatest variety along the coast you
will get great dives at highest safety standards and best services. You can participate to all PADI courses up to Divemaster and several
speciality courses such as Turtle Awareness, Shark Awareness, Deep Diver, Drift Diver and more."
Peponi Divers
"Great, small groups, attention to the customer"
Pedro de Figueiredo
Buccaneer Diving 5 star center
Mombasa
Kenya
E-mail: info@buccaneerdiving.com
"Returning to do IDC in May! Fantastic centre! Can't wait to return. Two small dive boats. Really reasonable prices - especially their multi=dive packages. Small groups of divers no crowds - NEW DIVING HOT SPOT! Stayed at Voyager Hotel. Fantastic hotel; excellent staff.
"
Finn Fraser
Diving The Crab
P.O. Box 5011
80401 Diani Beach
Kenya
Tel: +254 723108108
E-mail: diving@divingthecrab.com
"Diving the Crab has been on Diani Beach since 1982 and is very
experienced with diving in East Africa also holding a record altitude dive
on Mt Kenya. Voted in the top 100 dive centers around the world in the Unterwasser magazine 2007.
"
Daniel Floren, Diving the Crab
Diani Marine
BOX 340
Ukunda
Kenya
Tel: +254 40 320 2367
E-mail: info@dianimarine.com
Ukunda
Kenya
Tel: +254 (0)734 237692
E-mail: info@divediani.com
Turtle Bay Dive Center
Turtle Bay Beach Club
Watamu
Kenya
80202
Tel: +254 707 180074
E-mail: steiger@africaonline.co.ke
Aqua Ventures
P.O. Box 275
Watamu
Kenya
80202
Tel: +254 (0)703628102
E-mail: ask-us@diveinkenya.com
Coral Reef Fishes, Indo-Pacific and Caribbean
Find hotel prices and availability…
Chalkoko Birding and Wildlife Safaris
P.O. box 98397
Kenya
Tel: +254724410655
E-mail: info@chalkokosafaris.com
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