Diani Beach · Kenya · Reef
Kinondo
Barracuda schools over the most fish-rich reef on the south coast
Kinondo is a coral ridge off Kenya's south coast that holds a larger fish population than any other reef on that coast. Large schools of barracuda and shoals of yellow and blue lined snappers gather over it, and it gives the best chance in the area of seeing pelagic fish.
Also known as Konondo.
Where it is and how deep
4.4038° S, 39.5666° EApproximate position — the dashed circle shows where the site lies; your operator's briefing has the mooring.
The dive
The ridge spans depths from 12 to 30 m, and the average dive stays near 15 m. Red snappers, red-tooth triggerfish, groupers, moray eels, lobsters, crocodile fish and octopus live on the reef, and turtles, stingrays and Napoleon wrasse are also seen. The coral cover is healthy and there is macro life on the reef as well.
Marine life and season
- Barracuda
- Groupers
- Sea turtles
- Napoleon wrasse
- Stingrays
- Octopus & cuttlefish
- Reef fish swarms
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prime | Prime | Good | Fair | Fair | Fair | Good | Good | Good | Good | Prime | Prime |
Season follows Diani Beach: Late November to mid-March is the best time to travel, with whale sharks from November to February; April to June is the main rainy season.
Dive videos
Kinondo Reef Diving Scuba Duka Diani Beach · A German in Paradise on YouTube
Sources
- Kinondo dive site (with Diani sites list) — ScubaGo
- Kinondo dive site — Diving The Crab
More dive sites in Diani Beach
Wreck
A purpose-sunk trawler carrying frogfish, nudibranchs and batfish
Drift
Coral ridges and sand channels with leaf fish and pegasus dragonfish
Reef
Turtles and blue-spotted rays on a long sloping reef
Similar dives elsewhere
A grotto of juvenile fish with a resident large moray
Manta cleaning stations on an amphitheatre of rock at 21-26 m
Octopus on the northern reef, where turtles are very common
A glassfish shelter at 25 m on the atoll's busiest reef