Wasini Island & Kisite-Mpunguti · Kenya · Reef · Coral garden
Kisite Island Reef
A calm hard-coral slope fringing Kisite Island, inside the marine park
Photo: Ewout Knoester · CC BY-SA 4.0
Kisite Island Reef is the coral reef fringing Kisite Island inside Kisite-Mpunguti Marine National Park, south of Wasini Island. It is a relaxed slope of hard corals with little or no current, which makes it the park's easy dive for beginners and for divers returning after a long break.
Also known as Kisite Island, Inner Kisite, Outer Kisite.
Where it is and how deep
4.7198° S, 39.3716° EApproximate position — the dashed circle shows where the site lies; your operator's briefing has the mooring.
The dive
The reef is a gently sloping wall that runs from the surface down to 18 m, covered in hard corals all the way. With little or no current the dive is a slow, easy swim along the slope, where sea turtles graze on the corals and blue-spotted stingrays dart off across the reef. Certified divers on the dhow safaris keep to the reef down to 12 m.
Marine life and season
- Sea turtles
- Stingrays
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prime | Prime | Prime | Fair | Fair | Fair | Good | Good | Good | Good | Prime | Prime |
Season follows Wasini Island & Kisite-Mpunguti: November to March has the calmest seas; April to June is the rainy season, with a strong current and rough water in May and June.
Dive videos
Underwater Paradise in Kisite 🐢🐟 | Fun Dive with Aqualand Kenya | Wasini Trip · Aqualand Kenya on YouTube
Sources
- Scuba diving in the marine reserve — Pilli Pipa Dhow Safari
- Kisite Island, Kwale, Kenya — OpenStreetMap
Photo credits
- A green wrasse covered in black spots, with a red-and-white tail and an orange head striped blue, swims over hard coral by Ewout Knoester, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
More dive sites in Wasini Island & Kisite-Mpunguti
Wall
A plunging reef where strong currents pull in pelagic fish
Similar dives elsewhere
The 'Christmas Tree' green tree coral on the seaward drop-off
Coral bommies on white sand, from 5 m down to 17 m
Gestating ragged-tooth sharks settle here from December
Deeper outer system of branching, table and plate corals