Watamu & Malindi · Kenya · Reef
Brain Coral Reef
A massive brain coral formation at 15-18 m beside the buoy line
Area photo: phil from uk · CC BY 2.0
Brain Coral Reef is named for the massive coral formation that sits beside the buoy line at 15-18 m, on the edge of a sandy channel off Watamu. The reef adjoining it shelters turtles and juvenile reef sharks in the coral, and a congregation of eels lives along the sand margin at its foot.
Also known as Brain Coral.
Where it is and how deep
No published position for this site — the map shows Watamu & Malindi and its other sites; operators know the mooring.
The dive
The site takes its name from a massive coral formation that sits next to the buoy line at 15-18 m, on the edge of a sandy channel, and that formation is the reference point for the whole dive. Along the sand margin at its foot sits a congregation of eels, and the account that describes them also has large manta rays moving along the channel.
The reef adjoining the formation shelters turtles and juvenile reef sharks in its coral structures, with blue-lined snapper and clouds of glassfish over the top, and stonefish and lionfish on the reef itself - both worth knowing about before putting a hand down. The colourful fish are described as thickest in the shallower water, so the end of the dive is not the dull part.
Marine life and season
- Sea turtles
- Reef sharks
- Reef fish swarms
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prime | Prime | Good | Off-season | Off-season | Off-season | Fair | Good | Good | Good | Prime | Prime |
Season follows Watamu & Malindi: Oct–Mar is the season, with whale sharks Nov–Feb; the kusi monsoon and long rains shut most centres from April to June.
Know before you go
- Stonefish are among the fish on this reef and are almost invisible against the bottom - keep fins and hands clear and look before settling anywhere.
- Lionfish are on the reef too; give them room rather than backing into one while lining up a photograph.
Questions divers ask
How deep is Brain Coral Reef?+
The formation the site is named for sits at 15-18 m, next to the buoy line on the edge of a sandy channel, with the reef around it in the same range.
Sources
- Diving Watamu: Vuma Caves & Mida Wreck — Just Gotta Dive
More dive sites in Watamu & Malindi
Reef
Black coral and metre-wide basket sponges at 30 to 40 m
Reef
A grotto of juvenile fish with a resident large moray
Wall
A drop-off named for the dolphins that buoyed it
Reef
A flower-like anemone full of shrimps and pipefish
Wreck
Glassfish and sweepers over a sponge-crusted trawler
Reef
A reef dropping from 10 m to 27 m, with nudibranchs in a range of colours
Reef
Octopus on the northern reef, where turtles are very common
Reef
A wide variety of lionfish and leaf fish on mixed coral
Similar dives elsewhere
The 'Christmas Tree' green tree coral on the seaward drop-off
A 600 m reef cut by caves, gullies and drop-offs
Reef
Shark Point
Mombasa, Nyali & Bamburi · Kenya
White tip reef sharks gathering on a marine-park reef slope
.jpg){kind=link}
Two kilometres of ledges, pinnacles and gullies, diveable in most weather