Watamu sits on Kenya's north coast and its dive sites lie within Watamu Marine National Park, one of Africa's oldest marine parks, established in the nineteen sixties. The three sites in our database are all reef and wall dives accessed by boat, spanning a depth range from shallow reef tops to walls dropping to thirty metres. South Canyon features overhangs along a second reef wall, Moray Reef offers steep drop-offs with variable conditions, and Brain Coral sits on the edge of a sandy channel. Visibility is variable across all three, ranging from poor to excellent depending on conditions. The species list includes giant moray, bottlenose dolphin, green sea turtle, whale shark, and bluespotted fantail ray. Six operators cover the area, with several based in Malindi.
Monthly water temperature across Watamu's sites, from satellite sea-surface data corrected for depth. The band shows the site-to-site spread.
Water temperatures are warm and relatively stable, hovering around twenty-six to twenty-nine degrees Celsius throughout the year, with the coolest months running from mid-year through to early autumn. The high season from October to March brings calmer seas and generally more favourable conditions for outer reef sites. Some operators reduce access to exposed sites during the heavier weather of May and June.
6 operators
Water temperature around Watamu ranges from about 26°C in July to 29°C in April, based on satellite sea-temperature data for its dive sites.
In the warm season (about 29°C) a rash guard or 3mm shorty is comfortable in Watamu; in the coldest months (about 26°C) step up to a 3mm full suit.
Fin maps 3 sites in Watamu (3 scuba diving sites).
Across Watamu's dive sites, March, October and November are most often reported as the best months to visit.
