Kisite Reef

The centrepiece of Kisite-Mpunguti Marine Park, this broad coral platform sits 5 km off Shimoni and tops out at 5 m before shelving in broad terraces to 25 m, its upper reaches carpeted in hard Acropora tables and massive Porites domes that have been growing undisturbed for decades. Visibility regularly exceeds 25 m during the northeast monsoon season, and the current-fed outer edge attracts large aggregations of surgeonfish and unicornfish hovering in the water column while resident hawksbill turtles move methodically across the plateau. From October through February whale sharks cruise the surface just beyond the reef crest, making this one of the most reliable whale shark encounter sites in East Africa.