Scuba Season

The Aquarium

Watamu & Malindi · Kenya

The Aquarium is Watamu Marine National Park's signature dive site, a broad shallow reef plateau ringed by coral bommies so densely colonised they resemble a living garden. Plate corals, brain corals, and staghorn formations provide habitat for enormous schools of yellowfin goatfish, powder-blue surgeonfish, and parrotfish grinding away at the substrate. Green and hawksbill turtles rest on the sandy patches between coral heads, seemingly unbothered by divers hovering alongside them. Octopus tuck into crevices and lionfish hang motionless beneath overhangs. The site suits beginners and experienced divers equally, with shallow depths and calm lagoon conditions making long bottom times comfortable even in peak season.

Conditions

Depth

5 to 18 m

Good for beginners

Current

Often strong

Can pick up on the edge

Visibility

6 to 12 m

Clearest in the calm season

Water

24 to 29°C

3mm wetsuit

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Gear

  • Basic kit

    • Mask and fins
    • BCD and regulator
    • 3mm full wetsuit · warm water
    • Dive computer