Kinondo Reef

A gently sloping fringing reef a short boat ride from Diani Beach, Kinondo is the most accessible dive site on the southern Kenyan coast and the best introduction to the region's marine life. The upper reef at 8 to 12 m is dominated by enormous Porites and brain coral heads that have been growing for a century or more, sheltering cleaner shrimp stations visited by chains of bluestreak wrasse and queuing parrotfish. The outer slope deepens to 25 m and is home to a reliable resident octopus population in the rubble zone, lion fish hunting between brain corals, and occasional sightings of the elusive flying gurnard strutting across the sandy apron on luminous pectoral wing-fins.