Scuba Diving Watamu Ltd.
Watamu, 25 km south of Malindi, offers one of the best diving locations on the Kenyan coast. Due to several coral reefs stretched out in front of Watamu, plankton rich water gathers in this bay. This leads to an accumulation of a diversity of sea flora and fauna, as well as the chances to encounter manta rays and whale shark- a divers dream!
The base:
The dive centre Scuba Diving Watamu Ltd, formerly Scuba Diving Kenya Ltd. (PADI Dive Center as well as a VDST (German CMAS) diving school) was established more than 20 years ago. It is owned and managed by Lorenz and Maja Riedl.
The dive centre is located next to the Blue Bay Village Hotel. The diving base is equipped with 6 diving boats, 3 Bauer air compressors and 150 diving tanks (INT and DIN). Customers have access to a fully equipped workshop with a charging station, as well as a storage facility for personal diving gear. A free shuttle service from your hotel in Watamu to the diving base is offered.
The 2 daily dives are carried out in the morning (8h and 10h20) on Mondays till Saturdays in the Marine National Park and Reserve. Almost all dive spots can be reached within 10 to 20 min by boat. Dives lead to a depth of between 10 and 40 m. There are approx. 15 dive sites to choose from. Water temperatures vary between 25 and 29 C. Visibility ranges from 20 to 40 m.
In May, June and July the center remains closed. In August & September dives have to take place inside the reef due to bad conditions. The diving season for experienced divers extends from beginning of November through to the end of March. For beginners conditions are also suitable from August till October.
Diving Courses
Scuba Diving Watamu Ltd is associated with VDST / MTA (CMAS Germany) and PADI, which sets high standards in the diving education as well as on the qualification of its instructors.
They offer most of the PADI courses ranging from Discover Scuba Diving and Open water Diver up to Divemaster, and VDST/CMAS - courses up to DTSA-Gold resp.CMAS*** which are conducted by very experienced instructors.
Some of the Dive Sites
WRECK "SHAKWE"
During a storm in 1990 the fishing trawler "Shakwe" of 25m length capsized and sank. She lies at a depth of only 12 m, almost undamaged on her starboard side. Within a short period of time her hull was overgrown with small coral heads in which many small crabs of different kinds, as well as nudibranchs can be found. A shoal of batfish has established its home here. A apart from the wheelhouse the wreck is not accessible. But the observation of large groupers, stingrays, and octopus compensates you. The wreck is an ideal point for beginners.
CANYON, CANYON NORTH, DEEP PLACE UND BRAIN CORAL
These 4 dive areas are located on the northern reef and drop from 10 to about 27 m from where they turn into sandy bottom. In the 'Canyon' the reef rises again after a 25 m wide ditch. In this channel, where you sometimes experience a current, one can often spot reef sharks or large stingrays. Of course the normal coral growth it not missing here. At many of these dive points leaf fish have established their homes. The 'Brain Coral' is a very old coral hill, now partly collapsing, which hosts a diversity of coral fish. All these dive locations are also suitable for beginners.
WHALESHARKS
The whale shark: a diver's dream! Due to the high concentration of plankton in the bay of Watamu, one can face manta rays or whale sharks. They are frequently seen at Manta Place, at the wreck, the Black Coral Reef or at the Soldierfish place. Chances of encounters are not less likely at the other dive sites. The best period is during the months of January and February. The Watamu bay is well known for its whale sharks and therefore a MUST for all divers.
