A large part of the Kenyan underwater world is now protected in national parks and reserves, and you do not have to be an experienced diver to go see and admire the colourful animals around the reefs. In Africa, Kenya has taken the lead in setting up national parks and reserves around the reefs and endangered areas of the Indian Ocean. In these areas harpoon fishing is prohibited, as well as shells or coral collecting and the disturbance of the animals. Often it is possible to snorkel or dive among the numerous coral gardens that can compete in beauty and diversity with the reefs in the Red Sea.
The Watamu Marine Reserve stretches from just south of the town of Malindi to below Watamu, in Mida Creek. The reserve includes two national parks. The first one, Malindi, stretches a half mile into the sea between Chanoni Point and Leopard Point. The most interesting part is the North Reef, approximately parallel to the coast. The southern part contains numerous coral gardens, which slopes gradually to the Stork Passage at around 15 meters depth. At the land side of the reef, the coral is flanked by the slightly less deep Barracuda Channel. The fish in these numerous coral gardens are beautifully coloured. Among the most common types include the fish built with his "scalpel" to the tail, wimple fish with his extended dorsal fin, and other more common residents like morays, sea eel and squid. Sea turtles are regularly seen, when they come to lay huge numbers of eggs in the sand above the waterline.
The second part of the Watamu Marine National Park is located approximately 25 km south of Malindi. There runs a channel in the lagoon all the way along the entire length of the bay. On the eastern edge of this the numerous coral reefs start. The most exciting part of the Watama Park is Big Three Caves, at the entrance of Mida Creek in the southern border of the reserve. The caves are named after the three huge bass that live here. They are as big as a hammerhead shark and according to some just as ugly. With the exception of experienced divers only few people get the chance to see these 200 kilograms weighing giants. The pains of mud inland from the creek, which are dry at low tide, have a great attraction for birds and birdwatchers. The area is surrounded by mangroves where herons come for nesting.
Approximately 70 km south of Mombasa lies Shimoni, "the place of the rocks" Near this small town, the Mpunguti Marine National Reserve was established in 1978 as a second marine reserve in Kenya. The reserve includes the Inner and Outer Islands Mpunguti and the Kisite sand bank. This sand bank is even designated as a national park and has the clearest water of the entire Kenyan coast. The Kisite-Mpunguti Park is accessible only by boat, the conditions are ideal at low spring tide. The cruise from Shimoni takes about a half hour. During the trip dolphins are seen regularly, but the bottlenose dolphin rarely stay close by when people enter the water. The boat trip takes you past the edge of one of the best locations in the eastern African coast for deep-sea fishing; the over 300 meter deep Pemba Channel. Here yellowfin tuna schools are seen often, and in recent years also increasingly giant rays, dolphins, whales and whale sharks. For the coast of Shimoni lies Wasini Island, with an Arab settlement as old as Lamu. You can visit Wasini with a dhow cruise, including snorkelling on the reefs around Kisite Island.
An interesting place for birdwatchers is Whale Island because the sterns that nest in August and September. The island is located near Mida Creek (at Watuma) at the southern end of the park. The island looks inhospitable, but can be reached at low tide on foot. The tide pools between the rocks are loaded with crabs and other small aquatic animals.
The park is only 10 km2 while the total reserve is 200 km2. The park is especially for novice divers and snorkelers a great day out, especially since it is located just off the coast of Mombasa (starting from Mombasa north). At Bamburi Beach and Shanzu Beach there is an abundant selection of beach hotels. The park has a beautiful coral reef with many starfish, but the diving is not as good as at Watamu or Kisite.
Kiunga Marine National Reserve incorporates a chain of about 50 calcareous offshore islands and coral reefs in the Lamu Archipelago, running for some 60km parallel to the coastline off the northern most coast of Kenya and adjacent to Dodori and Boni National Reserves on the mainland. Composed of old, eroded coral, the islands mainly lie inland around 2km offshore and inshore of the fringing reef. They vary in size from a few hundred sq m to 100ha or more. Their walls rise sheer from the surrounding seabed and are usually deeply undercut on the landward side. The larger islands and the more sheltered inner islands are covered with low, tangled thorny vegetation including grass, aloes and creepers. The small outer islands provide nest sites for migratory seabirds. The reserve conserves valuable coral reefs, sea grass meadows and extensive mangrove forests, with their attendant biodiversity and is also a refuge for sea turtles and dugongs.
