Warm azure ocean, swaying coconut palms on white sandy beaches are to be found in the Mombasa Marine National Park and Reserve. The park lies between the Mtwapa and Tudor Creeks and its blue waters are ideal for wind surfing, water skiing, snorkelling and diving. They also provide a home to a colourful variety of marine species including crabs, starfish, stone fish, cucumbers sea urchins, corals, turtles, sea grasses and interesting migratory birds including crab plovers.
The coral reef on the Kenyan coastline traverses a distance of 143 miles (230 kilometers) from Shimoni to Malindi, broken only briefly by inlets for the rivers and creeks of Mombasa Island and Kilifi, and the channels on either side of the island represent the deepest and most sheltered waters. Just a short 20 minutes after leaving the shore, you arrive at some of the most pristine dive sites in the world and the second largest barrier reef on the planet!
Kenya is recognized as one of the top three dive sites on earth, and Mombasa Marine Park should not be missed! Reef dives, night dives and wreck dives are among the most popular scuba diving excursions, and you can plan for a single or double dive trip each and every day! Mombasa Marine Reserve is one of many where fishing is illegal, so marine life are not threatened and the numbers remain high, so you will certainly see a great abundance of aquatic life during every dive, from the smallest damselfish to dolphins or even sharks!
Almost one million aquatic species live in coral reefs, and you will see an array of patterns and colors fish camouflage and hide from predators. For more advanced divers, AfricanMecca Safaris recommends drift and night dives, as well as a wreck dive on the MV Dania that was sunk for the sole purpose of wreck penetration. The depth at MV Dania ranges from 82 to 115 feet (25 to 35 meters) and is only recommended for advance divers. Beginner divers can dive at varied dive sites from Coral Gardens at 23 feet (7 meters) to Kasa that ranges from 32 to 65 feet (10-20 meters).
How to get there
Sited in the city of Mombasa about 487 km from Nairobi, the park can be reached by road from Mombasa city centre, and then connected by boat from the various points along the beach which include: Serena Gate on beach of Serena Hotel, Severin Gate on beach of Severin Hotel, Travellers Gate on beach of Travellers Hotel, Nyali Gate at Mombasa Marine Park Headquarters and Voyager Gate at Voyager water sport Area
