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Ocean Calling

Ocean Atlas · Africa

Africa

Kenya

Warm Indian Ocean reefs with turtles and seasonal whale sharks, and humpback whales and dolphins watched from the boat.

Long sandy beach and gentle waves on the south coast of Kenya
South coast of Kenya · Photo: Ezekiel Kilimo on Unsplash
Exploring

Ethics pass, with care. We found a way to visit this country that meets our animal-welfare standard, as long as we work with the right local operator. Checked by Ocean Calling on 5 Oct 2026. Sources: Whale Watching Handbook: Kenya country profile, IWC; A citizen science approach for documenting mass coral bleaching in the Western Indian Ocean, Environments (MDPI), 2025; Perez-Jorge et al. 2016, boat traffic and dolphin emigration at Kisite, Biological Conservation.

🧭 Travel advice, checked 5 Oct 2026. The UK FCDO (4 Sep 2026) advises against all travel to Mandera, parts of Wajir, most of Garissa and Lamu County except Lamu and Manda islands, and against all but essential travel to Garissa Town, Tana River north of the Tana, and within 15 km of the east coast between the Tana and Galana rivers. Terrorism is the main threat. Zone boundaries differ between governments. Sources: Kenya travel advice, UK FCDO · Kenya travel advice, Government of Canada Advice differs by passport: check your own government before you plan.

ScubaSnorkellingWhalesWhale sharksTurtles

Why Kenya

Kenya's south and north coast have old marine parks with coral reefs, green and hawksbill turtles and reef sharks, for scuba and snorkelling. At Watamu a turtle rescue project works with local fishers, and humpback whales pass from about July to October. On the south coast near Diani, whale sharks are seen in some years from about November to March, and at Kisite near Shimoni dolphins live around the reefs. We watch whales and dolphins only from the boat, because the local guidelines ask people not to swim with dolphins. In 2024 many corals on this coast bleached in a marine heatwave, so reef health is part of what we are still checking. Lamu, in the far north, is under travel warnings from several governments, so Ocean Calling is only researching it for now. As with all wildlife, sightings are never certain.

Conservation-led. Ocean Calling guests never chase, touch or bait animals.

FijiTanzaniaDem. Rep. CongoSomaliaKenyaSudanChadFranceZimbabweBotswanaNamibiaMaliBeninNigerNigeriaCameroonCentral African Rep.CongoGabonEq. GuineaZambiaMalawiMozambiqueAngolaBurundiMadagascarIndiaEritreaEthiopiaDjiboutiSomalilandUgandaRwandaS. SudanWatamu, KenyaDiani, KenyaShimoni and Kisite, Kenya

When to go

Oct-Mar. Timing changes by place and by animal, so check each place below.

We have researched this place and keep learning about it. There is no trip here yet.

Our ethics check

Can we travel here ethically?

Ethics pass, with care

Good with the right operator. Here is how we choose.

Kenya's marine parks protect reefs and turtles, and the wildlife service code asks boats to stay 100 metres from dolphins, with no swimming. This code is only voluntary, and at Kisite more boats around the dolphins made them more likely to leave the area for a season. We watch dolphins and whales only from one calm boat, and because many corals bleached in 2024, we check reef health before each trip.

Checked 5 Oct 2026. Places change, so we look again every year.

Sources for this check
Places we are exploring

Where in Kenya

Short notes from our research. Wildlife is never guaranteed.

Watamu

Exploring

An old marine park with turtles and reef life, and humpback whales and dolphins watched from the boat in season.

🤿 In the water: Green and hawksbill turtles, Reef fish and corals, Whitetip and blacktip reef sharks (on some dives), Octopus and small reef life

⛵ From the boat or shore, never in the water: Humpback whales (about Jul-Oct, from the boat), Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphins (from the boat)

When: Oct-Mar. The sea is often calmer and clearer from about October to March. Humpback whales pass from about July to October, when the sea can be rough. A turtle rescue project here works with local fishers.

Diani

Exploring

A long white beach with reef diving, and whale sharks in some years.

🤿 In the water: Reef fish and small reef life, Turtles, Freediving training on calm days

⛵ From the boat or shore, never in the water: Whale sharks (some years, about Nov to Mar, never certain), Humpback whales (about Jul-Oct, from the boat), Dolphins (from the boat)

When: Oct-Mar. October to March often brings calmer, clearer water. Whale sharks are seen in some years from about November to March, but not every year. Humpbacks pass from about July to October.

Shimoni and Kisite

Exploring

A protected reef near the Tanzanian border, with turtles, coral gardens and dolphins watched from the boat.

🤿 In the water: Coral gardens and reef fish, Turtles, Deeper walls for experienced divers

⛵ From the boat or shore, never in the water: Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphins (from the boat), Indian Ocean humpback dolphins (rare, from the boat), Spinner dolphins (about Jan-Apr, from the boat), Humpback whales (about Jul-Oct, from the boat)

When: Oct-Mar. Kisite is a marine national park. The local guidelines ask boats to keep a calm distance and not to swim with the dolphins, and we follow this. The sea is usually calmer from about October to March.

Animals

Animals recorded in Kenya

Tap an animal to learn how it lives, where it travels and how to meet it respectfully.

Land animals
Humpback whale swimming close with long pectoral finHumpback whaleMegaptera novaeangliaeSeen in 87 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernHuge spotted whale shark gliding through open blue waterWhale sharkRhincodon typusSeen in 54 countries in the AtlasEndangeredPod of bottlenose dolphins swimming over a Red Sea coral reefIndo-Pacific bottlenose dolphinTursiops aduncusSeen in 29 countries in the AtlasNear ThreatenedIndian Ocean humpback dolphin showing its pale dorsal humpIndian Ocean humpback dolphinSousa plumbeaSeen in 13 countries in the AtlasEndangeredTwo spinner dolphins swimming over sand in clear waterSpinner dolphinStenella longirostrisSeen in 66 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernGreen turtle resting on the reef, shell and head pattern in sharp detailGreen turtleChelonia mydasSeen in 103 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernHawksbill turtle swimming, pointed beak in profileHawksbill turtleEretmochelys imbricataSeen in 88 countries in the AtlasCritically EndangeredTwo blacktip reef sharks swimming over sunlit sand in turquoise waterBlacktip reef sharkCarcharhinus melanopterusSeen in 38 countries in the AtlasVulnerableWhitetip reef sharks resting stacked in a reef creviceWhitetip reef sharkTriaenodon obesusSeen in 43 countries in the AtlasVulnerableDay octopus beside a coral head on a sandy Red Sea reefDay octopusOctopus cyaneaSeen in 35 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernBryde’s whale surfacing and exhaling in deep blue open oceanBryde's whaleBalaenoptera edeniSeen in 36 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernOrcas surfacing close together in calm Arctic Norwegian watersOrca (killer whale)Orcinus orcaSeen in 55 countries in the AtlasData DeficientSperm whale mother raising her fluke beside her calf off DominicaSperm whalePhyseter macrocephalusSeen in 114 countries in the AtlasVulnerableFalse killer whale surging through blue water off Rota, Mariana IslandsFalse killer whalePseudorca crassidensSeen in 41 countries in the AtlasNear ThreatenedScalloped hammerhead shark cruising in deep blue Red Sea waterScalloped hammerheadSphyrna lewiniSeen in 57 countries in the AtlasCritically EndangeredDugong grazing on seagrass over a sandy seabedDugongDugong dugonSeen in 32 countries in the AtlasVulnerableWild coelacanth with white spots at 69 m off Pumula, South AfricaCoelacanthLatimeria chalumnaeSeen in 4 countries in the AtlasCritically EndangeredGiant guitarfish (whitespotted wedgefish) resting on a sandy seabed off Durban, South AfricaWhitespotted wedgefishRhynchobatus djiddensisSeen in 9 countries in the AtlasCritically EndangeredLoggerhead turtle at the surface feeding on Portuguese man o' warLoggerhead turtleCaretta carettaSeen in 89 countries in the AtlasVulnerableSchool of bigeye trevally swirling near the seabed at AmedBigeye trevallyCaranx sexfasciatusSeen in 48 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernHumphead wrasse swimming over a coral reef in Raja AmpatHumphead wrasse (Napoleon wrasse)Cheilinus undulatusSeen in 34 countries in the AtlasEndangeredBlue-spotted ribbontail ray resting on sand, seen from aboveBlue-spotted ribbontail rayTaeniura lymmaSeen in 22 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernGreat barracuda cruising in open blue water, showing jagged teethGreat barracudaSphyraena barracudaSeen in 84 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernEstuary seahorse with textured orange skin on dark sandCommon (estuary) seahorseHippocampus kudaSeen in 25 countries in the AtlasVulnerableZebra shark resting on sandy reef floor, spotted body and ridgesZebra sharkStegostoma tigrinumSeen in 17 countries in the AtlasEndangeredBluestreak cleaner wrasse with black stripe and blue tailBluestreak cleaner wrasseLabroides dimidiatusSeen in 51 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernSilky shark swimming near the surface in blue waterSilky sharkCarcharhinus falciformisSeen in 48 countries in the AtlasVulnerablePortuguese man o' war floating with purple crest off Pico, AzoresPortuguese man o' warPhysalia physalisSeen in 36 countries in the AtlasNot EvaluatedPale reef stonefish resting between anemones in KwajaleinReef stonefishSynanceia verrucosaSeen in 25 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernTitan triggerfish swimming over a reef slope in blue waterTitan triggerfishBalistoides viridescensSeen in 40 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernPicasso triggerfish with painted pattern over sand in the MaldivesPicasso triggerfish (lagoon triggerfish)Rhinecanthus aculeatusSeen in 41 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernRed lionfish with spread fins over sand in Dauin, PhilippinesLionfish (red and common lionfish)Pterois volitans and Pterois milesSeen in 80 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernHippopotamuses resting in a lagoon on Orango island with only their backs above the water and trees along the shoreCommon hippopotamusHippopotamus amphibiusSeen in 17 countries in the AtlasLives on landVulnerableWedge-tailed shearwaters resting togetherWedge-tailed shearwaterArdenna pacificaSeen in 46 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernMasked booby on Ascension IslandMasked boobySula dactylatraSeen in 80 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernClose view of a red-footed booby head with blue, pink and red bill and throat skin among green leavesRed-footed boobySula sulaSeen in 91 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernAmerican flamingo wading in shallow water with its head lowered toward the surface, Yucatán, MexicoAmerican flamingoPhoenicopterus ruberSeen in 47 countries in the AtlasLives on landLeast ConcernGreat cormorant perched on a branch, with white head plumes and a glossy blue-black backGreat cormorantPhalacrocorax carboSeen in 90 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernGreat frigatebird in flight, with long angled wings and a forked tailGreat frigatebirdFregata minorSeen in 44 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernWilson's storm-petrel resting on calm water with its wings raised above its backWilson's storm-petrelOceanites oceanicusSeen in 41 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernLesser frigatebird soaring against a blue sky with its wings spread and tail forkedLesser frigatebirdFregata arielSeen in 39 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernReed cormorant perched on a low stump among tall reedsReed cormorant (long-tailed cormorant)Microcarbo africanusSeen in 27 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernAfrican darter with wings spread low over the water, droplets flyingAfrican darterAnhinga rufaSeen in 21 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernBottlenose wedgefish swimming close past a reef, white spots along its backBottlenose wedgefishRhynchobatus australiaeSeen in 9 countries in the AtlasCritically Endangered
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Also in Africa
AngolaBeninCabo VerdeCameroonCôte d'IvoireDemocratic Republic of the CongoEquatorial GuineaGabonGambiaGhanaGuineaGuinea-BissauLiberiaMauritaniaMozambiqueNamibiaNigeriaRepublic of the CongoSaint HelenaSão Tomé and PríncipeSenegalSierra LeoneSouth AfricaTanzaniaTogoWestern Sahara

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