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The Pinewood Beach Resort is one of the many hotels located along Diani Beach. Here, the coral reef is quite far from the coast, and you are advised to stay on the shallow flat that faces the beach. In these seagrass meadows areas, dotted with rocky outcrops, you are likely to spot clownfish, angelfish, lionfish and several species of starfish.

A snorkeler off Pinewood Beach Resort, Diani
A snorkeler in front of Pinewood Beach Resort.

How to go snorkeling at Pinewood Beach

The Pinewood Beach Resort is one of the many hotels located along Diani Beach, about 40km south of Mombasa. Even if you are not staying in the hotel, you can reach this spot from other hotels by walking on the beach.

Pinewood Beach snorkeling map, Diani

Water entrance for snorkeling at Pinewood Beach

We recommend exploring this spot at low tide. Walk towards the reef until you have enough water to swim. Ask for local advice for the best time to get in the water and not be surprised by the ebb or flood tide.

Pinewood Beach snorkeling exploration tips

Several areas can easily be snorkeled, directly off the beach at the Pinewood Resort. These generally consist of shallow seagrass beds, however, dotted amongst these are areas of rocky outcrop, with associated coral growth and numerous fish species. The area is also notable for good echinoderm species (starfish and urchins).

Twobar anemonefish in Diani Beach
In the seagrass meadows, you may encounter twobar anemonefish in sea anemones. They frequently share their “home” with juvenile threespot dascyllus.

Swimming straight out (50-100m at low water), from the beach directly in front of the restaurant area, over extensive seagrass beds, will bring you to one of the rock outcrops. The rocky outcrops are surrounded by seagrass and covered with urchins and corals, as well as attracting numerous different fish species.

Juvenile emperor angelfish in Diani Beach
At this spot, juvenile emperor angelfish can be found singly, in association with rocky reef outcrops.

Amongst the fish species you may spot at Pinewood Beach are the emperor angelfish, the twobar anemonefish, the longfin batfish, the threespot dascyllus, the Indian Ocean lionfish, and dozens of other colorful reef fish.

In the sand and seagrass beds, two starfish species are also common: the red-knobbed sea star and the Indian Ocean cushion sea star.

Restaurants and accommodation nearby

The Pinewood Beach Resort has its own bar and restaurant.

 

  • Level required Intermediate
  • Maximum depth10ft/3m
  • Water entranceFrom a sandy beach
  • LifeguardNo
  • Visitor numbersLow
  • Access costsFree
  • Restaurants nearbyYes, at Pinewood Resort

MAP Spot

These spots are accessible to anyone with basic snorkeling skills, and feeling comfortable in the water and with his snorkeling gear. You will enter the water from the shore (beach, pontoon, ladder, rocks) or from a boat. The water height in the sea entrance area is reasonable, but you will not necessarily be within your depth. Moderate currents can occur in the area, even when the sea conditions are good. The distance to swim to reach the most interesting snorkeling areas of the spot does not exceed 200 meters.

This level only apply when the spot experiences optimal sea and/or weather conditions. It is not applicable if the sea and/or weather conditions deteriorate, in particular in the presence of rough sea, rain, strong wind, unusual current, large tides, waves and/or swell. You can find more details about the definition of our snorkeling levels on our snorkeling safety page.