The whale season starts in July and continues through to September, when the humpbacks move south through the Pemba channel towards Zanzibar and further southwards. They are seen as individual males, or a mother and a calf usually.
Sometimes they just come in close and remain there for a day or two. Many sightings have been done just off the lighthouse, only a few kilometers north of the resort as they breach in the late afternoons when the wind has been blowing. It is difficult to predict exactly when you can see them, but August and September are the critical months. We see them from the north Coast of Kenya (around Mombasa and south to Shimoni) and then in the Pemba channel and along the Pemba Coastline to Zanzibar.
Other whale sightings, that are more reliable and with a longer season, are the Whale sharks. They arrive along the coast in November, and remain along Kenya's coast till end early March. January and February are very good. We see them sometimes every day, sometimes they disappear and return after a week, and are seen every other day. There are some specific locations where we see them most. What we suggest in this case, is that we organize a program that is open ended in locations. The key season is November till March.
The easiest way to guarantee a dive or snorkel with whale sharks is to cross the channel to the Funzi bay adjacent to Shimoni, in Kenyan waters. Since El Niño there has been a huge increase in the number of regular sightings in these waters, with not a week going by with none around. January, February remain the peak season. A visit can easily be arranged from The Manta Resort to Shimoni.
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