Deep Sea Fishing in Kenya’s Coastal Waters – Indian Ocean
Deep sea fishing is one of the best activities that tourists enjoy on vacation at the Kenya’s coastal beaches. Over the years, several large fish including shark, Marlin and Barracuda have been spotted and caught in the Indian Ocean water. Deep sea skippers and fishermen love a good trip; one that brings forth enormous catches from various places in Indian Ocean with abundance of fish like the area around Lamu Island.
Lamu Island is a natural spectacle that stands just off the coast of Mombasa. The town retains the beautiful architecture used centuries ago even before the country was colonized by the British. Apart from its beautiful scenery and beaches, Lamu Island is home to what is probably the biggest deep sea fishing spots in the East African coast. The archipelago waters are home to some of the most popular sport fishing areas. The sheer volume and variety of the fish that is caught along the Lamu and Mombasa coasts is amazing.
There are several different fish that are easily found in these waters like wahoo, sailfish, broadbill, blue and black marlin, striped marlin, billfish, dorado, king fish, barracuda, mako shark and tiger shark, tuna and shortbill spearfish. Even though there are more than 40 different fish around Kenya’s coast, there are some that are more special than others.
The Marlin: This is a very powerful and aggressive fish. A mature Marlin weighs up to 600 pounds and has the strength to reel you into the water when caught. This fish is capable of swimming very deep even when wounded and catching it could take almost twenty minutes even for a professional deep sea fisher. The striped marlin is much easier to catch in the waters near Pemba Island. They are very agile and free swimmers. When caught, they give a spectacular show of acrobatics swimming in and out of the water in a bid to release the hook. Unlike the blue and black Marlin, the striped Marlin does not dive deep when injured; it leaps up into the air.
The Wahoo and Swordfish: The Wahoo has created a name for itself as the fastest fish in the Kenyan waters. This fish has the ability to run with a line even when injured. This fish has very sharp teeth and is relatively harder to catch and reel in. The Broadbill swordfish is best described as the hardest fish to reel in. Many times it cuts the line with its very sharp sword as it dives deep into the ocean to avoid getting caught.
The shark: This fish is considered as the beast of the ocean thanks to its sharp sense of smell and teeth. This is one of the most prized fish since it is a rare catch. There are different kinds of shark found in these waters but the most popular are the Tiger and the Mako shark.
Deep sea fishing is a growing business and sport along the coast and many companies are venturing into leasing fishing boats and gear. Nothing thrills and numbs the brain like playing hide-and-seek with fish in their natural habitat, but if you are determined to supplement your next meal, you have no option but to outsmart the fish.