Shaab Kentkana is the easternmost reef of the Shaab Aluaster group and is located 32 km from the mainland. Like the other reefs in its group, it does not belong to St. John’s reefs, which are 11 km further south. Nevertheless, we have included it in this section because of its proximity to them. The 270 m long reef is currently mostly frequented by fishermen, as attested by a lost net at its western tip A, and liveaboards seldom come by, letting divers here explore it alone. The visibility underwater is almost always good and strong currents are rare, which combined with the reef’s shallow depth make diving here easy.
To the southwest the reef walls drop to an average depth of 20 m before meeting the gently sloping seabed, while several beautiful coral gardens A A A grow at intervals along the walls, waiting to be explored. The entrances to some small caves Alie hidden behind these corals, but because their passages become very narrow in some places, they should only be entered with caution and by experienced divers. Less demanding niches and caverns into the reef are found to the south A and at the eastern tip. They are spacious, do not branch out and add an enchanting variation to the dive. You might even find young whitetip reef sharks sheltering within them. We do not recommend the northern side, however, which like the western tip has little of interest.
Though the reef is large and wide, because of its orientation, the weather determines if you can moor here overnight. Night dives are therefore limited but offer a remarkable view of the underwater environment.
