Lake Malawi offers some of the best freshwater snorkeling and scuba diving in the world. Its year-round warm waters make it a great lake to go out and explore. After arriving at Kande Beach Campground we were excited to grab our gear and get into the water.
We have only ever gone scuba diving in saltwater on coral reefs in some of the best dive sites in the World. We were not really sure what we would see scuba diving in a freshwater lake or even if it would be worth spending the money.
Luckily, once we were under the water, it was surprising to see all the brightly colored Cichlid fish. The one thing about diving in freshwater, that we won’t soon forget, was the dark green color of the water.
We were not expecting that considering the surface of the lake is such a bright blue. As a result, we had medium visibility and a murky haze.
Despite this, we had two beautiful dives with some interesting sites. Here is a collection of our favorite photos from our dives in Lake Malawi. All photos included were created and are owned by Divergent Travelers.
Across from Kande beach is this little island on Lake Malawi, where everyone dives. It was a great island to scuba dive around with its House Reef.
A member in our group stayed suspended upside down for a few minutes waiting for our dive master. The old drive shaft held the buoy where the dive boats anchor.
A local fishing boat sitting at the bottom of Lake Malawi.
Tip of a sunken wood boat filled with rocks.
Locals use wood Mokoros as fishing boats.
Large yellow and white striped fish hiding.
While Scuba Diving Lake Malawi we Saw 100’s of these Large White Fish Called Lake Malawi Mbuna Cichlids.
Large blue and yellow fish hiding from us in the cracks of the rocks.
Scuba diver following a sandy lake bottom.
Scuba diver looking at all of the little fish swimming around the underwater tree.
Yes, it’s a jeep sitting at the bottom of Lake Malawi.
This once family car is now a family car for fish.
This large fish spawning hole was larger than a scuba diver.
The bottom of Lake Malawi turned from sand to rock.
Bright blue and yellow fish sticking to the sides of the rocks avoiding us.
Air bubble heading up to the surface.
Large blue and blackfish with a freshwater snail under its lip.
Lina Stock diving around the large rocks.
Scuba Diver swimming in between large rocks. They were slimy with green sludge.
Me, David, scuba diving in Lake Malawi.
Freshwater crab hanging out on a rock.
Freshwater crab hiding under a rock. He was not happy with me poking the GoPro in his face.
Catfish up close and personal. Here you can see how murky the water was.
You never know what is hiding in dark places, Large Catfish hiding in the rocks.
Sunlight shimmering deep below the surface of Lake Malawi.
“The Lake of Stars” is the nickname for Lake Malawi, given by David Livingstone. This name came from the lanterns of the fishermen in Malawi on their boats, that resemble, from a distance, stars in the sky.
Have you ever been freshwater scuba diving?
We camped on Kande Beach with Oasis Overland during our 17-week overland trip through Africa from Cape Town to Cairo.
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About David Stock
I have always been an outdoorsman so becoming an adventure traveler was just the next natural step. I love nature, I love to get off the beaten path and I like to explore. I enjoy scuba diving and cars. And yes, Lina and I have a naked dog.
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3 thoughts on “Scuba Diving Lake Malawi in 34 Underwater Photos”
Wow! Incredible photos! Thanks for posting this!
Great photos Lake Malawi is known for its colorful tropical fish many are mainstays of the current tropical fish business and are bred in Florida
Yea, it was cool to see all the color in the freshwater Cichlids!