Horrifying images spread on social media of people fleeing the beach in panic, others lying bleeding and screaming in the sand.
In addition to gunfire, explosions could also be heard.
A witness, Mohamud Moalim, told The Associated Press in a phone call he saw an attacker wearing an explosive vest moments before the man "blew himself up next to the Beach View Hotel".
Moalim said some of his friends who were with him at the hotel were killed and others were wounded.
Another witness, Abdisalam Adam, told AP he "saw many people lying on the ground" and had helped take some injured people to the hospital.
Lido Beach is a favourite weekend destination for Mogadishu residents. According to police reports, the shooting was preceded by an explosion from a suicide bomber.
The Islamist terrorist militia al-Shabab claimed responsibility for the attack on its radio station.
The Islamists control areas in parts of Somalia, but have been pushed back from the capital in recent years.
Nevertheless, attacks on government institutions and on hotels or restaurants in Mogadishu, where the Islamists believe a Western lifestyle prevails, are still occurring.
In July, 11 people died in a terrorist attack on a restaurant during the final of the European Football Championship.
With AP
25°C