Surfing in Kenya
Kenya has waves, not a surf coast, and one piece of geography explains why. A fringing reef absorbs most of the swell before it reaches the beach. For a traveller already on the coast the surf is well worth chasing; for anyone choosing a country by its waves, it is not.
Kenya has waves, not a surf coast, and one piece of geography explains why. A fringing reef absorbs most of the swell before it reaches the beach. For a traveller already on the coast the surf is well worth chasing; for anyone choosing a country by its waves, it is not.
Safaris That Include Surfing
A Guide to Surfing in Kenya
Kenya has surf, but it does not have a surf coast in the way that Mozambique, South Africa or the Indonesian archipelago do, and any guide that suggests otherwise is selling something. The waves here are small, seasonal and heavily conditioned by one piece of geography. Understanding that piece of geography explains the whole subject in a paragraph.
For a traveller already on the Kenyan coast, surfing is a genuine and rewarding thing to do, with a small, long-established and welcoming local scene. For a traveller choosing a country on the strength of its waves, Kenya is not the answer. This guide is written for the first of those readers.
The reef is the reason
A fringing coral reef runs along most of the Kenyan coastline, sitting a few hundred metres offshore with a shallow lagoon behind it. Swell arriving from the Indian Ocean breaks on that reef and loses most of its energy before it reaches the beach. The result is the calm, warm, waist-deep lagoon that makes Kenya excellent for snorkelling, kitesurfing and paddling, and modest for surfing.
The surfable waves are therefore found in two places: on the reef itself, where the swell actually breaks, and in the gaps where the reef is absent or interrupted, principally around river mouths and open bays. That is why the spot list below is short and why it is scattered rather than concentrated.
The season
Kenya's waves arrive with the southeast monsoon, the Kusi, which runs roughly from May to September or October and coincides with the southern hemisphere winter that generates swell in the southern Indian Ocean. June to September is the window, and outside it the coast is often flat.
The northeast monsoon, the Kaskazi, runs roughly November to March and is the calm, clear, warm season that suits diving and flat-water sports. It does not produce surf. This is worth stating plainly because at least one widely read surf page has the two monsoon names the wrong way round, attributing the June to September swell to the Kaskazi. It is the Kusi.
Within the season, the daily pattern matters as much as the calendar. The trade wind typically builds through the morning and holds into the afternoon, so waves are cleanest at dawn and are usually blown out by the middle of the day. Kenyan surfing is an early-morning sport, and the same wind that ruins the wave at ten o'clock makes the kite session at eleven.
Where the spots are
- Malindi is the most consistent. Malindi Bay is a beach break picking up southeast swell, with waves that work for beginners at small sizes and give a genuine ride when the swell is up. Reef breaks offshore of Malindi hold the larger waves.
- Watamu has a reef break in the bay that needs a paddle of a few hundred metres to reach. It is inconsistent, and mornings are the time to look at it.
- Diani Beach has a right-hand reef break that works best on southeast swell, and it has by far the best surf infrastructure in the country: schools, board hire and people who know the spot. Wave size is modest, commonly around a metre to a metre and a half on a good day.
- Kilifi and the creek mouths north of Mombasa pick up occasional waves where the reef is broken.
- Manda, in the Lamu archipelago, holds a left-hander and is the most remote option, with no support at all.
Reported wave sizes across the Kenyan coast run from around one metre to three metres at the outside, and the larger figures apply to exposed reefs in a strong swell rather than to the beach breaks.
Hazards
The hazards here are different from those at a sand-bottomed beach break and deserve their own paragraph.
- Live coral. The reef is shallow and alive, and it cuts. Coral cuts in tropical water infect readily. Reef boots are standard, and a first-aid approach that takes small cuts seriously is not excessive.
- Sea urchins in the lagoon and on the reef flat, particularly at entry and exit points.
- Tidal current. The coast has semi-diurnal tides with a spring range approaching four metres, and the water moving in and out through gaps in the reef generates real current. The gaps that let swell in are the same gaps that let water out.
- Sharks. Published surf guidance for this coast flags the possibility of shark encounters, and singles out the Mombasa Channel in particular.
- Debris. The Malindi area sits near the Sabaki river mouth and picks up weed, branches and other river debris, especially after rain upriver.
Learning, and getting hold of a board
Diani is the practical base for anyone wanting lessons or rental boards, and Watamu has provision as well. Both run schools that also teach kitesurfing, which reflects how the two sports share a coastline and a season.
Travelling with a board is worth thinking through. There is enough rental stock at Diani to make a board-free trip workable, but the choice is limited, and anyone with a specific preference is better off bringing it. A board suited to small, soft, sometimes gutless waves will get far more use here than a step-up.
How it fits with the rest of the coast
The honest way to plan a Kenyan surf trip is to plan a Kenyan coast trip that includes surfing. The Kusi months that bring the swell also bring the best kitesurfing wind of the year, which makes a combined board trip the strongest use of June to September. Those same months are the weaker half of the diving and fishing calendars, so a trip built around waves and wind is a different trip from one built around the reef and the billfish.
Inland, June to September is also a strong period on safari, which means a surf-and-safari trip has both halves working at once.
Common questions
Is Kenya worth travelling to for surfing?
Not on its own. The fringing reef absorbs most of the swell and the waves are small and seasonal. As an addition to a coastal or safari trip, it is well worth doing, and the local scene is friendly and easy to join.
When is the surf season?
Roughly June to September, driven by the southeast monsoon and the southern hemisphere winter swell. The northeast monsoon months, November to March, are generally flat.
What time of day is best?
Dawn. The trade wind builds through the morning and usually blows the waves out by the middle of the day.
Where should a beginner go?
Diani has the most developed surf provision, with schools and rental boards, and Watamu has some as well. Malindi Bay is the most consistent wave but has less infrastructure around it.
Do I need reef boots?
Yes. The reef is shallow and alive, coral cuts infect easily in warm water, and sea urchins are common at entry and exit points.
Can I hire a board, or should I bring one?
Hire is possible at Diani and to a lesser extent at Watamu, but the choice is limited. Anyone with a preference for a particular board, especially one suited to small waves, should travel with it.