Windsurfing & Kitesurfing at Diani Beach, Kenya
Diani Beach is a beach resort on the Indian Ocean coast of Kenya located 30 kilometres south of Mombasa.
This resort appeals to a broad audience including families, honeymooners, backpackers and people who like a bit of a party.
But Diani Beach is also an incredible destination for kitesurfers & windsurfers…..
The weather in this area excels with all-year-around tropical and warm temperatures. The average air temperature is around 30 degrees, water temperature about 26 degrees allowing for a wetsuit-free water sports vacation.
In Kenya they experience two wind seasons each year:
- KASKAZI, N/NE trade wind, blowing from mid December until mid of March; and
- KUZI, S/SE trade wind, blowing from June until mid September.
The Kaskazi wind is a very reliable and steady wind with an average wind speed of 15-20 knots. Wind usually starts blowing about 10.30 am and last all day until 6/7 pm providing for a huge window of potential sailing time. As the general air temperature is very hot, the density of the air is not as high as in cooler spots around Europe, USA or South Africa.
The Kuzi season is the cooler season (winter). The wind generally blows stronger with an average of 18-22 knots, but is slightly less consistent. Due to tropical rain storms passing through the wind and weather are more difficult to predict. The Kuzi usually brings decent sized swell with it: From June until October the area gets waves between 1.5 m and 3 m on big days. Perfect conditions to kite surf on windy days or to surf on no-wind days.
At low tide the water is flat and speed sailing/ flat-water blasting is exceptional due to the reef barrier. As the tide rises so does the chop and small waves making it ideal for bump-and-jump.
