Kenya's coastline offers water sports lovers a place to shine

Despite the increasing popularity of the sport among tourists, kitesurfing is still growing compared with other popular water sports such as snorkeling, diving and game fishing, said Shamala, founder of Kenya Kitesurfing School.

In addition to the high demand for good physical condition, high expenses have been a major hurdle for sports lovers to kitesurf in African countries. A basic nine-hour training session costs at least $325, he said.

Also, many people in Kenya cannot swim, which also hinders the development of the sport in the country, he said.

The major equipment of kitesurfing, including the kite and board, cannot be locally produced, and nearly all of them in use in Kenya are imported from countries such as China. In addition, the kite can break easily, which adds to the costs, he said.

However, Shamala is optimistic that an increasing number of tourists will arrive in Diani in the coming years to experience this exciting sport, boosted by Kenya's visa-free policy and improved infrastructure in its coastal areas. Kenya has allowed visitors from all countries to enter without a visa since the beginning of the year.

Getting there

For the moment, most tourists from Mombasa, the second-largest city in Kenya, must take a ferry to cross a strait to arrive at Diani. Although the distance between the two places is just 40 kilometers, a car trip can take hours due to congestion during rush hours.

For tourists and business owners such as Shamala, the good news is a new road linking Mombasa and Diani bypassing the strait is almost completed and is expected to begin operations within the next two months, which will cut the trip to around half an hour.

In addition to kitesurfing, diving is also a popular activity along Kenya's coastal areas. The Kenyan Barrier Reef is one of the longest reefs in the world, extending 200 km from Malindi on the north to Shimoni on the south. This makes Kenya's eastern coast one of the world's greatest dive locations, comparable with the prestigious Great Barrier Reef in Australia and the Red Sea Reef in Egypt. Scuba diving and snorkeling in the various marine parks along Kenya's coast, which are abundant with rare marine life, offer unforgettable experiences for water-loving tourists from around the world.

Shee Lanjoro, owner of the diving center Yellow-fin Diani Beach Kenya, is a native of Diani. After teaching tourists diving for more than 10 years in Zanzibar, Tanzania, he returned to his hometown and opened a diving training center.

For Lanjoro, Diani offers an unparalleled diving experience, which even dwarfs the more famous Zanzibar islands just 200 km south of Diani.

"Zanzibar experiences over-tourism and people are not really keen on taking care of the reefs, in my opinion. And they fish with a lot of nets on the reefs," he said. "Here in Diani, after I came back and dived here, I see the reefs the same as I left them 12 years ago, with more sea turtles."

Due to fewer tourists and better environmental protection, Diani offers richer marine life than many other places, he said.

"If you go out, you will see sea turtles every day. They are not afraid of you so you can get close to them," Lanjoro said.