Water Sports

The coastline around Malindi has become a Mecca for kite surfers and other water sports including:

Kite Surfing: "The wind sport of the moment"

Kite boarding in Kenya has really taken off.  A cross between windsurfing, wakeboarding and paragliding.  If you have done one of these you will have no problem adapting to this exciting water sport.  Standing on a small surf board, pulled by a very powerful traction-kite allows horizontal and vertical flight – with sufficient experience you can take off.  It feels like skiing behind a powerful speedboat, but of course there is no boat, no noise, no fuel – perhaps the ultimate environmentally friendly sport.  All you need is an empty beach and a consistent wind blowing at between 8 – 25 knots.  Kenya’s coastline is made for this with year round monsoon winds making it one of the best kite boarding spots in the world.

North of Malindi, Che-Shale is an ideal spot for kite surfing with a wide deserted 5 km long beach.  A kite surfing school offers various courses from beginners through to advanced including hire of equipment.  For the beginner a 2-day intensive course covers all the safety aspects and correct flying patterns to get you up and riding on a board.  Pro-Kiters are more than welcome to come with their own boards and equipment.  A kite-surfers Mecca.

Land Yachting: this exciting sport which combines the grace and beauty of sailing with the speed and thrills of motor racing. Modern sand or land yachts can be propelled by winds of less than 10 mph and can travel at between 2 and 3 times the speed of the wind, reaching speeds in excess of 60 mph. It is far from easy to convey the thrill of sailing a deserted beach whilst harnessing the power of the wind.

Land Yachting is one of only a few sports where women can compete on equal terms with men, and children with adults. Strength does not really come into it, however weight is one of the critical factors. Land Yachting can be for anyone, with ages ranging from 10 to 70 years

Board & Wind Surfing: there are windsurfing outlets at most of the hotels along the beach front, a large majority inside a protective reef. The wave surfers either surf on the northern beaches where there is no reef or the more adept catch a dhow out to the third reef where the serious swell can be found.