Diani Beach is a superb destination for active travelers, with numerous water sports on offer, from diving and snorkeling to kite surfing and windsurfing. If you want to take it easy, there are relaxing day-long dhow cruises, and if you want an extra jolt of adrenaline, jet skiing, fly boarding and skydiving are also options. Let's take a look;

Day Trips From Diani Beach

The salty breeze and the high seas: it’s a sailor’s life for you and me.

There isn't a more romantic way to explore the Kenyan coast than sailing by dhow (a traditional sailing boat). These Arabic dhows have been used here for centuries, since the early days of slave trade and have called the Kenyan coastline home. Sail past slivers of sand, the pristine offshore coral islands and reefs bubbling with colorful fish.

Several companies offer dhow trips in the Kisite Marine National Park, with pick-ups from Diani and Mombasa beach hotels and resorts to Shimoni. Coral Spirit in particular organizes the Wasini day trip, Funzi island tour and different sunset cruises along the magical coastline. Other activities by Coral Spirit include; diving, kite and wind surfing, snorkeling, jet-skiing, glass boat tours to mention but a few.

Snorkeling in Diani Beach

Most lodgings can arrange for snorkeling trips to the reef in Diani beach. This is usually a glass boat tour. The tour takes between 3 and 4 hours and is ideal for families traveling with children too young to swim in the ocean or groups of people who wish to explore the ocean while dry. In the glass boat, you can choose to step into the water and have a snorkeling session or stay in the boat and behold the beauty of the underwater world from the comfort of the boat.

Coral Spirit will pick you up from your hotel or villa in Diani and take you to the departure point.

Alternatively, some of the best snorkeling is to be done in conjunction with dhow trips in the Kisite Marine National Park. Here you get to go out of town into the sleepy, fishing village of Shimoni. In addition to snorkeling, you also get to spot dolphins as they swim in the open sea.

Diving in Diani Beach

Diving is a year-round activity in Diani, but visibility can be reduced during July and August. October to February offers the calmest conditions. There are over two dozen diving sites within easy reach of Diani Beach (most under 29m), from reef dives suitable for beginners to more advanced wreck dives such as the purpose-sunk 15m MFV Alpha Funguo and drift dives. All the big resorts either have their own dive schools or work with a local operator. There are several diving outfits with solid reputations; rates run around €75 to €90 for a reef dive.

Kite surfing and Windsurfing in Diani Beach

Voted Africa's leading beach destination for six years in a row, Diani has the most beautiful beach in Africa! The warm climate, endless white sandy beaches, clear turquoise-blue water and favorable wind make it the best place in Kenya to windsurf and kite surf. Surfing, especially kite and windsurfing has to be on top of your to-do list of outdoor activities in diani.

There are a couple of excellent operators offering kite surfing and windsurfing lessons, making Diani one of the major kite surfing hot spots in Kenya's. Whether you are a beginner or basically need  a couple of refresher courses, you  will be sorted.  Complete beginner, intermediate and advanced packages and training courses are offered in the various kite surfing schools in Diani Beach. These schools adhere to the highest teaching and safety standards by International Kite-boarding Organization (IKO) and their instructors who are well trained professionals are known to go the extra mile in helping surfers in the open sea.

The rates for private couching are between 80 to 100 euros an hour. If you happen to be a professional surfer who is traveling with their equipment, you can pay a storage fee for a locker. In case you only need to rent the equipment, these places have that option as well.

Having fun in the sun has never been so diverse; from kayaking, skim and body boarding, stand up paddling (SUP), and boogie boards to surfing, these and more are just a few things to do in diani beach. Skim boarding is increasingly becoming a preferred water activity especially by older children and teenagers. The SUP on the other hand, is ideal for large groups of people as it can accommodate groups of eight to ten people.

The best seasons for kite boarding and windsurfing are July to September and December to March. When not surfing you still got a dozen other water sport to occupy your time while on vacation.

Skydiving & Microlights in Diani Beach