MapKenyaWatamuKenya

Watamu

Kilifi County · Watamu village, between Blue Lagoon and Watamu Bay · Kilifi North

also known as Watamu Kite Beach, Kite Beach, Garoda Beach, Turtle Bay Sand Bar, Jacaranda

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec

beginner-friendlymedium crowds

On this page

The spot
Wind
Forecast
Month by month
Water
Level
The scene
Launch
Schools
Tips
Getting there
FAQ

Riding essentials

Season

Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Dec

Months riders and schools name

How windy

10-22 kt

Character: trade

Room to launch

huge

access rules on record, below

Water

mixed

29 °C in summerWatamu has coral reef, sandbanks that dry out and protected lagoon

Hazards

Reported by riders

Level

Beginner to advanced

With a caveat: see Your level

BeginnerIntermediateAdvanced

Crowds

medium crowds · busy January February July August

Schools

named at this spot

From the airport

Mombasa (MBA)

Transfer times under Getting there

Kaskazi

10:30 · 11:00

Kaskazi picks up late morning, around 10:30-11:00, and is reliably in by midday. Kuzi blows all day.

The marks are the clock times the record names, laid on a 24-hour day. The bar between the first and the last covers those hours; it is not a promise of wind.

Watamu has no other spot on this map within 40 km of it. straight-line distance

Backup spotsWhere riders go when the wind doesn't work here.

Jacarandaalso a name for this spot
Turtle Bay Sand Baralso a name for this spot
Plot 40 Sand Barno page yet
Mida Creek Sandbarno page yet
Silversandsno page yet
Che Shaleno page yet

The spot

Watamu is not one launch. It is a string of beaches, reefs, sandbars and lagoons on the Indian Ocean coast near Malindi, and which one you ride is decided by the tide and the wind: Kite Beach/Garoda, Turtle Bay, Plot 40, Jacaranda and several more.

Winds

Kaskazi comes from the northeast around December to March or April; Kuzi/Kusi from the southeast around June to September, stronger, with reef waves behind it.

Riders and seasons

Beginners and flat-water riders take the low-tide lagoon and sandbank windows, and on a hard Kuzi day the reef is where the experienced riders end up. October and November are the months to skip.

Coral and schools

Coral is the reason to take tide advice from someone local: spring lows expose it, and a rider caught on a shallow reef flat when the wind dies has a long walk in. The water is warm all year and the schools are real ones, with rentals and hotels close to the main kite beaches, which is more than Lamu/Shela can say.

The wind

locals call it Kaskazi and Kuzi/Kusi

Direction

cross-oncross-offwind blows away from land — rescue cover matters here

Direction to shore

cross-onshore from NE and SE at the main Watamu beaches; Silversands is reported as slightly cross-offshore

Dominant direction

NE in Kaskazi; SE in Kuzi/Kusi

Kite sizes

567891011121314

metres · typical quiver highlighted

The quiver, in words

Kaskazi is a 9 m season for a 75-85 kg rider, with a 12 m that keeps working well into the evening. Kuzi is windier: 9 m most days, and a 7 m earns its place on the strong July and August afternoons.

Character

trade

When it fills in: see above ↑

Thermal or synoptic

synoptic

Average strength

Monthly averages at Watamu: Jan 17, Feb 18, Mar 16, Apr 13, May 15, Jun 19, Jul 23, Aug 22, Sep 18, Oct 12, Nov 9, Dec 15 knots

Typical strength

Kaskazi 10-22 kt, most days 14-20. Kuzi 12-28 kt, most days 15-20, with 25-30 kt on the strongest July and August days. January, February, July and August are the windiest months.

Mostly steady trade-wind seasons; Kuzi is stronger and can bring swell, while transition months are less reliable.

Kaskazi runs December to March or April from the NE. Kuzi/Kusi runs June to September from the SE, stronger and better for waves. October and November are poor to marginal transition months.

Forecast

Live forecast

Windguru Windfinder Windy

Month by month

Jan, riders' month40
Feb, riders' month56
Mar, riders' month42
Apr, riders' month62
May97
Jun, riders' month100
Jul, riders' month100
Aug, riders' month99
Sep, riders' month90
Oct54
Nov6
Dec, riders' month8

per cent of the month at force 4 or more

Ringed months are the ones riders and schools name: Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Dec.

11 ktJan28°
11 ktFeb28°
11 ktMar30°
12 ktApr30°
15 ktMay29°
15 ktJun28°
14 ktJul27°
14 ktAug26°
13 ktSep27°
11 ktOct28°
9 ktNov29°
9 ktDec29°

avg knots per month · water °C below · season highlighted

Modelled from weather reanalysis on a 10–25 km grid (2022-2024), not a ground station: reliable for trade and synoptic winds, understates thermal sea breezes and valley winds.

Every figure, month by monthForce 4+ · Knots · Wind from · Air · Water

Month	Force 4+	Knots	Wind from	Air	Water
Jan	40%	10.5 kt	ENE	27.9 °C	28 °C
Feb	56%	11.1 kt	ENE	28.1 °C	28.4 °C
Mar	42%	10.5 kt	ENE	28.2 °C	29.5 °C
Apr	62%	12 kt	S	27.3 °C	29.6 °C
May	97%	14.5 kt	S	26.8 °C	28.6 °C
Jun	100%	15.3 kt	S	25.9 °C	27.6 °C
Jul	100%	14.3 kt	S	24.9 °C	26.6 °C
Aug	99%	13.5 kt	S	25 °C	26.3 °C
Sep	90%	12.6 kt	S	25.5 °C	26.8 °C
Oct	54%	11.1 kt	SSE	26.3 °C	27.5 °C
Nov	6%	8.7 kt	SSE	26.6 °C	28.6 °C
Dec	8%	8.6 kt	ENE	27.6 °C	28.8 °C

How this is modelledmodelled · 2022-2024

A weather model's cell over this place, not a station on it. Good for comparing places, weaker for one beach.

The typical daily max and the direction are columns of the table above, month by month. Highlighted months are the riding season from the spot record.

ERA5 reanalysis grid point (modelled) · Open-Meteo historical weather API — ECMWF ERA5/ERA5-Land reanalysis, not a ground station · 2022-2024

The water

Type

mixed

Standing depth

Knee to waist deep across the lagoons and over the sandbanks at the tide states that open them. Garoda/Kite Beach holds standable water on most tides; Jacaranda and the low spring tides are where it goes too thin to ride and you end up walking.

Tides

Strongly tide-dependent.Kite Beach/Garoda works on any tide state; Turtle Bay Sand Bar and Plot 40 want about three hours either side of low tide; Jacaranda only comes in on a neap tide around low water; the Mida Creek sandbar needs low water and a boat to reach it.Silversands is the reverse of the others and wants about three hours either side of high tide.Coral shows across the flats at the lowest tides, and high tide eats the usable beach where buildings back the sand.

Temperature

29 °C summer · 25.5 °C winter

Modelled monthly average: 26–30 °C

Wetsuit

No full wetsuit normally needed; boardshorts/bikini conditions are reported, with an optional shorty only for riders who get cold.

Currents

Currents run strong at the creek and reef-pass mouths. The reef also leaves shallow sections that can strand a rider if the wind drops. In the open lagoon the current is not the problem.

Conditions

Watamu has coral reef, sandbanks that dry out and protected lagoon. Kite Beach gives flatter water plus reef waves; Turtle Bay and Plot 40 are low-tide sandbar freestyle spots; Jacaranda is a neap-tide flat-water spot; Silversands is a separate Kuzi-season wave excursion.

The reef sits roughly 300-500 m offshore in the general descriptions of Watamu, with rideable reef waves put farther out again at some sub-spots.

Your level

BeginnerIntermediateAdvanced

Beginners use the flat low-tide lagoons and the school-managed areas. Intermediate and advanced riders get freeride, the freestyle sandbars, downwinders and the reef waves. Coral, tide planning and the offshore reef zones are why local guidance matters here.

The scene

What riders come here for

freestylewave ridingflatwater sandbarsreef wavesdownwinderskite holidays with schools

Who it suitsbeginners

Established but still empty by the standards of the big kite destinations. Some sub-spots fill with beach users; Jacaranda has almost nobody on it even on a busy day.

Launch and rules

three ways on to the water, and what each one asks of you

With a school or a boat

6 schools name this spot

See who they are

On your own

Room to launch: huge

Read the access rules

Somewhere else

No neighbour on record

No other spot in the atlas sits within reach of this one.

Rescue

+254 715 905 550 +254 715 234 736

Rescue — full text1 min read

No lifeguard and no public safety boat at the open beach. Cover comes from the schools, for their own clients:

JC Kite School at Garoda runs a rescue boat and answers on +254 715 905 550,
Tribe Watersports runs boats for its clients and excursions,
and the Jacaranda school is on +254 715 234 736.

Downwinders and the Mida Creek sandbar are normally run with boat support, which is the reason to book them rather than improvise.

Launch

Multiple sandy beach and sandbar launches along the Watamu coast, including Kite Beach/Garoda, Turtle Bay Sand Bar, Plot 40 and Jacaranda depending on tide and wind.

Hazards riders report 14 reported

Crowds and zones

swimmers and sunbathers at busier sandbar spots
no lifeguard and no safety boat at the public beach; rescue is a school service, not a public one

Bottom

reef
seaweed farms with sea urchin colonies at their bases

Waves and currents

large tide swings expose coral
currents around the reef passages
coral reef and coral patches at low tide
large tide range and very shallow water on spring tides
reef waves offshore
shorebreak during Kuzi spring high tides at Kite Beach
strong current at the Mida Creek mouth, where the flow runs against the wind and only skilled riders belong
high tide leaves little beach where buildings back the sand

Protected areas and rules

marine-park environment requiring extra care around reef and wildlife
fishing boats working the lagoon

Rules & access

1 min read

2026: Watamu sits in and along Watamu Marine National Park and Reserve. Kenya Wildlife Service park rules make the parks plastic-free, single-use plastic is prohibited, and gates normally open 06:00-18:00. No kite-specific permit or zoning rule is published.

Access rules drift faster than anything else we hold — check locally, and propose an edit if this has changed.

Schools that ride here

Rider tips

Read the tide table before every session; several sub-spots only open near low tide or on neaps.
Take a school or a guide for your first days, because the right launch changes with the tide and the wind.
Bring reef shoes and plan your walk in and out around the coral at low tide.
Do not treat Jacaranda, Turtle Bay and Plot 40 like Kite Beach; their tide windows are far narrower.
Leave the single-use plastic behind: the marine park is plastic-free and the gates normally open 06:00-18:00.
Pack a 9 m for both seasons, a 12 m for the light Kaskazi evenings, and a 7 m for the hard Kuzi days in July and August.
Silversands runs on the opposite tide to everything else here: three hours either side of high water, and a 20-minute drive.

Getting there

Airport

Malindi Airport (MAL/MYD) or Moi International Airport, Mombasa (MBA)

Route

Fly to Malindi for the shortest transfer, or fly to Mombasa and drive north by road. Watamu is about 15 km south of Malindi and about 105-110 km northeast/north of Mombasa.

Transfer (minutes)

20 from Malindi; about 120 from Mombasa

Cost level

medium

Staying

Watamu runs from budget rooms to boutique hotels and resorts near the kite beaches, with inland options as well: roughly USD 30 at the backpacker end and USD 200+ at the top. Neither figure carries a year, so treat both as indicative.

No-wind days

snorkeling and diving in Watamu Marine National Park · Mida Creek mangroves · Gede Ruins · Arabuko Sokoke Forest · Marafa/Hell's Kitchen canyon · Tsavo East safari

FAQ

When is the best time to kite at Watamu?

Kaskazi (NE) runs December to March/April and Kuzi/Kusi (SE) runs June to September, with October-November reported as poor transition months.

Is Watamu suitable for beginners?

Yes, beginners use the flat low-tide lagoons and school-managed areas, while stronger riders use freestyle sandbars and reef waves.

What is the wind like?

Watamu monthly averages range from about 9 to 23 knots, generally trade-wind steady, with Kuzi the stronger and swellier season.

How does tide affect the different sub-spots?

Sub-spots differ sharply: Kite Beach works on all tides, Turtle Bay and Plot 40 need low tide, and Jacaranda only works on neap low tide.

Are there kite schools or rental?

Yes, JC Kite School, Tiki Kite School, Tribe Watersports, Barefoot Kenya and Kitemotion all operate in Watamu.

Last updated: August 2026