Kenya – for most people the stereotype of what the “typical” Africa is like (spoiler alert – its not!). But it actually does have a lot to offer – bustling cities, wildlife, and some of the most beautiful beaches in East Africa, just like in a movie. But diving? Not something that comes to mind when I thought of Kenya.
But I was desperate. I had gone half way through my advanced course while in Dahab last year, done an indoor dive in Germany over Christmas (you see my level of despair!), and was eager to complete my advanced course ASAP. Living in Ethiopia, there are a handful of options within reasonable flight distance. We had a long weekend coming and flights to Mombasa as well as accommodation there are rather cheap (we got a guest house for 12 USD with share kitchen and bathroom). So I grabbed my husband, kids with grandma, and off we went.
First painful experience – when you fly with Kenyan Airways to Mombasa through Nairobi, you have to collect and check in again your luggage at the domestic terminal. We didn’t know, so I arrived in Mombasa without my gear, which stayed at the Nairobi Airport. I regret not keeping it as hand luggage! Another trip to the Mombasa Airport in the afternoon and we got the suitcases, but lesson learned!
First boat dive and my first question – where can I pee?
Eager not to pee in my new wetsuit, that was my first question. Well, the boat is small, so all you are left with is to jump in with a bikini and “mark your territory”. Worked. But will have to find out about other options eventually, recommendations are welcome!
I had two half days for the dives, while my hubby cuddled with giraffes in the nearby park or explored the beaches. Following the check dive in the pool the day before, boat took off (only guys aboard) and I got excited about my first back roll! A bit nervous at first, but wush went in and all good. Wish I could go to work like that every day!
I was paired with a super athletic guy who did is PADI certificate in Thailand. The dive guide assumed my air consumption would be higher than his (little did he know), but not even half way through the dive the guy ran low on air. Might be his underwater bicycling, not wearing an exposure suit, or his sea-horse like profile, I don’t know; later on the boat I saw his toes bleeding. For the second dive they paired me with a guy who had the Instructor Trainer Certification, no further comment 😉
It was my first drift dive with strong current in open water, without a reference like a coal wall or so, and I felt a bit lost. Current was strong and visibility very poor – I was a spoiled Red Sea Diver! With the dive guide busy looking after what used to be my buddy, I didn’t really know which way to go and at times the current was faster than the group moved, which I found very confusing and not enjoyable.
Follow the turtle, always
On the second dive I almost killed myself (did I mention that we didn’t do buddy checks?) with the inflator hose not fully in, imagine a back-roll with an empty BCD….
During the dive, my buddy fully ignored me (was he really an Instructor Trainer?), hence he didn’t see we waiving and pointing at a huge elegant turtle passing by. Couldn’t resist and followed it just a bit, but when I turned around I couldn’t see anyone from that group of 7 divers! Yes, visibility was hilarious, no wonder nobody else saw the turtle. Was this the moment to panic? Judit lost alone in the wide Indian Ocean. OK, they can’t be that far, I have enough air and the current was strong and table, so that helped and I swam back into where I believed them to be. And God bless guides with yellow fins, only thing visible within 10 metres, might have been less. My buddy hadn’t even realized I was gone, but who cares, right?
Rest of the dive went just fine, even saw a string ray which was amazing, until that poor animal felt harassed by the photographer of the group and went for another spot. And during the safety stop I looked around and felt proud. I was diving with guys who have been diving for decades with hundreds (or more) of dives under their belt and we all had ended the dive with the same 50-60 bar!
Next day then I did the dives to complete my Advanced Open Water with wreck dive (cut my hands on shells on the mooring line) and navigation dive. Oh dear I suck at navigation under water with a compass, on land that’s my strong side but well, something to work on. Very strong current didn’t help but I could impress the instructor with my strong fin strokes ;-). At least something.
Both days I was the only girl on board, and my AOW buddy on day two was the only one younger than me (and I am not young!), and got terrible motion sickness, hurray! Did I accidentally get into an old-men’s hobby? Where were the young dynamic and female divers?
What you need to know about diving in Mombasa
Mombasa has an industrial area in the center and some historical sites, and all-inclusive resorts lined up along the northern beach. Many people opt for Diani which has even prettier beaches and is a 2 hour drive south of Mombasa. Mombasa itself has only two dive centers (offering PADI courses), and don’t expect much beyond the advanced level. The Indian Ocean is very beautiful, the water is warm, but unlike the Red Sea or the Mediterranean, there is no drop-off or cliff, the sea floor gently gets deeper over hundreds of meters – which is great for beach days with small kids, but not for diving. All dives are boat dives, and to reach 30 meters you have to go out really far. There is a ship wreck which was sunk for divers and quite a bit of healthy and active marine life. The coral reefs are healthy, but all at the bottom, no walls or caves which I really love.
The dive center I dives with (Barracuda) has two bases, and the one I used was well managed, super new and quality equipment, friendly staff, nicely located at the beach within a resort. Gave us the chance to try windsurfing on the day of our flight, but I think it’s not my kind of sport.
Kenya has a reputation for beach boys (and girls), but recently a check system was introduced to reduce “harassment” of tourists and while there are always people coming asking if you want a safari or a massage (?) we had no issues and just saying ‘No thank you’ was enough. During the day the beaches near the resorts are mostly empty, you will only find larger groups playing football at the beach on Sunday morning during low tide.
Overall verdict on diving in Kenya:
Good option to squeeze in some dives during a safari type vacation great beaches to install the non-diving part of the family, cheap accommodation and eating available amidst the luxury resorts for those who prefer, easily accessible (Mombasa has international, other locations national airports), Uber works (more or less), and people can speak English. Note the dive season there is basically November to March, water is warm (26-29 degrees) and air not extremely hot. Don’t expect much in terms of technical challenges or outstanding visibility, its not a location for technical diving, not even night diving offered (at least in Mombasa). I would say most divers there are guests of the luxury resorts doing a DSD or come for a dive before or after a safari.
