Kenya Travel Guide & Manual - International Luxury Travel Market

18
There's no better place
for taking the plunge
The joys of clear, unpolluted blue water and
a tropical climate all year round combine
to make Kenya one of the world’s top diving
destinations.
The best diving conditions are from October to
April, when the water is particularly warm and
clear, but Kenya is pretty much a year-round
destination in this regard.
Nevertheless, sea states are not especially conducive
to diving from May to July, the coast’s
‘winter’ period.
Kenya has no fewer than five marine national
parks – Watamu, Mombasa, Malindi, Kisite and
Kiunga – covering a total area of 332 sq km.
In addition to the parks, there are large-scale
marine reserves off the coast of Kenya.
Not surprisingly, many coast properties now
offer a dedicated diving school or other related
facilities, mostly for those looking to dive as
part of a more general holiday. At the top end
of the market a diving school is almost obligatory,
but even quite modest establishments
have good facilities or can arrange for guests
to use a nearby PADI centre.
SPECIALISE
But there are one or two hotels which could
be said to specialise in diving – perhaps when
coupled with big-game fishing – and which look
to diving and water sports as their main source
of clientele. This is particular true of Watamu,
for example, with its easy access to the nearby
marine park.