Mombasa Channel
Surf spot · Kenya
Is it worth the trip?
45Fair out of 100 for your dates
Best on Thu 5: 3 ft swell at 8 s
Mon 2 · 34 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft6 smushy
- Energy
- 44kJ
- Wind
- SE 2 kn
- Temp
- 28°C
Tue 3 · 32 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft8 smushy
- Energy
- 53kJ
- Wind
- ESE 4 kn
- Temp
- 28°C
Wed 4 · 41 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft8 ssoft
- Energy
- 88kJ
- Wind
- SE 5 kn
- Temp
- 28°C
Thu 5 · 52 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft8 smushy
- Energy
- 119kJ
- Wind
- SSE 5 kn
- Temp
- 28°C
Fri 6 · 45 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft7 smushy
- Energy
- 88kJ
- Wind
- S 5 kn
- Temp
- 28°C
Sat 7 · 47 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft7 smushy
- Energy
- 67kJ
- Wind
- SE 4 kn
- Temp
- 28°C
Sun 8 · 46 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft7 smushy
- Energy
- 78kJ
- Wind
- NNE 2 kn
- Temp
- 28°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Sun 136, too small
- Mon 234, too small
- Tue 332, too small
- Wed 441, too small
- Thu 552, fair
- Fri 645, fair
- Sat 747, fair
- Sun 846, fair
- Mon 939, too small
- Tue 1036, too small
The spot in five facts
- Faces SEtakes swell from the SE
- Offshore: NWwind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 2–8 ftof swell
- Water 28 °Cno wetsuit
Full forecast
every day, every number
| Day | Score for intermediates | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 1Nov | 36, too small | 2 ft7 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 51kJ | wind from the south-west, 2 knots | 27°C |
| Mon 2Nov | 34, too small | 3 ft6 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 44kJ | wind from the south-east, 2 knots | 28°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 32, too small | 2 ft8 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 53kJ | wind from the east-south-east, 4 knots | 28°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 41, too small | 3 ft8 ssoft4 ft at break (est.) | 88kJ | wind from the south-east, 5 knots | 28°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 52, fair | 3 ft8 smushy5 ft at break (est.) | 119kJ | wind from the south-south-east, 5 knots | 28°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 45, fair | 3 ft7 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 88kJ | wind from the south, 5 knots | 28°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 47, fair | 3 ft7 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 67kJ | wind from the south-east, 4 knots | 28°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 46, fair | 3 ft7 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 78kJ | wind from the north-north-east, 2 knots | 28°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 39, too small | 3 ft7 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 56kJ | wind from the west-south-west, 1 knot | 28°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 36, too small | 2 ft7 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 47kJ | wind from the south-south-west, 1 knot | 28°C |
Energy is the swell's power, in kJ per metre of wave. Wind is in knots, the arrow where it blows to; green is offshore. More
Tide
- Sun 1 NovLow 01:20 −0.9 mHigh 07:48 +1.2 mLow 14:27 −1.0 mHigh 20:41 +0.6 m
- Mon 2 NovLow 02:33 −0.6 mHigh 09:05 +0.9 mLow 15:51 −0.8 mHigh 22:24 +0.5 m
- Tue 3 NovLow 04:24 −0.5 mHigh 10:52 +0.7 mLow 17:28 −0.8 m
Local clock times; heights about mean sea level. On open coasts the times are usually within a quarter of an hour; in bays, estuaries and on the Gulf of Mexico they can be an hour or more out. Tide: EOT20 global ocean tide model, Hart-Davis et al. 2021, DGFI-TUM (doi:10.17882/79489), CC BY 4.0. Times and heights computed by us. A model, not a tide table: check a local table before you go.
Forecast updated . It refreshes every three hours. Forecast data: ECMWF, DWD, Météo-France and NOAA, served by Open-Meteo.com (CC BY 4.0). Changed by us. Generated using E.U. Copernicus Marine Service Information.
Map
the spot and its town
Mombasa Channel on Google Maps · Directions
Each place wears its best day on these dates, a surf spot for intermediates: green good, amber fair, pale red poor, as the key says.
The map needs JavaScript. Every place on it is listed on this page, and each place's page links to Google Maps.
One finger scrolls the page; two fingers move the map. Pins are our own positions. Map OpenFreeMap, © OpenMapTiles, data © OpenStreetMap contributors.
More surf near here
1 place
- Baobabs 1.9 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Mombasa Channel
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces SE (120°), so it takes swell from the SE. The wind blows offshore from the NW (300°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 2–8 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves very gently: 10 m deep about 2.4 km out (1 in 244). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 26°C in July, its coldest month (no wetsuit), and 29°C in March, its warmest (no wetsuit). The town to stay in is Mombasa, 4.5 km away (about 10 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 1 surf spot, 1 wind sports spot and 1 dive site.
Water about 28°C: no wetsuit. Typical sea temperature for the time of year, not a forecast.
The score is the conditions only: the journey, the price and the partners never change it (how we score, how we earn).
Rough cost (estimate): about US$1,370–US$2,660 each
about US$1,370–US$2,660 each · 6 nights, 2 sharing: flights, taxi, stay, food, board and wetsuit.
Our estimate from typical public prices, not a quote: check the real prices before you book (where they come from). Prices are about, in US Dollar (USD): our pound figures at the European Central Bank's rate of 30 October 2026.
How we worked it out
| What | How we worked it out | Each |
|---|---|---|
| Flights | return ORD to MBA, estimated from distance and season, changing at FRA, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | about US$837–US$1,740 |
| Taxi | airport and back, shared | about US$27–US$40 |
| Stay | 6 nights, a mid-range double, shared | about US$201–US$328 |
| Food | 7 days eating out | about US$221–US$415 |
| Board and wetsuit | 5 days, or about US$114 to fly your own | about US$87–US$141 |
| Total | about US$1,370–US$2,660 |
For 2 people sharing a room. Lessons, lift-pass deals and insurance are extra. Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.
Where to stay: Mombasa
8 min by car · 109 places to stay
About Mombasa its beds, food and every spot near it
Drives are estimates. Prices are about, in US Dollar (USD): our pound figures at the European Central Bank's rate of 30 October 2026.
Getting there: about 25h 45m
About 25h 45m door to door from Chicago
Fly ORD → MBA, changing at Frankfurt Main Airport (FRA), then 30 min by road
Flights ORD → MBA on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.