Watamu Bay
Surf spot · Kenya
Is it worth the trip?
44Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Thu 5: 3 ft swell at 8 s
Mon 2 · 27 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft6 smushy
- Energy
- 36kJ
- Wind
- SSE 5 kn
- Temp
- 30°C
Tue 3 · 29 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft8 smushy
- Energy
- 48kJ
- Wind
- SE 6 kn
- Temp
- 30°C
Wed 4 · 43 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft8 ssoft
- Energy
- 89kJ
- Wind
- SSE 5 kn
- Temp
- 29°C
Thu 5 · 50 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft8 smushy
- Energy
- 114kJ
- Wind
- SE 6 kn
- Temp
- 30°C
Fri 6 · 49 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft7 smushy
- Energy
- 82kJ
- Wind
- S 4 kn
- Temp
- 30°C
Sat 7 · 36 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft7 smushy
- Energy
- 64kJ
- Wind
- SSE 5 kn
- Temp
- 30°C
Sun 8 · 49 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft7 smushy
- Energy
- 73kJ
- Wind
- S 3 kn
- Temp
- 30°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Sun 136, too small
- Mon 227, too small
- Tue 329, too small
- Wed 443, too small
- Thu 550, fair
- Fri 649, fair
- Sat 736, too small
- Sun 849, fair
- Mon 944, too small
- Tue 1038, 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.) | 49kJ | wind from the south-south-east, 3 knots | 30°C |
| Mon 2Nov | 27, too small | 2 ft6 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 36kJ | wind from the south-south-east, 5 knots | 30°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 29, too small | 2 ft8 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 48kJ | wind from the south-east, 6 knots | 30°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 43, too small | 3 ft8 ssoft4 ft at break (est.) | 89kJ | wind from the south-south-east, 5 knots | 29°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 50, fair | 3 ft8 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 114kJ | wind from the south-east, 6 knots | 30°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 49, fair | 3 ft7 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 82kJ | wind from the south, 4 knots | 30°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 36, too small | 3 ft7 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 64kJ | wind from the south-south-east, 5 knots | 30°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 49, fair | 3 ft7 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 73kJ | wind from the south, 3 knots | 30°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 44, too small | 3 ft7 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 61kJ | wind from the east, 2 knots | 30°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 38, too small | 3 ft7 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 53kJ | wind from the east-south-east, 3 knots | 31°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 01:18 −0.9 mHigh 07:46 +1.2 mLow 14:26 −0.9 mHigh 20:39 +0.6 m
- Mon 2 NovLow 02:30 −0.6 mHigh 09:02 +0.9 mLow 15:50 −0.8 mHigh 22:22 +0.5 m
- Tue 3 NovLow 04:22 −0.5 mHigh 10:49 +0.7 mLow 17:27 −0.7 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, its town, photos
Watamu Bay 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.
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Photos of Watamu Bay
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About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Watamu Bay
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces SE (136°), so it takes swell from the SE. The wind blows offshore from the NW (316°). 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 gently: 10 m deep about 500 m out (1 in 48). 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 Watamu, 0.6 km away (about 5 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 1 wind sports spot and 2 dive sites.
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$1,450–US$2,790 each
about US$1,450–US$2,790 each · 6 nights, 2 sharing: flights, hire car, 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 |
| Hire car | 6 days, shared | about US$100–US$174 |
| 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$1,450–US$2,790 |
For 2 people sharing a room. Lessons, lift-pass deals and insurance are extra. Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.
Where to stay: 2 towns
1 min by car · 72 places to stay
About Watamu its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Malindi on Booking.com
33 min by car · 58 places to stay
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 27h 10m
About 27h 10m door to door from Chicago
Fly ORD → MBA, changing at Frankfurt Main Airport (FRA), then 1h 50m by road
Flights ORD → MBA on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.