What is the best time to kitesurf on Zanzibar?
Because we are located near the equator we have 2 tradewinds, find out when to come
The conditions for kitesurfing are usually perfect during the season. Which is from June 10th until October 10th and December 10th until March 10th. The reef protects the inside waters, so the lagoon inside the reef is flat, with shallow knee-deep water, perfect for beginners and experts alike.
The best months for beginners are from May until October and the end of December until March. The wind is always side onshore. From June until October the Kusi blows from the south-east, in December the Kaskasi blows from the north-east.
The best months for experts are from May until August and the end of December until February. While the above listed time-frames are the norm, variations do occur. Therefore we do recommend you to check the wind history on the island.
The average wind speed is around 16 knots, usually increasing towards the end of the day in the late afternoon and early evening. The most commonly used kite sizes are 12, 10 and 9 meters, with some occasional 7 meter kiting, depending on your body weight and the wind speed.
The water temperature is always over 24 degrees so your wetsuit can stay at home, unless you are easily prone to coldness which can occasionally happen in Africa's winter months (June-September). At most you would need a 2mm shorty.
In the lagoon, in front of the Kite Centre, you will find a perfect kite heaven, with shallow water for beginners and flat water for freestyle / freeride experts. Sandy bottom everywhere, the lagoon is split up into 2 parts, separated by a seaweed farming area, very easy to see and to pass to the other part.
Booties / shoes can be brought or bought, but are not used a lot, except for learning how to fly kites, and for body dragging in the lagoon. Then they can be handy for protection against the odd sea urchin that escapes from the nearby farming operation. For the most part the sea floors are sandy and soft.
The reef for surfing waves is 1.5 kilometers off-shore with perfect breaks... Launch and surf out to the waves with a minimum of three people for safety considerations, or take a surf trip-downwinder with our wave masters. When the tide is halfway to full tide it's time to explore the amazing waves which can be very good. The waves on a normal day are around 1-1,5 metres up to 3,5 metres.
Because we are located near the equator we have 2 tradewinds, find out when to come
Malaria is around in Tanzania, but what if you come to Zanzibar
We do!
You have a couple of options to do in Zanzibar besides kitesurfing