Guests and crew getting off the boat in the shallows at Galu Beach

ScubaDiving inGalu Beach

Galu is the quieter continuation of Diani immediately to the south — the same white sand and the same fringing reef, with fewer people on it.

If you are staying here, the diving is the same diving, and the pickup is short.

Arrange pickup from Galu See all diving

Written by The Scuba Duka team · Reviewed by Ali, founder and Divemaster Instructor · October 2026

Instructor fitting a student’s tank before a pool session

Galu Reef

The reef off Galu carries colourful coral, sandy patches and an impressive variety of reef fish. Conditions here are frequently gentle enough to suit newly certified divers, which is why it is often the first site after a course — and experienced divers still enjoy it, because the fish do not care how many dives you have logged.

It is one of 15 regular sites we dive along this coast, and which one you get on a given morning depends on the tide, the wind and the visibility rather than on where your hotel is.

Coral reef diving → The wreck →

Staying in Galu

Pickup

Included. Galu is a short run from the centre at Soul Breeze Beach Resort in Diani.

Trip length

Half-day reef mornings; full day for Kisite-Mpunguti.

Suits

Guests who want quiet sand and short travel to the boat.

Tell us your hotel or villa when you enquire and we will confirm the pickup time with your booking.

From Galu to the boat

Galu sits at the southern end of Diani Beach Road, close to the centre. Most mornings it is the shortest pickup on the coast.

Galu Kinondo beachfront5–15 min

Kaya Kinondo Sacred Forestabout 10 min

Ukunda town and airstrip15–20 min

Moi International Airport, via Dongo Kundu bypass1 h 15 – 1 h 30

Approximate drive times to the centre at Soul Breeze Beach Resort in normal traffic. Fridays, public holidays and heavy rain add time.

Around Galu

What sits along this stretch of coast and behind it, for guests who want to know the area before they arrive.

The beach and the forest

Galu Kinondo Beach runs for almost five kilometres south from where Diani Beach Road ends. The sand shelves gently and the reef sits a short boat ride out, which is why this stretch feels calmer than central Diani.

Behind the beach is Kaya Kinondo, a sacred forest of the Digo people and part of the UNESCO-listed Sacred Mijikenda Kaya Forests. Community guides lead walks of about an hour; there is a dress code and rules on paths and photography. Colobus Conservation, which looks after the black-and-white colobus monkeys you will see crossing the road, is a few minutes north.

Where people stay

The larger resorts are the three Neptune properties (Neptune Paradise, Neptune Village and Neptune Palm Beach), along with Afrika Pearl & Spa and Lantana Galu Beach.

Smaller places include Kinondo Kwetu, a family-run hideaway of cottages and villas, and Kinondo Poa, whose thatched chalets sit on the edge of the Kaya forest. Private villas and holiday rentals are spread through the lanes around Galu Kinondo and Kinondo village.

Eating out

Mvureni Fishermen Restaurant serves simple seafood on the sand at Galu. Le Café at Lantana does Swahili dishes alongside pasta and pizza.

A short drive north on Diani Beach Road brings you to Sails, The Salty Squid and Ali Barbour’s Cave, the last set inside a coral cave.

Shops, money and medical

Galu has little beyond hotel shops. For supermarkets, ATMs and pharmacies, head north to Diani Beach Road or into Ukunda.

The nearest private hospitals are Diani Beach Hospital on Diani Beach Road and Palm Beach Hospital in Ukunda, which is open 24 hours. Msambweni County Referral Hospital is further south on the main road.

Further south

Chale Island, a small coral island with a private lodge, marks the end of the Diani–Galu stretch. Beyond it are Msambweni and, about an hour away, Shimoni, where boats leave for Wasini Island and Kisite-Mpunguti Marine Park. Kisite is also our full-day trip.

Inland

Shimba Hills National Reserve, with its sable antelope and Sheldrick Falls, is the usual half-day trip from the coast. Mwaluganje Elephant Sanctuary is beyond it and is often combined with Shimba Hills in a single day.

Places are named so you can find your way around. Mentioning a hotel or restaurant here does not mean we have an arrangement with it.

What you can do from here

Two guided boat dives cost $110, with equipment, guide and hotel pickup included. Every price is on the prices page in USD and Kenya Shillings.

Frequently asked questions

Is pickup from Galu included?

Yes. Galu is 5–15 minutes from the centre, and pickup is included with every dive trip.

Do I dive Galu Reef if I stay in Galu?

Not necessarily. We dive 15 regular sites between Tiwi and Chale and choose each morning's site from the tide, wind and visibility. Galu Reef often suits newly certified divers.

How much does a morning of diving cost?

Two guided boat dives cost $110, with equipment, guide and hotel pickup included.

Who you will dive with

Seven people run the centre, four of them born and raised in Diani Beach. Between the four instructors sit more than 13,000 logged dives on this stretch of the Indian Ocean. Two qualified dive guides, Sampuli and Captain Michael, guide dives alongside them.