Nkhata Bay is one of the best freshwater diving destinations in the world, and certainly the easiest one to enjoy in Africa. The water is warm year-round, clarity is regularly 15 metres or more, and the rocky drop-offs just off the headlands shelter dense schools of brightly coloured cichlids — peacock cichlids, mbuna, electric blue ahli, all of them endemic to Lake Malawi. The diving is shallow (most sites are 10–25 metres) and there is no current, which makes it an excellent place to learn.
Several operators run PADI courses from the bay, with Open Water certifications typically costing a fraction of what you would pay in coastal East Africa. For non-divers, snorkelling straight off the rocks at the cove-side lodges is almost as good — you can see most of the fish without going below five metres. Visibility is at its best from August to November; the rainy season (December to March) clouds the water with run-off from the hills.