Kite Area guide
Essaouira Bay, Essaouira
The bay in front of the medina: the most accessible of Essaouira's three riding areas, and the one nearly everyone starts on.
When to kite
Best months: April, May, June, July, August, September.
About this Kite Area
Essaouira Bay curves away from the ramparts of the medina, and it is the most accessible riding area on this coast — a wide, shallow beach with a soft sandy bottom, side-shore wind, and the schools operating along it.
The wind is northerly to north-easterly and builds through the afternoons, running 15 to 25 knots through the April-to-September season and peaking around 25 knots in July and August, with gusts occasionally past 35. The water is Atlantic chop rather than lagoon flat.
The bay is shared with swimmers, schools and the camel and horse traffic that works the beach. Respect the bathing zones, and note that the water is genuinely cold despite the air temperature — a wetsuit is needed.