# Essaouira Kite Guide

> A static, English-language kite trip planner for Essaouira, Morocco (essaouirakitesurfmorocco.com). It turns ten years of ERA5 reanalysis wind data (via Open-Meteo, 2015–2024) into month-by-month advice, and covers spots, travel, costs and packing. Last updated: 2026-10-20.

Disclosure: the guide has a commercial relationship with Essaouira Watersports (https://www.essaouirawatersports.com), an IKO-certified school in Essaouira, and uses its published lesson and package prices.

## Key facts

- Best season: April to September; best months May to August. July is the windiest month: mean daytime (11:00–18:00) wind 14.0 kn, 75% of days with a daytime mean of 12 kn or more, 46% with 15 kn or more.
- Other strong months: August 13.0 kn (64% of days ≥ 12 kn), June 12.8 kn (57%), May 12.7 kn (56%).
- Calmest months: December 8.0 kn (21%), January 9.1 kn (28%), October 9.1 kn and November 9.4 kn (28%).
- Wind direction: April to September, 64–86% of hours with ≥ 8 kn blow from the north (summer trade wind, alizé), with some north-east. In winter north-east dominates and some south-west appears (Atlantic fronts).
- Sea temperature (offshore model, 2022–2024): about 17 °C in February–March to about 19.7 °C in October. Recommended wetsuit: 4/3 mm in winter and spring, 3/2 mm in summer.
- Spots: Essaouira bay (long sandy bay south of the medina and port; Mogador islands offshore are a protected reserve, no landing), Sidi Kaouki (about 25 km south, long beach, surf and kite), Moulay Bouzerktoun (about 25 km north, wave spot with rocks and currents, experienced riders only).
- Getting there: Marrakech (RAK) about 190 km by road (2.5–3 h); Agadir (AGA) about 170 km (2.5–3 h); Casablanca about 350 km; Essaouira-Mogador Airport (ESU) about 15 km from town with a limited number of flights. Supratours and CTM run buses Marrakech–Essaouira.
- Time zone: UTC+0 (GMT) all year; Morocco moved to permanent UTC+0 on 2026-09-20, with no daylight-saving changes (IANA tzdb 2026c, https://data.iana.org/time-zones/tzdb/NEWS).
- Essaouira's medina (historically Mogador) is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, inscribed in 2001.
- Comparison (same data): Dakhla is windier in every month (June–July 87–89% of days ≥ 12 kn). ERA5 strongly underestimates Tarifa's Levante, so Tarifa's values are not comparable.
- Lesson prices (Essaouira Watersports, EUR per person, 2 h sessions, equipment included): kitesurf group 2 h €55, 4 h €110, 6 h €160, 10 h €260; semi-private 2 h €80, 4 h €155; private 2 h €100, 4 h €196. Check current prices on the school's site.
- Packages (Essaouira Watersports, EUR, nights of accommodation + hours of lessons, read from the school's packages page on 2026-10-20): kitesurf and wingfoil from €214 (3 nights + 6 h, Hostel shared dorm, 1 person); 3 nights + 6 h at Maison du Sud €310 for 1 person or €525 total for 2 sharing; at Riad Zahra Authentic €325 for 1 person or €525 for 2; 6 nights + 12 h from €418 (Hostel) to €640 (Riad Zahra Authentic, 1 person). Surf packages from €141. Check current prices on the school's site.
- Emergency numbers in Morocco: 19 police (cities), 177 Gendarmerie Royale (outside cities), 15 ambulance and fire.

## Caveat

ERA5 is a ~25–30 km grid that smooths local thermal and coastal acceleration, so real beach winds are often stronger. Use the data to compare months and spots, not as a promise. Essaouira and Moulay Bouzerktoun share one grid cell.

## Pages

- [Home](https://essaouirakitesurfmorocco.com/): overview, monthly wind chart, quick facts
- [Best time to kitesurf in Essaouira](https://essaouirakitesurfmorocco.com/best-time-to-kitesurf-essaouira): month-by-month table, best-month finder
- [Kite spots around Essaouira](https://essaouirakitesurfmorocco.com/kite-spots-around-essaouira): bay, Sidi Kaouki, Moulay Bouzerktoun, safety
- [Getting to Essaouira](https://essaouirakitesurfmorocco.com/getting-to-essaouira): airports, road distances, buses
- [Kite trip cost estimator](https://essaouirakitesurfmorocco.com/kite-trip-cost): lesson and package prices plus your own costs
- [Kite trip checklist](https://essaouirakitesurfmorocco.com/kite-trip-checklist): printable packing list, wetsuit by month
- [Essaouira vs Dakhla vs Tarifa](https://essaouirakitesurfmorocco.com/essaouira-vs-dakhla-vs-tarifa): wind data compared
- [About, data and method](https://essaouirakitesurfmorocco.com/about)

## Sources

- Weather data by Open-Meteo.com (CC BY 4.0): https://open-meteo.com/
- Open-Meteo Historical Weather API (ERA5): https://open-meteo.com/en/docs/historical-weather-api
- Open-Meteo Marine API: https://open-meteo.com/en/docs/marine-weather-api
- ERA5, Copernicus Climate Change Service: https://cds.climate.copernicus.eu/datasets/reanalysis-era5-single-levels
- UNESCO, Medina of Essaouira (formerly Mogador): https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/753