Kitesurfing in Dahab

 Have you every heard about kitesurfing in Dahab?

The backdrop of the imposing Sinai Mountains rises directly behind the kite spots. Dahab has been very popular among windsurfers for decades and the kite community has long since discovered the small Bedouin village on the Sinai Peninsula.

The Egyptian town is about 90 kilometres north of Sharm El Sheikh, the destination airport for kite trips to the region, on the eastern side of the Sinai Peninsula. The small town with its 6,000 inhabitants seems surprisingly tranquil, although tourism has been booming here for years. Dahab has an exposed location on the windswept Gulf of Aqaba, making it a good alternative to mainstream Egyptian kitesurfing and kite travel destinations such as Hurghada, El Gouna, and Soma Bay or Hamata.

Wind and climate in Dahab

Recommended travel months: June, July, August, September, October

Months not recommended for travel: January, February, November, December

The region has an arid desert climate with very hot summers and mild winters. The maximum daily temperatures in summer regularly reach the 40 degrees Celsius mark and do not fall below 25 degrees at night in the months from June to September. The coldest months are December and January with temperatures up to 22 degrees Celsius. The nights are significantly colder in winter with up to ten degrees. The water temperatures of the Red Sea never fall below 20 degrees all year round and reach maximum values ​​of up to 27 degrees in summer. Hardly any rain falls in the region.

The wind system at Dahab’s kite spots is favoured by several factors. The wind coming from the north pushes its way through the Gulf of Aqaba, which is only 15 to 20 kilometres wide. This creates a jet effect through the funnel between the Sinai Mountains on the Egyptian side and the mountain ranges on the opposite Saudi Arabian side of the Gulf. Due to the high air temperatures, this wind system is additionally strengthened by local thermals. The highest wind probability for kitesurfing with up to 80 per cent is accordingly in the summer months. But even in winter, the kiteable days at the kite spots in Dahab are 50 to 60 per cent. The best travel time for kite surfing and kite trips to Dahab is from June to October.

Kitesurfing conditions in Dahab

Areas such as El Gouna, Hamata or Soma Bay are associated with the best spots for kitesurfing on the Red Sea. Only a few people who are hungry for travel have Dahab on their list.

The disadvantages of the global kite travel boom are particularly noticeable in the large kite areas in Egypt. Overcrowded kite spots and the feeling of mass processing are not uncommon. From our point of view reason enough to look around for more kitesurfing freedom in the land of the pharaohs.

Kamel – Kitereisen Dahab: Kitesurfing at the Harry Nass Center

Kite trips to Dahab

At second glance, Dahab is not as unknown as one might initially assume. The traditional Bedouin village on the Sinai Peninsula has enjoyed an excellent reputation among windsurfers for some time. For a few years, the area has also been open to all kitesurfers.

Optimal travel time for kitesurfing and kite trips in Dahab

Similar to the kite spots on the west coast of the Red Sea, Dahab is hot and dry in the summer months. Here the thermometer can climb to 40 degrees Celsius and more. Winter is much milder at 20 to 25 degrees. The water temperatures are 26 degrees in summer and 21 degrees Celsius in winter.

Best Travel Time for Kitesurfing Dahab Egypt

The mountainous coast on the Gulf of Aqaba and the local thermals give Dahab an almost year-round wind yield of over 4 Beaufort. Best conditions for kite surfing. In contrast to El Gouna, Hamata or Soma Bay, where the wind usually only builds up during the course of the day, Dahab is also suitable for early risers. Because the thermals set in here in the morning hours. In summer the wind lasts all day, while in the winter months it decreases noticeably in the afternoon. Dahab can certainly be seen as a year-round kite destination, with summer winds being more consistent and more likely to come than winter. The best travel time for kite surfing and kite trips in Dahab starts in June and ends in October.

Arrival, accommodation and kite luggage
Book a package tour or organize the flight and the hotel yourself? We ask ourselves this question before all kite trips. We can only say that everyone should make their own personal decision between price, comfort and individual freedom. In the case of Dahab, we opted for the all-round carefree package, and there was a reason for that. Some highly recommended hotel complexes in Dahab are in the immediate vicinity of the kite spots or are even directly connected to a surf center. They offer a spectacular view of the Gulf of Aqaba, the Sinai mountains and meet all expectations of an all-inclusive holiday.

In addition, in our opinion, it is not worthwhile to explore the rather sparsely populated area with your own rental car. Shuttles run between the hotels and the old town of Dahab several times a day. That’s why we just laid back completely relaxed during this kite vacation and just concentrated on kite surfing. It takes around 4 hours to fly from Europe to Sharm el Sheikh Airport in the south of Sinai. It is about 90 kilometers from Dahab. The transfer by bus takes about 1.5 hours.

Kite trips Dahab: Kitesurfing at the Harry Nass Center

You should register your kite luggage with your tour operator. In the best case, get it in writing so that you can recover excessive transport costs for the bus transfer if the worst comes to the worst. If you want to organize the transfer yourself, you should definitely negotiate the price for the transport of the kite luggage with the taxi or bus driver at the airport. This will save you from nasty surprises. By the way, this applies to all kite trips to Egypt.

Kite spots in Dahab

Dahab South is roughly divided into four districts. Previously, areas 1 to 3 were reserved exclusively for windsurfers. Kitesurfing was only allowed in the kite lagoon behind area 1 and south of Dahab at area 4. Since Harry Nass closed his Center 4 at Bay View Resort in May 2014, kitesurfing is now also offered at Harry Nass Center 2.

The kite lagoon

The Harry Nass Center 1 is located directly at the 4-star Ibis Styles Hotel. The kite lagoon is connected to the windsurfing center and is to the left of the station, behind area 1. Kite training and beginner courses take place in the 300 by 500 meter shallow lagoon.

The wind blows offshore here. Near the shore it gets a bit turbulent due to the cover of the hotels. A 20 meter wide and 500 meter long sandbank prevents kiters from drifting off. Due to high and low tide, the kite lagoon can be used for a maximum of 4 hours in summer. In winter, the water level is usually high enough for kitesurfing.

We recommend advanced kiters to switch to the new kite area at Center 2 or to the kite spot at Bay View Resort. It’s a bit chaotic here and there in the lagoon for our taste.

Kitesurfing from Harry Nass Center 2
A completely new kite area was created in Dahab in 2014. It is located leeward to Harry Nass Center 2 at Jaz Dahabeya. You take off and land directly from a small sandy beach. As at the former Harry Nass Center 4, Center 2 also offers take-off and landing assistance.

Kiting and Windsurfing: Kitesurfing at the Harry Nass Center

So that windsurfers and kiters don’t get in each other’s way, the kitesurfers stay downwind of the windsurfers. The wind is blowing sideshore from the left at Center 2. Due to the very small standing area, the spot is more suitable for experienced kitesurfers.

Further out, the sea becomes darker and darker. Depending on the strength of the wind, swell waves form, but they hardly ever break. The almost infinite amount of space means pure freedom.

If you don’t want to bring your own equipment to Dahab, you can also rent kites and boards from Cabrinha at the station. Everything else is taken care of. There is a small bar, changing rooms, showers and WiFi.

Safety is a top priority at the Harry Nass Centers. The radio system, which has been used primarily by windsurfers for years, is of course also available to kitesurfers. A dinghy in front of the kite station is used both in the event of problems for individual water sports enthusiasts and for free transfers between the individual areas for customers of the Harry Nass Center.

Kiting at Bay View Resort

District 4 is about 3.5 kilometers from Dahab. Since the end of the Harry Nass Center 4, including the dismantling of a pontoon at the Bay View Resort, there is basically no longer any possibility of starting directly from the hotel, unless you want to shred a living reef with your fins, which stretches across the entire reef Bay View Resort’s beach length.

Red Mountains Dahab: Kitesurfing at Harry Nass Center

From our point of view, there are two better ways to get to the area. The first is a downwinder trip from Center 2. The destination is the former landing bay 400 meters behind the Bay View Resort in Lee. During the downwinder, you can enjoy the impressive backdrop of the red-brown Sinai Mountains. A really great experience. You should coordinate the trip with the station, as there are no longer any helpers in the landing bay and the way back can be very difficult.

The conditions are similar to Harry Nass Center 2. The wind blows very cleanly side shore from the left. Especially advanced kiters can let off steam on a huge playground. Of course, you can also start directly at the landing bay. Just be aware of the onshore wind there.