MapJordanAqabaJordan

Aqaba

choppybeginner-friendlybuzzing scenecar neededgear rentalbudget to mid

Local favourite

External renown — how known this place is in the kite world. Not a quality rating.

1 spot 2 schools

When to comeMar to OctWindiest modelled monthSeptember · 70% of days · Aqaba / Tala BayThe short answers

On this page

The feel of the place

Aqaba is Jordan's only coastal city and its Red Sea resort town, with Tala Bay's private-beach kite centre 20km south of the (quiet, conservative, non-party) downtown. It suits kiters who want to bolt a few desert-and-history days onto the trip -- Petra and Wadi Rum are close -- rather than anyone chasing beach-town nightlife.

The short answers

The essentials before the detail

When to come

Mar to Oct

The spot here is in season then

January, 0 spots in season.
February, 0 spots in season.
March, 1 spot in season.
April, 1 spot in season.
May, 1 spot in season.
June, 1 spot in season.
July, 1 spot in season.
August, 1 spot in season.
September, 1 spot in season.
October, 1 spot in season.
November, 0 spots in season.
December, 0 spots in season.

Filled months: the season the spot here names.

Windiest modelled month

September · 70% of days · Aqaba / Tala Bay

The month the wind model rates highest; the season above is when riders and schools go.

modelled

days with three hours in a row at 12 kt or more, between 06:00 and 19:00 local, in September at Aqaba / Tala Bay, the strongest month any spot here models

A weather model's cell over this place, not a station on it. Good for comparing places, weaker for one beach.

What it costs

budget to mid

Street food 0.50-1.50 JD

Schools

in the directory

Getting there

1 airport

car effectively required

Getting there & around

Permits & rules

1 spot

with a rule of its own for permits, zoning or the bathing season, on the conditions below

The rule at each spot

Where to ride

1 spot

chop

Levels this spot suits

beginnerintermediateadvanced

The conditions in full

Good to know before you go 3

No public transport from the airport
Border taxi cartel overcharges -- negotiate or walk
ATM fees can be steep and card acceptance patchy outside big hotels

Conditions

1 spot · Aqaba / Tala Bay

Getting on the water Rules & access Wind Water

Water and wind

Aqaba / Tala Bay is Jordan's resort-based Red Sea kite venue, run out of H&S Water Sports on Tala Bay South Beach inside the gated Tala Bay compound. Forget the idea of a shallow Red Sea lagoon: the water is deep from close in, there is 0.5-1 m chop and small swell, and beginner lessons are taught from a boat. Wind is usually side-shore from the north to northwest, 18-22 knots on a windy day, with the occasional day above 35 knots that belongs to intermediate and advanced riders only.

Season, rescue, and amenities

Treat the main season as mid-March to mid-October and treat the detail as unsettled: April-September is named as the strongest stretch, while July-August is reportedly weaker than the rest of the windy season. The rescue boat is what shapes riding here. One is on the water whenever the centre is open, and kiting in Aqaba is not permitted without it. The setting is convenient rather than wild. Tala Bay has the accommodation, the restaurants and the shops, and Wadi Rum and Petra are within day-trip range.

Getting on the water

The launchLaunch and land from the H&S Water Sports beach at Tala Bay, South Beach, inside the Tala Bay compound, open 10:00 to sunset seven days a week with help to set up, launch and land. The beach strip itself is small and mixed sand and stones; the riding area offshore is large. Riders on their own gear pay a 10 JD daily service fee that covers setup, launch, landing and pack-down (2026).

If it goes wrongA rescue boat is on the water whenever the centre is open, and kiting in Aqaba is not permitted without one. Each rescue is charged at 10 JD (2026). Downwinders run with a boat escort along about 5 km of coast, with the pick-up included at the end.

Room to rigok

Rules & access

1 min read

Rescue and operations

2026: kiting in Aqaba is not permitted without a rescue boat. H&S Water Sports at Tala Bay is reportedly the only kite centre in Aqaba, which it puts down to coastline and land regulation, and it runs the boat; each rescue costs 10 JD and a 10 JD daily service fee applies to ride from its beach.

2026: the centre operates 10:00 to sunset, seven days a week.

Access

2025: the launch sits inside Tala Bay Resort, so contact the school before arriving to arrange access through the gate.

Marine regulations

2001: Regulation No. 22 places the Aqaba Marine Park between the Marine Science Station in the north and the Public Security Officers Club in the south, reaching 350 m seaward of the high-tide line and 50 m inland, and bans hunting or harming marine and land animals, collecting shells, coral or organic material without authorisation, destroying plants, damaging habitats and facilities, introducing alien species, polluting, littering and camping.

Whether the Tala Bay launch falls inside the later Aqaba Marine Reserve boundary is unconfirmed; the 2001 southern limit is north of it.

Wind

Charactermixed wind

AverageThere is no usable long-term measured average. The Tala Bay weather station only ran between January 2013 and February 2017 and returns a 5-knot all-hours mean; the King Hussein International station has no statistics at all. What matters for planning is the windy-day figure: 18-22 knots when it blows, 15-25 knots as the September working range.

Typical18-22 knots on a normal windy day, with 15-25 knots the usual working range across the season. Days above 35 knots happen and are for intermediate and advanced riders only.

Dominant directionNorth to northwest. The mean direction across the 2013-2017 station record was 344 degrees, NNW; NNE also works, and the wind is usually side-shore 80-90% of the time.

Angle to shorecross-shore

QualitySide-shore 80-90% of the time. It reads as a regular thermal from the north to northwest, though it is given elsewhere as thermal and frontal; which one is driving a given day is unconfirmed.

Best monthsMar · Apr · May · Jun · Jul · Aug · Sep · Oct

SeasonTwo season framings circulate and they do not agree. One is windy year-round with the strongest wind April-September. The other is a windy season of mid-March to mid-October, wind on about 75% of the year, and July-August weaker than the rest of the windy season.Windy daysModelled windy-day counts at 12 knots or more come to about 129 days a year, peaking at 20 days in each of June and July, then 12 in August, 7 in September and 4 in October, with 13-18 across March-May and 3-8 from November to February.SeptemberSeptember is still marketed as one of the windiest months and is when the centre runs its coaching camps, at an average of 15-25 knots, 37C air and 27C water.

Water

Typechop

Standing depthNone. The water is deep from close in, so there is no standing area anywhere in the riding zone; beginner lessons run from a boat after land-based safety and wind theory.

TidesTide independent. No tidal window governs the launch and no local operating hours are set by tide.

Summer, °C27-30 through June-October; the summer mean sits around 26.7-27, and September water is about 27.

Winter, °C21-23 through January-March, with a winter mean around 22.

WetsuitShorts in summer, shorty in spring/fall, full wetsuit in winter; sea-temperature ranges imply many riders may not need neoprene in the warmest months.

NotesDeep water with chop and small swells, given as 0.5-1 m. Descriptions run from chop with small waves to choppy small-to-medium waves with reef as the main danger. This is the Gulf of Aqaba, warm year-round. No standing lagoon area.

Schools

2 in the directory

H&S Water Sports

IKO

Doeslessons · rental · storage · wingfoil · boat support · downwinders

RidesAqaba / Tala Bay

SpeaksEnglish · Arabic

hswatersports.com

Jordan Kites

RidesAqaba / Tala Bay

Getting there & around

Nearest airports

King Hussein International Airport (AQJ), 9km from Aqaba city, ~1hr flight from Amman on Royal Jordanian; also reachable via Amman's Queen Alia Airport plus a ~4hr, 350km desert-highway transfer

Car

Car neededNot essential for staying at Tala Bay itself, but useful/recommended for day trips to Petra, Wadi Rum and Dana; night driving outside Amman is discouraged.

Transfers

No public transport from AQJ airport -- arrange a hotel transfer or taxi. Tala Bay resort is ~20km south of the city so factor in a further taxi/transfer. Buses run from Amman (~10 JD, Desert Highway). Land border crossing from Eilat, Israel via the Yitzhak Rabin/Wadi Araba terminal (exit fee ~₪107 total); ferries also run to Taba, Egypt.

Road quirksA 'border taxi cartel' at crossings is known to overcharge (quoted ~11 JD) -- negotiate firmly or walk to the highway for a cheaper taxi.

Kite bag rules for your airline

Type the carrier you are flying: what it charges for a kite bag, and the year of the policy that says so.

Your airline

Checked so far for Jordan:Royal Jordanian

Every carrier, with limits and what riders report at the counter →

Practical

LanguageArabic (Jordanian dialect); English widely spoken in tourism and among younger Jordanians

VisaThe Jordan Pass (70-80 JD) waives the standard 40 JD visa-on-arrival fee if you stay 3+ nights, and bundles entry to 40+ sites including Petra and Wadi Rum -- buy it online before arrival

Costsbudget to midStreet food 0.50-1.50 JDseafood meal 5-10 JDbudget hotel 15-25 JD/nightupscale resort from 88 JD/nightAmman-Aqaba flight ~50 JD

Seasons beyond windExtremely hot desert summers (up to 41-49°C, a 49.6°C record was set in August 2025) and mild winters -- winter is the pleasanter season for Petra/Wadi Rum sightseeing.

Cash & cards

MoneyJordanian Dinar (JD), pegged near 1 JD = $1.41 (~$0.71 to the dinar); ATMs widely available but fees can run high; card acceptance limited outside major venues

Health & safety

SafetyRelatively safe; avoid driving after dark outside Amman; stay aware near the Syrian border and of regional tensions

HealthStandard travel precautions

What riders say

6 recurring claims

The trade-off Wind micro-knowledge Tips from riders Communities

The tag says how far the riders who mention it agree; the figure is how many mention it.

The center gets unusually consistent praise for supervision: riders mention boat follow-up, rescue standby, launch and land help, and gear care.
consensus6 riders
The water is spacious and often uncrowded once you are out, which several riders frame as the reason the spot feels safe despite being deep open sea.
consensus5 riders
It is beginner-capable, but not a shallow lagoon lesson; beginners are taught from a boat in deep water and several reviews stress the instructors more than the beach itself.
consensus4 riders
H&S Water Sports is described as the only kite center in Aqaba, based at Tala Bay's south beach, and access to the resort must be arranged with them in advance
strong3 riders
Wind reliability is good in the stronger months but not automatic; one rider got almost daily sessions in September, another got three sessions in a November week, and June was over 20 knots every day for one visitor.
majority4 riders
The launch is the awkward part: wind holes close to shore, sheltered beach air, resort guests in the launch area, and mandatory resort access all come up.
majority3 riders

The trade-off

Pros

Uncrowded, expansive riding area
Suitable for all levels with lessons/rescue infrastructure on site
Warm water most of the year (21-30C depending on season)

Cons

Only one operator/access point; must pre-arrange resort access
Very hot air temps in summer (38-42C)
No independent rider forum discussion found -- all available detail comes from the operator's own marketing site

Wind micro-knowledge

3 facts · Through the season · Tide and wind

Through the seasonPrime season stated as April-October by one spot guide and mid-March to mid-October with a July/August lull by the operator's own site; both describe the local thermal wind as the 'Aqaba Wind' or 'Shamal'

Tide and windNot tide-dependent per available sources; water described as deep with 0.5-1m chop

GustsAverage 18-22 knots on typical days, occasionally exceeding 35 knots on strong days (intermediate/advanced only) per the operator's own site -- this is a self-reported operator claim, not an independent rider account

Tips from riders

Contact H&S Water Sports before travelling to arrange resort access
Downtown Aqaba is quiet, conservative and not a party town, unlike the Tala Bay resort strip

Communities

H&S Water Sports

Platformoperator website; presumed Facebook and Instagram presence

hswatersports.com

Scene & life

VibeQuiet, conservative-Muslim-country resort vibe -- not a party town

Must try

Mansaf (Jordan's national dish)
fresh Red Sea seafood at the Al-Afran fish market
street hummus/falafel/shawarma

Rider hangoutsCaptain's Restaurant · Royal Yacht Club · the downtown fish-market grills

Activities

Diving/snorkelling the Red Sea reefs (30+ dive sites)
Aqaba Castle and the ancient ruins of Ayla
traditional hammams
hiking Mount Um al Nusaylah

Day tripsPetra (~2.5hrs) · Wadi Rum desert (~50km, overnight camps) · Dana Nature Reserve

Pairs withA Wadi Rum desert-camp night plus Petra combo trip; Red Sea diving; a border hop into Eilat/Israel

Solo-friendlyGenerally safe; dress modestly downtown out of respect for local norms

Après-kiteHotel bars within resorts · downtown shisha cafes

Kite + workLimited long-stay/coworking infrastructure; resort wifi is fine, downtown less reliable

History & trivia

4 items

Ancient Elath was a Chalcolithic copper-trading hub around 4000 BC
The Aqaba Church is considered the world's oldest known purpose-built Christian church
T.E. Lawrence led the Battle of Aqaba against Ottoman forces in 1917
Aqaba is Jordan's only coastal city, bordering Israel, Egypt and Saudi Arabia, and is nicknamed 'the Bride of the Red Sea'

Itinerary idea

Base at Tala Bay for kiting, then bolt on a Wadi Rum desert-camp night plus Petra (3-4 days total), looping back through Aqaba for Red Sea diving.

FAQ

Is Tala Bay suitable for beginners?

Yes: H&S Water Sports teaches beginner lessons from a boat, though the launch is deep water with chop and small swells rather than a shallow lagoon.

Is a car needed?

Not essential for staying at Tala Bay itself, but useful for day trips to Petra, Wadi Rum and Dana; night driving outside Amman is discouraged.

Where should I base myself?

Tala Bay puts you on the private beach next to the kite centre, while downtown Aqaba offers budget hotels and more local food and culture.

Are there visa costs to plan for?

The Jordan Pass (70-80 JD) waives the standard 40 JD visa-on-arrival fee for stays of 3 or more nights and bundles entry to over 40 sites including Petra and Wadi Rum.

How this place scores

Scores out of 10, compared with other places. The data figure under each label is how much of this record that score had to work from, so a high score on thin data is a thin score.

Safetydata 88%8.5
Off the waterdata 100%8.0
Room on the waterdata 62%7.7
Long staydata 19%7.2
Wind reliabilitydata 10%6.1
Familydata 100%4.4
Ease of accessdata 27%4.0
Kite communitydata 100%3.8
Beginner friendlydata 76%3.7
Flat waterdata 100%2.2
Wavesdata 100%1.4
Affordabilitydata 0%not scored

A paler bar was scored from less than half of the record.

Scores by trip type

Kite and workdata 80%6.0
Family tripdata 100%5.8
Learning to ridedata 90%5.0
Freestyle and flat waterdata 90%4.9
Wavesdata 100%4.9

Nothing here carries a figure for affordability, so every line above is built without it.

Still open

Things we could not verify. If you have ridden here, you can help.

Show the 3 open questions

No independent (non-operator) rider testimony found for this destination
No tide, time-of-day, or wind-shadow detail from riders
Community size and platform for local/visiting kiter groups unconfirmed

When to go and nearby places

Last updated: 4 September 2026