MapMoroccoDakhlaTurtle Bay (La Tour d'Eole)Dakhla

Turtle Bay (La Tour d'Eole)

Dakhla-Oued Ed-Dahab · Cercle d'El Argoub دائرة العركوب

also known as Turtle Bay, Dream Spot, La Piscine

Part of Dakhla →

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec

beginner-friendlylow crowds

On this page

The spot
Wind
Forecast
Month by month
Water
Level
The scene
Launch
Schools
Tips
Getting there
FAQ

Riding essentials

Season

Mar–Oct

Months riders and schools name

How windy

15-25+ kt

Character: mixed

Room to launch

huge

access rules on record, below

Water

mixed

21–25 °C in summerFlat water is the reason to come

Hazards

Reported by riders

Level

Beginner to advanced

With a caveat: see Your level

BeginnerIntermediateAdvanced

Crowds

low crowds · busy Mar Apr May Jun

Schools

none named here

From the airport

45-60 min

Dakhla Airport (VIL)

When it fills in

Mornings are the lighter part of the day and the wind builds through the afternoon. From April to October it blows on close to a daily basis, which is what makes the spot plannable rather than lucky.

Nearbystraight-line distance

Backup spotsWhere riders go when the wind doesn't work here.

Dakhla Lagoon / PK25
Lassargano page yet
Oum Lbouirno page yet
Foum Labouir

The spot

Turtle Bay sits on the mainland side of the Dakhla lagoon at PK 60 Route d'El Argoub, where La Tour d'Eole and its Ocean Academy centre are the only thing on the shore. This is lagoon riding, not ocean: flat to lightly choppy water, shallow ground that moves with the tide, and a very flat pool called La Piscine that only fills at high water.

Wind and seasons

The N to NNE wind comes in side-onshore, so it pushes you back toward the beach, which is the reason beginners get taught here. April to October is the dependable stretch, and the wider Dakhla lagoon still rides through winter on lighter and more variable wind.

Planning around tides

Plan around the tide rather than the wind: the same beach gives you standing flat water low down and deeper freeride space as it fills, and La Piscine comes good roughly every other week as the coefficients line up.

Come for flat water without the north-lagoon crowd. Skip it if you ride independently and want cover on the water, because the safety boats belong to the school and there is nothing else out there.

The wind

Direction

cross-onN to NNE

Direction to shore

Side-onshore from the N to NNE. The wind pushes a rider back toward the beach rather than away from it, which is the main reason the spot is taught to beginners.

Kite sizes

4567891011121314151617

metres · typical quiver highlighted

The quiver, in words

7-12 m covers the season for a 75-85 kg rider: 7-9 m through the strong April-October stretch, 10-12 m on lighter winter and shoulder days, and something smaller again on a 40 kt summer thermal. The on-site centre stocks 5-17 m kites, 2.5-8.0 m wings and 3.7-7.8 m windsurf sails.

Character

mixed

When it fills in: see above ↑

Average strength

16 kt annual average at Dakhla Airport; 15-25 kt is stated by Ocean Academy for the local Dakhla peninsula system

Typical strength

15-25+ kt in the main season. Summer runs stronger, with up to 40 kt reported on thermal days.

steady to strong; side-onshore at the Ocean Academy/Turtle Bay shore

N/NNE wind blows at 15-25 kt on more than 300 days per year. April-October is considered the best period at Turtle Bay, while wider Dakhla conditions remain rideable year-round with weaker or more variable winter wind.

Forecast

Live forecast

Windguru Windfinder Windy

Month by month

riding season from the spot record · the wind series here holds no strength figure

No month-by-month share of windy days is held for this spot. The months riders and schools name are Mar, Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct.

Measured at Dakhla Airport, Western Sahara, ~10 km from the spot (2004-06-01 to 2026-07-31 (~22 yrs, still reporting)).

How this was measuredmeasured · 2004-06-01 to 2026-07-31 (~22 yrs, still reporting)

The source named below holds no month-by-month figure for this place, so no season is drawn from it. The season is the one the spot record names.

Highlighted months are the riding season from the spot record.

Dakhla Airport, Western Sahara · windfinder.com · 2004-06-01 to 2026-07-31 (~22 yrs, still reporting)

The water

Type

mixed

Standing depth

About 100 m of standing water off the main spot around low tide, with a wider 150-200 m band described at other states of tide. La Piscine is standing depth throughout, roughly 0.3-1 m, but only fills enough to ride at high tide, so it is a window rather than a place you can use all day.

Tides

Everything here is set by the tide. La Piscine forms at high water and only comes good roughly every other week as the tide coefficients line up; the main area shifts from flat and shallow around low tide to deeper freeride water, and choppier, as it fills. A coefficient near 40 covers about 80% of days.

Temperature

21–25 °C summer · 16–20 °C winter

Wetsuit

3/2 mm is the default. A shorty or nothing at all works in summer depending on wind chill and how long you stay out, and 4/3-5/4 mm suits long winter sessions.

Currents

Current runs harder around high tide. No measured figures are published for the bay, so treat the flood as the state to be careful in, especially near the deeper middle.

Conditions

Flat water is the reason to come. It goes to a light chop when the wind gets up, because this is one of the wider sections of the Dakhla lagoon. The bottom is mostly sand with the odd shell and small stone in it.

Your level

BeginnerIntermediateAdvanced

Beginners are taught here because the wind comes in side-onshore and there is shallow flat ground at low water; the centre runs six-lesson courses on exactly that. Intermediates get freeride and freestyle space once the lagoon fills. Advanced riders come for flat water, not for anything technical in the terrain.

The scene

What riders come here for

intermediatefreeridebeginner lessonsfreestyleflat waterwingfoilwilderness sessions

Remote, quiet lagoon riding on the mainland side of Dakhla. With one hotel on the shore it stays far emptier than the camp cluster on the north lagoon.

Launch and rules

three ways on to the water, and what each one asks of you

With a school or a boat

No school names this spot

Nobody has been recorded teaching or running a boat here.

On your own

Room to launch: huge

Read the access rules

Somewhere else

8 spots nearby

All 8 spots within 40 km are under Nearby

Rescue

Safety boats come from the on-site watersports centre and from the nearby El Argoub operation, covering their own supervised areas and their own clients; lessons run with walkie-talkie contact and downwinders are shadowed by an 8 m boat.

There is no public rescue service on this shore. Whether a non-client can call on a boat is unconfirmed, so an independent rider should settle that before launching.

Launch

Sandy lagoon-side launch in front of Ocean Academy/La Tour d'Eole, with the main freeride area directly off the watersports center and La Piscine reachable by short downwind or vehicle transfer.

Hazards riders report 8 reported

Bottom

Occasional sharp shells and small stones on the sandy bottom; reef shoes are recommended.

Waves and currents

Current runs harder around high tide.
La Piscine is only rideable on the high-tide window, so a session there can be cut short by the falling tide.

Protected areas and rules

The main lagoon can develop chop when the wind picks up.

Other

fewer facilities/rescue infrastructure than the main PK25 cluster
Intense Saharan sun on an isolated shore; ride with the school or with company.
Low-facility areas away from the hotel and school bases may have no public rescue.
Summer thermals can reach 40 kt, well above the 15-25 kt the spot is usually sold on.

Rules & access

1 min read

Riding here is organised around the on-site school rather than a public beach: boat safety covers supervised areas and the centre's own clients, and independent riders are expected to arrange their own cover before launching (2026).
The centre runs on lesson blocks of 1 hour 45 minutes and beginner courses of six lessons; rental and unsupervised riding are gated on demonstrated level rather than sold over the counter (2026).
No municipal, maritime, military or environmental rule specific to kitesurfing on the mainland side of the Dakhla lagoon is known for 2026, and none is published by the regional tourism authority.

Access rules drift faster than anything else we hold — check locally, and propose an edit if this has changed.

Schools that ride here

Rider tips

Ask if the booking includes the airport transfer. The spot is about 60 km from Dakhla airport and La Tour d'Eole can arrange the car.
Bring or rent booties. The sand hides shells and small stones in the shallows.
Check the tide before you plan a session at La Piscine. It fills at high water and it is not there all day.
Ask which weeks the tide coefficients line up before you book dates around La Piscine; it works about every other week.
Ride the low-tide window if you want flat and shallow, and ride the fill for freeride space. Same beach, two spots, one day.
Take sun protection seriously. The shore is exposed and there is nothing and nobody nearby.
If you are not riding with Ocean Academy or another local operator, settle your own rescue before you launch.

Getting there

Airport

Dakhla Airport (VIL)

Route

Fly to Dakhla, then take a pre-arranged hotel/camp transfer around the lagoon to the mainland/eastern shore. La Tour d'Eole is at PK 60 Route d'El Argoub and can book airport transfers. Airlines serving Dakhla in 2026 include Royal Air Maroc, Transavia, Ryanair and Binter, depending on origin and season.

Transfer

45-60 min

Cost level

mid-high to high: 2026 operator pages list La Tour d'Eole from 68 EUR per person per night and Turtle Bay package examples from 885 EUR for 8 days/7 nights before custom add-ons.

Staying

Primary on-spot accommodation for Turtle Bay is La Tour d'Eole, an ecolodge/hotel with Ocean Academy about 700 m from the hotel. Nearby El Argoub options include Heliophora and other Dakhla lagoon camps; Dakhla town lodging requires transfers or a rental car.

No-wind days

SUP and surf excursions, wake and wake-foil, 4x4 trips to the White Dune and Dragon Island, the hot springs, the oyster farms, dune tours, fishing, trekking, and buggy or camel rides.

FAQ

When is the best time to kite at Turtle Bay?

April to October is the best period, with wind blowing on more than 300 days a year; winter remains rideable but more variable.

Is Turtle Bay suitable for beginners?

Yes, the side-onshore wind angle and shallow, flat lagoon zones are used for lessons, alongside freeride and freestyle conditions for more advanced riders.

What is the wind like?

Wind is a side-onshore north to north-northeast flow, typically 15-25 knots in season, with gusts up to 40 knots possible on strong thermal days.

How does tide affect the water?

The main area shifts from flatter, shallower water at low tide to deeper freeride conditions at higher tide, and the flat high-tide pool called La Piscine only forms roughly every other week.

The bigger pictureEverything about Dakhla

Last updated: August 2026