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Makadi Bay

Red Sea · Hurghada

also known as Hurghada Makadi Bay, Palace Pier

Part of Hurghada →

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec

flat waterbeginner-friendlymedium crowds

On this page

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

Riding essentials

Season

Mar–Oct

Months riders and schools name

How windy

15-25

Character: thermal

Room to launch

medium, more open farther north

no access rules on record

Water

bay, sandy beach, shallow near shore, flat to chop with small/medium waves possible

28 °C in summerResort bay with sand beaches and clear water

Hazards

Reported by riders

Level

Beginner to advanced

With a caveat: see Your level

BeginnerIntermediateAdvanced

Crowds

medium crowds · busy May Jun Jul Aug

Schools

named at this spot

From the airport

30 min

International Airport (HRG)

When it fills in

Usually blowing by mid-morning in the main season and building through the afternoon, which is when the long sessions happen.

Nearbystraight-line distance

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

Hurghada Long Beach/Magawish
Soma Bayno page yet
El Gounano page yet

The spot

Location and entry

Makadi Bay is a resort bay about 30 km south of Hurghada, and the kite launch is the hotel beach at Palace Pier.

Water and bathymetry

Sand, shallow water for several tens of metres at high tide, corals right at the entry, then a sandier bottom and flat-to-choppy water further out with small waves when it blows.

Wind thermal and seasonal strength

Wind is the Red Sea thermal from N, NNE or NE, about 21 kt average across May to October and 15-25 kts through the April-to-October core of the season, with lighter 12-20 kt winter days; on this east-facing beach that reads side-on to side-off depending on exactly where you launch, so pick the launch with the offshore component in mind.

Tide timing

Go in on the high tide: access is easier and the standing area is wider.

Crowding and access issues

The problem is not the water, it is the umbrellas. The central beach is full of hotel guests, so the open space is north of the pier, and whether independent kiters can use the hotel beach at all in 2026 is unconfirmed.

Coverage and suit requirements

Lifeguards are around; nobody publishes boat cover. Winter needs a long 4/5 mm suit; summer is boardshorts.

The wind

locals call it Red Sea thermal

Direction

cross-oncross-offwind blows away from land — rescue cover matters here

Direction to shore

side-on to side-off on the east-facing beach, depending on exact launch

Dominant direction

N, NNE, NE

Kite sizes

567891011121314151617

metres · typical quiver highlighted

The quiver, in words

For a 75 kg rider in Hurghada, 9-10 m is the size most used; 12 m for 12-16 kts, 7-9 m for 18-25 kts.

Character

thermal

When it fills in: see above ↑

Average strength

21.2

Typical strength

15-25

reliable in the main Hurghada/Red Sea season

The season runs March to November, strongest April to October, with 15-25 kt on a working day and lighter 12-20 kt spells through the winter.

Makadi Bay has no weather station with long-term records of its own. The nearest ones that do are 18 km south at Soma Bay, averaging 14 kt from the NNW across the year, and 23 km north at Hurghada airport, 12 kt NNW with 22 kt gusts.

Both are regional figures, and both sit well under the 21 kt often quoted for the bay itself.

Forecast

Live forecast

Windguru Windfinder Windy

Month by month

Jan71
Feb82
Mar, riders' month58
Apr, riders' month65
May, riders' month69
Jun, riders' month92
Jul, riders' month66
Aug, riders' month82
Sep, riders' month90
Oct, riders' month85
Nov80
Dec61

windy days per month (3 h+ at 12 kn+)

Ringed months are the ones riders and schools name: Mar, Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct.

71%Jan24°
82%Feb22°
58%Mar23°
65%Apr24°
69%May25°
92%Jun27°
66%Jul29°
82%Aug30°
90%Sep29°
85%Oct27°
80%Nov26°
61%Dec25°

windy days per month (3 h+ at 12 kn+) · water °C below · season highlighted

Modelled from the operational forecast archive at 1.5–7 km (2023-2024), daylight hours only, not a ground station: it resolves thermal, lake and valley winds far better than coarse reanalysis but still tends to understate a strong local thermal.

Every figure, month by monthWindy days · Force 4+ · 12 kn or more · Knots · Wind from · Peaks at · Air · Water · Readings

Month	Windy days	Force 4+	12 kn or more	Knots	Wind from	Peaks at	Air	Water	Readings
Jan	71%	82%	77%	14.6 kt	NW	10:00	17.2 °C	23.6 °C	62
Feb	82%	96%	89%	16.7 kt	NW	10:00	17.8 °C	22.4 °C	57
Mar	58%	71%	66%	15.1 kt	NW	10:00	20.8 °C	22.8 °C	62
Apr	65%	82%	73%	15.6 kt	NW	10:00	25.5 °C	23.6 °C	60
May	69%	90%	77%	16.3 kt	NW	10:00	29.1 °C	25 °C	62
Jun	92%	95%	93%	16.8 kt	N	13:00	32.4 °C	27.2 °C	60
Jul	66%	94%	84%	15.3 kt	N	13:00	33.7 °C	29.1 °C	62
Aug	82%	92%	89%	17.5 kt	NW	11:00	33.9 °C	29.9 °C	62
Sep	90%	98%	93%	16.9 kt	NW	10:00	32.1 °C	28.7 °C	60
Oct	85%	90%	87%	16.2 kt	NW	10:00	27.9 °C	27.4 °C	62
Nov	80%	90%	88%	15.6 kt	NW	10:00	23.3 °C	26.3 °C	60
Dec	61%	76%	71%	13.7 kt	NW	10:00	19.6 °C	24.6 °C	62

How this is modelledmodelled · 2023-2024

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

A windy day has at least three consecutive daylight hours at 12 knots or more. The typical daily max and the direction are columns of the table above, month by month. Highlighted months are the riding season from the spot record.

High-resolution weather model (modelled) · Open-Meteo historical forecast archive — best-match operational model (ICON-D2 / AROME / ICON-EU / GFS by region), not a ground station · 2023-2024

The water

Type

bay, sandy beach, shallow near shore, flat to chop with small/medium waves possible

Standing depth

yes near shore

Tides

High tide is recommended because access is easier and the shallow area extends for several tens of meters.

Temperature

28 °C summer · 21 °C winter

Modelled monthly average: 22–30 °C

Wetsuit

Boardshorts in the warm months; a long 4/5 mm wetsuit in winter.

Conditions

Resort bay with sand beaches and clear water. Shallow near shore, corals at the entry, a sandier bottom further out.

Your level

BeginnerIntermediateAdvanced

Marked as a beginner spot: shallow water near shore and easy sand. Intermediates and advanced riders use the more open water further out, where the chop and small waves are.

The scene

What riders come here for

freerideflat water near shoreresort-based sessions

Who it suitslearning

Hotel beach with on-site lessons; the quieter riding is north of the central Palace Pier beach.

Launch and rules

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

With a school or a boat

4 schools name this spot

See who they are

On your own

Room to launch: medium, more open farther north

no access rules on record

Somewhere else

6 spots nearby

All 6 spots within 40 km are under Nearby

Rescue

Lifeguards are present at the beach; no boat cover or response-time detail is published for Palace Pier.

Launch

Palace Pier is a sandy resort-beach launch. Umbrellas and hotel guests fill the central stretch; the open sand and the quieter riding are farther north.Showers, toilets and parking sit on the resort side.Kite operations in Makadi Bay work out of hotels rather than a public beach club - Fort Arabesque and Iberotel Makadi Beach among them - so the launch you get is the one your hotel or your school controls.

Schools that ride here

Rider tips

Launch north of the central Palace Pier beach; the middle is umbrellas and hotel guests.
Go on the high tide, when the shallow area runs for several tens of metres and the walk in is easier.
Wear shoes for the entry; the corals are near shore, and the sand only starts further out.
Ask your hotel about beach access before you turn up with a bag; the launch is hotel-controlled and the 2026 rule for outside kiters is unconfirmed.
For a 75 kg rider a 9-10 m kite does most days; 12 m for 12-16 kts, 7-9 m for 18-25 kts.
Bring a long 4/5 mm suit in winter; boardshorts cover the warm months.

Getting there

Airport

Hurghada International Airport (HRG)

Route

Fly to Hurghada, then take a taxi, hotel shuttle or private transfer south to Makadi Bay; the kite launch is tied to resort-hotel beach access around Palace Pier.

Transfer

30 min

Cost level

mid

Staying

Resort hotels line Makadi Bay and the surrounding Hurghada coast.

No-wind days

snorkeling · scuba diving · boat trips · Hurghada marina and old town · desert excursions · Luxor day trips from Hurghada

Photos

FAQ

Is Makadi Bay suitable for beginners?

Yes, it is marked as beginner-friendly thanks to shallow water near shore, while advanced riders can use the more open water farther out.

When is the best time to kitesurf at Makadi Bay?

May to October shows a 21-knot average, within a broader March-November Red Sea wind season that peaks April-October.

What is the wind like?

The dominant wind is N, NNE or NE, a thermal Red Sea pattern typically 15-25 knots.

What hazards should riders know about?

Corals near shore and tourist umbrellas on the busy central resort beach are the main concerns, and no public rescue details were found.

The bigger pictureEverything about Hurghada

Last updated: August 2026