Saly
Thiès Region · Saly · Département de M'bour · Mbour
also known as Saly Portudal, Sali Portudal, Sali
Riding essentials
Season
Nov–Aug
Months riders and schools name
How windy
15-20 kt
Character: mixed
Room to launch
ok
access rules on record, below
Water
mixed
27 °C in summerThe bay is relatively flat/protected, though it is also classified as a small-wave ocean spot
Hazards
9
Reported by riders
Level
Beginner to advanced
With a caveat: see Your level
Crowds
high crowds · busy Nov Dec Jan Feb
Schools
1
named at this spot
From the airport
30 min
Diagne International Airport (DSS)
On the clock
15:00
Afternoon. The thermal builds through the early afternoon and is normally established by about 15:00; before that the bay is often too light to rig.
The mark is the clock time the record names, laid on a 24-hour day. The fade after it is not an end time, and not a promise of wind.
Nearbystraight-line distance
Backup spotsWhere riders go when the wind doesn't work here.
The spot
Location and setup
Water and wind
Launch and local advice
The wind
locals call it Harmattan / northeast trade influence plus local afternoon thermal
Direction
Direction to shore
cross-off
Dominant direction
NW to NE in the local spot guide; NNE, W and WNW in other spot listings
Kite sizes
metres · typical quiver highlighted
The quiver, in words
For a 75-85 kg rider the April-June afternoon thermal at 15-20 kt is 10-12 m riding: 12 m early in the build, 10-11 m once it is established. Carry a 9 m for the afternoons that push past 20 kt and an 8 m for the rare 25 kt days.Mornings under 12 kt are foil or big-kite time. These bands come off the reported wind ranges; no local school publishes its quiver.
Character
Average strength
7-9 kt as a monthly all-hours average, which understates the spot badly: the rideable window is the afternoon, when 15-20 kt is normal in the April-June thermal season.
Typical strength
15-20 kt in the April-June afternoon thermal, with days that push into the 20-25 kt band. Monthly all-hours averages of 7-9 kt are much lower because they include the calm nights and mornings; do not plan a trip off them.
Forecast
Live forecast
Month by month
- Jan, riders' month18
- Feb, riders' month37
- Mar, riders' month32
- Apr, riders' month70
- May, riders' month55
- Jun, riders' month40
- Jul, riders' month6
- Aug, riders' month10
- Sep8
- Oct2
- Nov, riders' month2
- Dec, riders' month24
windy days per month (3 h+ at 12 kn+)
Ringed months are the ones riders and schools name: Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Nov, Dec.
- 18%Jan21°
- 37%Feb19°
- 32%Mar19°
- 70%Apr20°
- 55%May22°
- 40%Jun25°
- 6%Jul27°
- 10%Aug28°
- 8%Sep28°
- 2%Oct28°
- 2%Nov26°
- 24%Dec23°
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 | 18% | 68% | 42% | 11.6 kt | ENE | 13:00 | 23.3 °C | 20.6 °C | 62 |
| Feb | 37% | 84% | 65% | 12.8 kt | NNW | 16:00 | 23.9 °C | 19.4 °C | 57 |
| Mar | 32% | 90% | 74% | 12.7 kt | NNW | 17:00 | 25 °C | 19.4 °C | 62 |
| Apr | 70% | 90% | 87% | 13.7 kt | NNW | 16:00 | 25 °C | 20 °C | 60 |
| May | 55% | 89% | 79% | 13 kt | NNW | 17:00 | 26.1 °C | 22.2 °C | 62 |
| Jun | 40% | 67% | 47% | 12 kt | W | 16:00 | 27.8 °C | 25 °C | 60 |
| Jul | 6% | 37% | 23% | 10.4 kt | W | 15:00 | 28.3 °C | 27.2 °C | 62 |
| Aug | 10% | 45% | 26% | 10.7 kt | W | 15:00 | 27.8 °C | 27.8 °C | 62 |
| Sep | 8% | 13% | 13% | 8.8 kt | WNW | 15:00 | 27.8 °C | 28.3 °C | 60 |
| Oct | 2% | 8% | 3% | 8.7 kt | SW | 16:00 | 28.3 °C | 28.3 °C | 62 |
| Nov | 2% | 23% | 7% | 9.7 kt | NE | 14:00 | 26.7 °C | 26.1 °C | 60 |
| Dec | 24% | 55% | 39% | 11.2 kt | ENE | 13:00 | 24.4 °C | 23.3 °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
mixed
Standing depth
Partly possible near shore/sandbank on a 2010 rider report; not a reliable standing-depth lagoon on that alone.
Tides
Semi-diurnal, two highs and two lows a day.Springs run to about 2.1-2.2 m at high water against 0.1-0.5 m at low, and the usual range is 1.1-1.6 m depending on the tidal coefficient, which swings between roughly 25 and 102 across a month.That is enough to change beach width materially, and to decide whether the rocks and shell at the southern end near Tama Lodge are covered or not.
Temperature
27 °C summer · 21.1 °C winter
Modelled monthly average: 19–28 °C
Wetsuit
Boardshorts/rash vest in warm months; shorty can be useful in winter/spring when monthly average sea temperatures are about 19–21 °C.
Currents
Sea described as habitually calm, sheltered within the bay; coastal erosion has been an issue since the 2000s, mitigated by more recent dike/protection works.
Conditions
Your level
The scene
What riders come here for
Launch and rules
three ways on to the water, and what each one asks of you
With a school or a boat
1 school names this spot
On your own
Room to launch: ok
Somewhere else
2 spots nearby
Rescue
Launch
Sandy resort beach. Launch north of the bay past Hôtel Espadon near Résidence Safari Village or Les Christallines where the beach is wider; the central bay can be narrow and cluttered with parasols, loungers, palms and buildings.
Rules & access
1 min read
- 2026: no kitesurf permit, zoning or seasonal ban is known to apply at Saly. The real constraints are physical - hotel furniture on the sand, swimmers in front of the hotels, and the watersports bases.
- Launch north of the central hotel strip. The wide open sand past Hôtel Espadon toward Résidence Safari Village and Les Christallines is the accepted rigging area; the central bay is narrow and full of parasols, loungers, palms and buildings.
- Stay clear of the jet-ski and boat lanes running out of the resort watersports bases and the port of Saly Portudal.
- Do not rig on the hotel beach furniture or across a hotel's swimming frontage; the sand belongs to the public maritime domain but the loungers and the guests do not move for you.
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
- Launch north of the central strip, around Résidence Safari Village or Les Christallines, where the sand is wide.
- Check the tide before you rig: the water level swings by more than a meter over a cycle and the beach width goes with it.
- Confirm somebody is watching the water that day, especially when the wind is N to NE and feels side-off.
- Bring your own kit unless a local operator has confirmed rental in writing; no kite rental is reported locally.
- Keep out of the jet-ski and boat lanes near the port and the hotel watersports bases.
- Wear booties or walk the launch first when shells and rocks are uncovered at low tide.
Getting there
Airport
Blaise Diagne International Airport (DSS)
Route
Road transfer or taxi from DSS to Saly, about 30.9 km and about 30 minutes by car. Saly itself is about 80-85 km south of Dakar city.
Transfer
30 min
Cost level
mid
Staying
More than 739 places to stay sit within reach of Saly, Senegal's largest seaside resort, with hotels and restaurants stacked along the strip.
No-wind days
Golf de Saly, Bandia wildlife reserve, Joal-Fadiouth/Somone/Ngaparou day trips, fishing, jet-ski bases, paddle/other watersports, restaurants, nightlife and craft markets.
Photos
FAQ
When is the best time to kite at Saly?
The best window is April to June for the afternoon thermal, within a broader November-May dry season, with wind typically building after 15:00.
Is Saly suitable for beginners?
Beginners should use school supervision and launch from the wider northern bay near Residence Safari Village rather than the crowded central hotel beach.
What is the wind like?
An afternoon thermal of roughly 15-20 knots is typical, with side-shore to slightly side-off components sometimes disturbed near shore by trees and buildings.
What are the main hazards?
The central resort beach is narrow and cluttered with loungers and buildings, rocks lie toward the south near Tama Lodge, and jet-ski traffic runs from resort bases and the port.
Are there kite schools nearby?
Sene Kitesurf Club and the Saly Sailing Club near Hotel Lamantin both operate in the area.
The bigger pictureEverything about Saly
Last updated: August 2026