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Sidi Kaouki

Marrakech-Safi · cercle de Tamanar · Sidi Kaouki village; Essaouira is the nearest major town

Part of Sidi Kaouki →

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec

wavesnot for beginnersmedium crowds

On this page

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

Riding essentials

Season

Apr–Oct

Months riders and schools name

How windy

22-33 knots

Character: mixed

Room to launch

huge

access rules on record, below

Water

waves

20–23 °C in summer

Hazards

Reported by riders

Level

Intermediate to advanced

With a caveat: see Your level

BeginnerIntermediateAdvanced

Crowds

medium crowds · busy Jun Jul Aug Sep

Schools

named at this spot

From the airport

Essaouira-Mogador Airport (ESU)

Transfer times under Getting there

When it fills in

Mornings are the light part of the day and the usual surf window. The trade and the thermal build through the morning, and by mid-afternoon 6-7 Beaufort, roughly 22-33 knots, is common in the April-September season. The kite window normally opens after lunch and holds into the evening.

Nearbystraight-line distance

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

Essaouira Bay
Diabatno page yet
Cap Sim
La Grotte
La Couronneno page yet
La Bouteilleno page yet

The spot

The village

Sidi Kaouki is a surf village 25 km south of Essaouira and a much quieter proposition than the town bay. The riding is open ocean: a long sandy launch, sandbanks that move, a punchy beachbreak, and rock and reef sub-spots at Marabout, La Bouteille and the Cap Sim area with La Grotte and La Couronne.

Seasonal wind

From April to September the same alizes that feed Essaouira arrive with a thermal on top, usually N to NE and usually side to cross-off, which is the part that matters.

Hazards and skill

Waves, shorebreak, current, rocks, an offshore component: together they leave very little margin, so this is an intermediate and advanced spot rather than a place to learn.

Session timing

Mornings are for surfing before the wind arrives, and the kite window normally opens after lunch.

Infrastructure

Schools do teach here and run excursions down from Essaouira, but do not carry the bay's assumptions with you: there is no marked zone, no lifeguard, no boat.

The wind

locals call it Alizes / northeast trade-wind and summer thermal system of the Essaouira coast

Direction

cross-offN to NNE/NEwind blows away from land — rescue cover matters here

Direction to shore

cross-off

Dominant direction

N to NNE/NE, with northeast the direction that turns up most often on the forecast.

Kite sizes

456789101112

metres · typical quiver highlighted

The quiver, in words

For a 75-85 kg rider the working range is 6-10 m. Count on 9-10 m for lighter mornings and the shoulder months, 7-8 m once the afternoon trade fills, and 6 m when the summer thermal tops 30 knots. Big light-wind kites earn little between April and September; a wave-friendly small kite earns a lot.

Character

mixed

When it fills in: see above ↑

Average strength

No long-run statistics exist for Sidi Kaouki itself, so there is no honest annual average to quote.

Typical strength

18-30 through the main season. Summer afternoons commonly sit at 6-7 Beaufort, about 22-33 knots, and 40 knots has been recorded. Mornings are often 10-15 knots lighter than the afternoon peak.

Steadier and far more exposed than Essaouira Bay. The cross-off angle and the waves are what make it unforgiving, and it is gusty at times, reportedly.

April to September is the best-supported kitesurf window across local schools and kite guides. Some guides extend useful conditions into October, but the strongest and most regular alizes are consistently cited for April-September or May-September. Surfing is more reliable from roughly November to April when wind can be lighter and swell cleaner.

Forecast

Live forecast

Windguru Windfinder Windy

Month by month

10 ktJan17°
10 ktFeb17°
11 ktMar17°
11 ktApr17°
12 ktMay18°
12 ktJun19°
13 ktJul20°
12 ktAug21°
10 ktSep21°
10 ktOct20°
10 ktNov19°
10 ktDec18°

avg knots per month · water °C below · season highlighted

Monthly averages. Highlighted: the months riders and schools name (Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct).

Measured at Essaouira, ~17 km from the spot (reanalysis-based climate estimate (MERRA-2 era, ~1980-2016)).

Every figure, month by monthKnots · Wind from · Air · Water

Month	Knots	Wind from	Air	Water
Jan	9.6 kt	N	14.4 °C	17.2 °C
Feb	10.3 kt	N	15 °C	16.7 °C
Mar	10.6 kt	N	16.7 °C	16.7 °C
Apr	11.4 kt	N	17.8 °C	17.2 °C
May	11.8 kt	N	18.9 °C	17.8 °C
Jun	12.3 kt	N	20.6 °C	18.9 °C
Jul	12.9 kt	N	21.7 °C	20 °C
Aug	11.9 kt	N	22.2 °C	20.6 °C
Sep	10.3 kt	N	21.7 °C	20.6 °C
Oct	9.5 kt	N	20.6 °C	20 °C
Nov	9.7 kt	N	17.8 °C	18.9 °C
Dec	9.8 kt	N	15.6 °C	17.8 °C

How this was measuredmeasured · reanalysis-based climate estimate (MERRA-2 era, ~1980-2016)

A ground station recorded this, at the distance the page names.

A station this far away — often inland or at an airport — can understate accelerated local wind. 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.

Essaouira · Weather Spark · reanalysis-based climate estimate (MERRA-2 era, ~1980-2016)

The water

Type

waves

Standing depth

Mostly open-ocean beach and sandbar/reef waves, not a standing-depth learner lagoon; some whitewater close to the beach is used by surf schools, but the water is generally rough with waves rather than shallow flat water.

Tides

Semi-diurnal on the Essaouira tide port: two highs and two lows a day, about 1.9 m between them on an ordinary day, springs reaching roughly 2.4 m at high water against lows close to 0.1 m. The sandbanks move with tide and swell.Spot conditions by tideMarabout starts working around mid tide and is best high; low water thins or uncovers the rocky and stone sections along the beach. La Bouteille is contested, called both a low-tide reef and a mid-tide wave that gets harder as the water drops. The main beachbreak has also been called barely tide-affected at all, which does not square with the sub-spot detail, so treat the tide as material until someone on the sand shows you otherwise.

Temperature

Summer (°C) 20-23 at the early-September peak; open-water summer averages are often cooler around 18

Winter (°C) 16-19 around mid-February minimum

Modelled monthly average: 17–21 °C

Wetsuit

3/2 mm for much of the windy season; 2 mm shorty or spring suit can work near the September peak if wind-chill is low; 4/3 mm or 3/2 mm plus boots is advised for the coldest winter water.

Currents

Rips run around Marabout and in the beachbreak channels. At La Bouteille the current can drag you toward the rocks, which is the one to know before you paddle or ride out there.

Conditions

Long Atlantic-facing beach with beachbreak, sandbanks and rocky/reef sub-spots around Marabout, La Bouteille and the Cap Sim/La Grotte/La Couronne area. Waves can be hollow and powerful for kiting; the spot reportedly saturates around 2.5 m, with bigger swell possibly closing out. Summer often brings stronger wind and smaller or choppier surf, while winter is the cleaner surf season.

Your level

BeginnerIntermediateAdvanced

not for beginners here

Independent kiting here suits intermediates and advanced riders who can hold upwind, land without help and self-rescue, and who are comfortable in 1-1.5 m waves or plain rough water.

An experienced beginner should only go out with an instructor beside them.

Lessons are sold at every level in the village, but the shorebreak and the wave power say otherwise for a first-timer.

The scene

What riders come here for

wavesintermediateadvancedfreeridewave ridingdownwinderssurf-kite combo trips

Quiet surf village rather than a dense resort kite beach; peaceful, less crowded than Essaouira, and shared by surfers, kite schools, walkers, horses and camels. Summer and school excursion days are busier, but the beach remains uncrowded compared with better-known Moroccan wave spots.

Launch and rules

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

With a school or a boat

14 schools name this spot

See who they are

On your own

Room to launch: huge

Read the access rules

Somewhere else

5 spots nearby

All 5 spots within 40 km are under Nearby

Rescue

No lifeguard post, no public rescue service and no security boat operate here. Cover is whatever the school running your lesson or excursion brings with it, and nothing follows an independent rider onto the water.

Self-rescue and a body-drag back to the sand are the plan.

The nearest in-season safety boat sits with the school zone in Essaouira bay, 25-30 minutes north.

Launch

Large, wide sandy beach in front of the village with enough room for rigging and take-off; keep clear of surf-school areas, walkers, horses, camels and wave lineups, and inspect the chosen peak for exposed rocks before launching.

Hazards riders report 12 reported

Wind

Stronger, gustier wind than Essaouira - not beginner-forgiving

Crowds and zones

No lifeguard and no safety boat: an equipment failure downwind of the village is your own problem.

Bottom

Rocks in the water in places, some of them hidden.
Access to La Grotte/La Couronne involves Cap Sim/Kapsim tracks and a steep rocky path, so carrying kite gear there needs local advice.

Waves and currents

Rip currents typical of an exposed beach break
Cross-off to offshore wind on wave days, so independent riders need reliable self-rescue and upwind ability.
Powerful beachbreak and a violent shorebreak, worse as the swell rises.
Rocks and shallow reef/stone sections around Marabout and La Bouteille; rocks may be hidden at higher tide.
Rip currents and channels typical of an exposed Atlantic beachbreak.
Bigger swell can close out; the wave reportedly saturates above about 2.5 m.
Shared surf lineups at Marabout, La Bouteille, La Grotte and La Couronne; respect wave priority and stay away from surfers when kiting.
Summer cross-shore wind chops the swell badly, so a wave that looked clean in the morning can be unrideable by the time the kite window opens.

Rules & access

1 min read

No formal kite zones, but be aware of surfers sharing the lineup at the wave sub-spots
No kite-specific zoning, permit, hours restriction or seasonal ban is published for Sidi Kaouki beach as of 2026; the village beach is unsupervised, with no lifeguard post or flagged bathing zone, unconfirmed for the July-August peak.
Wave priority applies at Marabout, La Bouteille, La Grotte and La Couronne: surfers were there first and the lineups are shared, so kite the open sand rather than the peaks when boards are out (2026 local practice).
Nothing on the Essaouira bay side transfers here: the marked school zone, the flags and the in-season safety boat belong to the bay, not to Sidi Kaouki (2026).

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

Schools that ride here

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Rider tips

Surf or SUP in the morning and kite after lunch, when the thermal fills.
Check with a school before your first launch here. The safest bank and the rock exposure change with the tide and the swell.
Carry 6-10 m rather than a big light-wind kite. The main season rarely asks for one.
Stay off the low-tide reef and rock sections unless a local has shown you the entry and the exit.
Bring a wave board rather than a freestyle board, and a proper wetsuit even in summer: the Atlantic is cool and the wind chill is real.
Pick the sub-spot for the day's shape: La Grotte, La Couronne or La Bouteille, depending on swell and tide.
If it is big or properly offshore, drive back to Essaouira Bay. It is the forgiving option, 25-30 minutes north.
It makes a good base for both Essaouira and Moulay Bouzerktoun on the same trip.

Getting there

Airport

Essaouira-Mogador Airport (ESU) is the nearest airport; Marrakech Menara (RAK) and Agadir (AGA) are larger alternatives.

Route

From Essaouira, local bus line 2 from Bab Doukkala is reported in 2026 at about 8 MAD and roughly 45-60 minutes; shared grand taxis are reported at about 15-25 MAD per person and roughly 25-35 minutes, or about 80-200 MAD to privatize depending on source and negotiation.Driving from Essaouira is about 25 km south and usually 25-30 minutes; some local guides warn the final approach can include unpaved or rough sections.

Transfer

17-30 from Essaouira-Mogador Airport by taxi/car; 25-60 from Essaouira depending on taxi, bus and stops; about 2h40-3h30 by private/direct transfer from Marrakech depending on source and destination point.

Cost level

medium

Staying

Sidi Kaouki has small guesthouses, surf camps, kite/surf camps, lodges and camping/van options; Essaouira has broader riad, hotel and apartment supply about 25-30 minutes away.

No-wind days

Surfing, SUP in lighter wind, yoga, horse or camel rides on the beach, quad biking, sandboarding/dune trips, hammam, Essaouira medina/port/ramparts, Sidi M'Barek waterfalls and coastal walks.

Photos

FAQ

When is the best time to kite at Sidi Kaouki?

The main kitesurf window runs April to September, with some guides extending it into October; surfing is more reliable November to April when wind is lighter and swell cleaner.

Is Sidi Kaouki suitable for beginners?

No, independent kiting favors intermediate and advanced riders who can go upwind, self-rescue and handle 1-1.5 m waves; some schools do teach beginners under instruction.

What is the wind like?

Wind is a north to north-northeast/northeast Alize trade flow, cross-off to offshore at the beach, typically 18-30 knots and reaching 25-35 knots on strong summer afternoons.

What hazards should riders know about?

Hazards include rip currents typical of an exposed beachbreak, rocks and shallow reef around Marabout and La Bouteille, and a powerful shorebreak.

Are there kite schools nearby?

Yes, local schools include Sidi Kaouki Surf Station, Ocean Vibes Morocco and Kaouki Kite, among others offering lessons and excursions.

The bigger pictureEverything about Sidi Kaouki

Last updated: August 2026