Map › Tunisia › Souk el Guebli (El Kantara) & Smile Beach (Sidi Smaël) › Smile Beach (Sidi Smaël)
Médenine Governorate · Djerba — Houmt Souk tourist zone · معتمدية جربة حومة السوق · Houmt Souk
Smile Beach (Sidi Smaël)
also known as Sidi Smaël, Sidi Smael, Smile Beach Djerba
Nearby Souk el Guebli (El Kantara) 17 km · straight-line distance
When it fills in
In summer the thermal easterly comes up in the afternoon and can hold into the night. The winter and spring westerlies are frontal and arrive at no fixed hour. No clock time is published.
The wind
Direction
Kite sizes
metres · typical quiver highlighted
Character
mixed
fills in: In summer the thermal easterly comes up in the afternoon and can hold into the night. The winter and spring westerlies are frontal and arrive at no fixed hour. No clock time is published.
Typical strength
10-20 kt, with 12-15 kt lighter summer averages and possible 25-30 kt days from November to April or thermal summer days
Thermal or synoptic
mixed: synoptic westerlies in winter, thermal easterly wind (4-5 days/week) in summer
Also on record
14 kt
The quiver, in words
No local size table exists. With 12-20 kt as the usual band, a 75-85 kg rider is on big gear most days: roughly 12-15 m through the light summer, coming down towards 9-10 m on the 25-30 kt winter and spring fronts. Indicative, derived from the recorded wind band rather than measured here.
Direction to shore
Side-onshore for the N/NE summer wind; given more broadly as onshore to side-onshore.
Dominant direction
W, around 270 degrees, from November to March, shifting to E/ENE, around 67 degrees, from April to October in the monthly direction record; given more loosely elsewhere as N, NNE, NE.
Forecast
Month by month
- Jan, riders' month18
- Feb, riders' month21
- Mar, riders' month10
- Apr, riders' month25
- May, riders' month24
- Jun, riders' month20
- Jul, riders' month5
- Aug8
- Sep17
- Oct11
- Nov, riders' month10
- Dec, riders' month23
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, Nov, Dec.
- 18%Jan16°
- 21%Feb15°
- 10%Mar17°
- 25%Apr19°
- 24%May22°
- 20%Jun25°
- 5%Jul29°
- 8%Aug30°
- 17%Sep28°
- 11%Oct26°
- 10%Nov22°
- 23%Dec18°
windy days per month (3 h+ at 12 kn+) · water °C below · season highlighted
| Month | Windy days | Force 4+ | 12 kn or more | Knots | From | Peaks at | Air | Water | Readings |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 18% | 34% | 29% | 9.6 kt | WSW | 12:00 | 13.3°C | 15.7°C | 62 |
| Feb | 21% | 37% | 30% | 10 kt | W | 13:00 | 14.5°C | 15.4°C | 57 |
| Mar | 10% | 26% | 18% | 9.5 kt | E | 15:00 | 17.2°C | 17.4°C | 62 |
| Apr | 25% | 37% | 30% | 11.2 kt | ENE | 14:00 | 18.6°C | 19.1°C | 60 |
| May | 24% | 42% | 34% | 11.2 kt | E | 15:00 | 22.8°C | 21.9°C | 62 |
| Jun | 20% | 32% | 22% | 10.4 kt | ESE | 15:00 | 26.5°C | 25.1°C | 60 |
| Jul | 5% | 10% | 5% | 9 kt | E | 16:00 | 29.8°C | 29.1°C | 62 |
| Aug | 8% | 23% | 15% | 9.5 kt | E | 16:00 | 29.3°C | 29.7°C | 62 |
| Sep | 17% | 32% | 27% | 9.8 kt | E | 15:00 | 27.7°C | 28.3°C | 60 |
| Oct | 11% | 27% | 18% | 9.1 kt | ESE | 15:00 | 24.9°C | 26°C | 62 |
| Nov | 10% | 22% | 12% | 8.7 kt | W | 12:00 | 20.1°C | 22.2°C | 60 |
| Dec | 23% | 44% | 34% | 10.7 kt | W | 12:00 | 16°C | 18°C | 62 |
modelled
A weather model's cell over this place, not a station on it. Good for comparing places, weaker for one beach.
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. 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
lagoon
Standing depth
Knee- to hip-deep across most of the 32 sq km lagoon, shallow enough to walk back to the beach from anywhere in it. Very shallow at low tide.
Tides
Tide dependent, and rideable on high, incoming and falling water alike. High tide is what you want. At low water the lagoon goes very shallow and the launch strip narrows towards the bottom of its 10-50 m range.
Temperature
20-30°C summer · 15-20°C winter
Wetsuit
No wetsuit or 2/2 shorty from April to November; 3/3 or 3/4 full suit from December to March
Currents
The lagoon is without currents.
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
3 schools name this spot
On your own
Room to launch: large; a 300 m long launch is reported that varies from 10-50 m wide with tide and wind direction
Somewhere else
Souk el Guebli (El Kantara), 17 km
Every spot within 40 km is on the map at the top of this page, with its distance under it.
Rescue
Launch
Private, equipped sandy beach at Globalkite/Smile Beach on the north-shore lagoon, about 5 km after Houmt Souk toward the tourist zone.
Space
large; a 300 m long launch is reported that varies from 10-50 m wide with tide and wind direction
Rules & access
Access rules drift faster than anything else we hold — check locally, and propose an edit if this has changed.
Rider tips
- Ride high tide if you are learning; at low tide the lagoon is barely knee deep in places.
- Bring or rent your bigger kites: 12-20 kt is the normal Djerba band.
- Ask the school what rescue and supervision you get before riding independently.
- Watch for the small wooden fishing boats, and for the summer seaweed that makes a relaunch harder on light-wind days.
Getting there
Airport
Djerba-Zarzis International Airport (DJE)
Route
The centre is at Route touristique km 5, Sidi Smael, a few kilometres from Houmt Souk and about 10 minutes from the airport by car.
Transfer
10 min
Cost level
low
Staying
Globalkite sells packages with Les Jardins de Toumana, 7 minutes from Smile Beach and 20 minutes from Djerba-Zarzis airport.
No-wind days
SUP · catamaran · windsurf · Houmt Souk · Djerbahood · quad rides · camel rides · yoga · golf · Djerba Explore
FAQ
Is Smile Beach suitable for beginners?
Yes, Globalkite has taught initiation and progression here since 2003 in a shallow, soft-sand lagoon with no current.
What is the water like?
The lagoon covers about 32 sq km, is shallow with a soft sand bottom, and is separated from the open sea by a sand strip; high tide is preferred since low tide can be very shallow.
What is the wind like?
Reports vary, but wind is generally moderate and stable, roughly 10-20 knots, with lighter 12-15 knot averages in summer and possible 25-30 knot days from November to April.
Are there kite schools nearby?
Yes, Globalkite operates the school directly on the lagoon, and Kitesurf Djerba is also listed nearby.
What are the main hazards?
Very shallow water at low tide, small wooden fishing boats in or near the lagoon, and summer seaweed that can make relaunching harder are the main hazards.
Last updated: August 2026