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Soma Bay / Abu Soma

Red Sea · Soma Bay · Safaga

also known as Abu Soma, Abu Soma Bay, Somabay, Ras Abu Soma

Part of Soma Bay →

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec

beginner-friendlymedium 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

15-22 kt

Character: mixed

Room to launch

huge

access rules on record, below

Water

mixed

28.2 °C in summerA sheltered Red Sea bay, flat to choppy

Hazards

Reported by riders

Level

Beginner to advanced

With a caveat: see Your level

BeginnerIntermediateAdvanced

Crowds

medium crowds · busy Jul Aug May Jun

Schools

named at this spot

From the airport

45 min

International Airport (HRG)

On the clock

11:00

On the clock

13:00 · 14:00

The morning wind arrives slightly offshore off the mountains and is often already strong at first light. It rotates around 11:00 into a steadier sideshore from the left and holds through the afternoon in season. In winter get on the water early: the wind can drop away around 13:00-14:00.

The marks are the clock times the record names, laid on a 24-hour day. The bar between the first and the last covers those hours; it is not a promise of wind.

Nearbystraight-line distance

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

Ras Soma / KBC Ras Somano page yet
Safaga Bayno page yet
Tobia Island / Utopia Island downwind tripno page yet
Hurghada
El Gounano page yet

The spot

Abu Soma is a ring of resort kite stations around a sheltered Red Sea bay north of Safaga and south of Hurghada, and the bay does not have one character. On the Abu Soma and Palm Royale side the wind comes in side to side-onshore across a big shallow lagoon, and that is where the teaching boats and the beginners are. On the Somabay peninsula, the 7Bft side, it is side-off to offshore over very flat water, and that side runs on rescue boats and licence cards.

Wind conditions

The landmass to the north accelerates the flow, so the bay usually blows harder than the forecast for the coast next door. May to October is the dependable window; in winter the wind can fade by early afternoon and the neoprene comes out.

Tide and water conditions

Tide is the other variable: the standing area is at its biggest at high water, and as the tide drops it shrinks, the water gets flatter, and reef shows at the leeward end.

Who should come

Come for warm flat water with staff, storage and boats behind you. Skip it if you want a free public launch, or if you cannot ride upwind reliably in offshore wind.

The wind

Direction

cross-offN to NW / NNWwind blows away from land — rescue cover matters here

Direction to shore

cross-off

Kite sizes

4567891011121314151617

metres · typical quiver highlighted

The quiver, in words

A 75-85 kg twin-tip rider works through 9 m and 12 m for most of the season, with a 7 m for the strong May-October afternoons and a 14 m or a foil for the quieter winter days.Centre quivers on this side of the bay run from about 5 m to 17 m, so an unusual size is easier to rent than to fly in.

Character

mixed

When it fills in: see above ↑

Average strength

Typical strength

15-22 kt typical, with May-October afternoons reaching 25-30 kt on the stronger days; operator shorthand is 4-8 Bft. The landmass to the north accelerates the flow, so the bay tends to run about 0.5-1 Bft, roughly 5 kt, above what nearby forecasts and the Hurghada spots show.

Steady and clean out in the open water. The air directly off the north-shore stations is gustier, and that is the offshore side.

Rideable year-round, most reliable and strongest in summer. May-October averages around 22 kt, March-April and November are shoulder months, and December-February is the least dependable stretch - still windy, but with earlier fades and cooler nights that call for neoprene.

The northern landmass acts as an accelerator worth about 0.5-1 Bft over the surrounding forecasts. A station on the bay measured a 14 kt annual mean from NNW with 17 kt gusts across 2020-11-01 to 2026-07-31, which is an all-hours figure rather than a windy-hours one.

Forecast

Live forecast

Windguru Windfinder Windy

Month by month

10 ktJan23°
10 ktFeb22°
10 ktMar22°
10 ktApr23°
11 ktMay24°
12 ktJun26°
11 ktJul28°
12 ktAug28°
12 ktSep28°
10 ktOct27°
10 ktNov26°
10 ktDec24°

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 Makadi Bay, ~6 km from the spot (multi-year modeled/historical (Weatherspark)).

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

Month	Knots	Wind from	Air	Water
Jan	9.8 kt	N	16.7 °C	22.8 °C
Feb	10.2 kt	N	17.8 °C	22.2 °C
Mar	10.3 kt	N	20.6 °C	22.2 °C
Apr	9.9 kt	N	24.4 °C	22.8 °C
May	10.7 kt	N	28.3 °C	24.4 °C
Jun	12 kt	N	31.1 °C	26.1 °C
Jul	11.2 kt	N	32.2 °C	27.8 °C
Aug	11.9 kt	N	32.2 °C	28.3 °C
Sep	12.1 kt	N	30 °C	27.8 °C
Oct	10.2 kt	N	26.7 °C	27.2 °C
Nov	9.6 kt	N	22.2 °C	26.1 °C
Dec	9.7 kt	N	18.3 °C	24.4 °C

How this was measuredmeasured · multi-year modeled/historical (Weatherspark)

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

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.

Makadi Bay · Weatherspark · multi-year modeled/historical (Weatherspark)

The water

Type

mixed

Standing depth

About 2000 x 800 m of standing water at high tide on the Abu Soma side - knee- to waist-deep across most of it. Low tide shrinks that area and flattens the water further, and at the leeward end the reef can dry out, so expect to walk 50-100 m to find depth.Peninsula sideOn the peninsula side the standing shelf is a narrower 500 x 100 m and the main riding area beyond it runs to about 3 m. At Ras Soma the entry is shallow and the rideable water starts further out, which is why courses there are capped at two students and run from a boat.

Tides

The range is small - roughly half a metre, with highs near 0.6-0.8 m against lows of 0.1-0.4 m - but it is the thing that decides how much standing water you get.The shallow area is at its biggest at high tide and shrinks at low, when the water also gets flatter and reef at the leeward end can be exposed.

Temperature

28.2 °C summer · 23.5 °C winter

Modelled monthly average: 22–28 °C

Wetsuit

Summer: boardshorts/lycra and strong sun protection; colder months: shorty or full long-sleeve suit, with booties useful around coral/reef sections.

Conditions

A sheltered Red Sea bay, flat to choppy. The islands, the reef and the peninsula cut the swell, so the north and offshore side can be glassy, while stronger wind further downwind builds about 20-30 cm of chop. The main centres launch off sand, with coral and reef showing at some leeward or low-tide sections.

Your level

BeginnerIntermediateAdvanced

Beginners use the shallow lagoon/teaching zones with schools and rescue/teaching boats. Intermediates get flat-water freeride and progression conditions. Advanced riders use the clean offshore/side-off wind on the north side, speed/freestyle water, foil options, and downwind/island trips, but independent riding requires solid upwind and self-rescue judgment because much of the bay is offshore or cross-off.

The scene

What riders come here for

flat waterfreeridebeginner lessonsfreestylespeedwingfoilkitefoilfamily resort trips

Who it suitsbeginner

Resort-based and professionally managed, with German-speaking/European package-holiday infrastructure, multiple school stations, storage, restaurants and shuttle links. It is spacious enough that crowding is usually a launch/teaching-zone issue rather than an open-water issue, but operators recommend booking/registration during high-demand periods.

Launch and rules

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

With a school or a boat

10 schools name this spot

See who they are

On your own

Room to launch: huge

Read the access rules

Somewhere else

4 spots nearby

All 4 spots within 40 km are under Nearby

Rescue

Boat rescue is a paid part of the centre setup and is treated as compulsory, because the wind angle takes you away from the beach rather than back to it. On the peninsula side up to three rescue boats patrol during opening hours and the beach-use package carries one to four rescues depending on the length of stay, with extra call-outs sold separately.

At Ras Soma the boats come out within minutes for a lost board, a kite down in deep water or a rider who cannot get back upwind, and the service price includes a set number of recoveries. Teaching boats stay alongside students so lessons can run in deep water.

A rider without a VDWS level 4 or IKO level 3K certificate rides under supervision instead of independently, charged around EUR 72 an hour on the Abu Soma side.

Launch

Launch locationsLaunches are resort and operator beaches around the bay: 7Bft KiteHouse on the private Somabay peninsula, Surfmotion by Palm Royale on the Abu Soma south side, Abu Soma Riders by Amwaj, KBC Ras Soma about 1 km south of the Steigenberger, the Duotone centre at WYTE Beach, and boat and platform setups offshore.Beach conditionsThe Abu Soma launch beach is fine sand with no coral or stones underfoot; reef only appears at the leeward end of the bay. Staff launch and land, compressors and storage are standard, school staging zones are marked, and at least one centre splits its launch into separate kite and wing zones.Low tideAt low tide some approaches mean walking shallow sand and reef before the water is deep enough to ride.

Hazards riders report 13 reported

Wind

Offshore to cross-offshore wind at several Soma Bay stations; use a center with active rescue and do not ride alone.
Winter/shoulder-season wind can fade early afternoon, increasing reliance on rescue if riding offshore.
The air directly in the lee of the peninsula station is turbulent; clean wind starts further out.

Crowds and zones

resort access is gated/controlled - swimming/launching only from designated jetties
Dedicated teaching zones should be avoided by independent/advanced riders.
The entry at Ras Soma is shallow before it drops off, so the rideable water is a boat ride or a wade out from the beach.

Waves and currents

Low tide can expose reef at Abu Soma/Amwaj and may require walking 50-100 m to sufficient depth.
Wind chop of 20-30 cm builds downwind in strong conditions even though the bay itself is sheltered from swell.

Protected areas and rules

reef fringing the lagoon
shallow reef sections at low points of the lagoon
Coral/reef patches around the lagoon and at the leeward end of some areas; booties are recommended.

Other

Strong sun and dehydration in summer heat; long sleeves and sunscreen, not a rash vest borrowed at noon.
Rescue call-outs are counted against a package rather than unlimited, which quietly caps how far downwind it is sensible to go.

Rules & access

1 min read

2026: the Somabay peninsula kite beach is private and open only to resort guests, and independent riders there buy a beach-use and storage package.

Pricing and inclusions

That package carried a 2024/25 price of EUR 22 for a day, EUR 112 for a week and EUR 196 for two weeks, and included one to four rescues by length of stay, with extra rescues charged.

Licensing requirements

Kite rental requires VDWS level 4 or IKO level 3, with a EUR 60 check-up if you hold no licence; foil rental requires VDWS level 5 or IKO level 3-N. On the Abu Soma side the same VDWS 4 / IKO 3K threshold separates independent riding from supervised riding at about EUR 72 an hour.

Operating hours

Peninsula water hours are 08:30-17:00, with station hours published as 08:00-18:30 on the resort page and 08:30-18:00 on the centre factsheet. KBC Ras Soma runs 08:30 until sunset year-round and requires advance registration at reception because capacity is limited.

Safety structure

Schools hold dedicated teaching areas, at least one centre separates kite and wing launch zones, and a safety or transfer boat service is mandatory given the offshore wind direction. No municipal ordinance or national-federation recreational zoning rule was found.

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

Check which side of the bay your hotel connects to: north Soma Bay, Abu Soma/Palm Royale, Amwaj and Ras Soma have different wind angles, different depth and different access logistics.
Time the tide as well as the wind: the standing area on the Abu Soma side is biggest at high water and gets flatter but smaller as it drops.
Bring the licence card. VDWS level 4 or IKO level 3K is the line between riding independently and paying roughly EUR 72 an hour (2026) for supervision.
Book Ras Soma at reception in advance; capacity is limited and turning up unannounced in high season is a gamble.
Start early in winter and the shoulder months, because the wind can fade around 13:00-14:00.
Pack 9 m and 12 m with a 7 m for the strong May-October afternoons, plus booties for the reef, and expect the bay to blow about 5 kt over the nearby forecast.

Getting there

Airport

Hurghada International Airport (HRG)

Route

Fly to Hurghada, then a resort transfer, taxi, private car or hotel shuttle south to Soma Bay or Abu Soma.The airport run is quoted between 30 and 60 minutes depending on which station you are heading for. Free shuttles link the Somabay hotels to the peninsula kite beach over 3-4 km, and Ras Soma can arrange a taxi shuttle from Soma Bay and North Safaga hotels.

Transfer

45 min

Cost level

high

Staying

Mostly resort/hotel based: The Breakers, Kempinski, Sheraton, Robinson, Cascades and other Somabay hotels on the peninsula; Palm Royale at Abu Soma for Surfmotion; Amwaj/Abu Soma hotels for Abu Soma Riders; apartments/residences also exist around Soma Bay/North Safaga.

No-wind days

SUP, beach volleyball, slackline, wakeboarding or wakesurfing, snorkelling, diving, golf at The Cascades, spa and thalassotherapy, hotel pools, restaurants, Safaga shopping, and day or night trips into Hurghada.

Photos

FAQ

When is the best time to kite at Soma Bay / Abu Soma?

Reliability and averages peak from May to October, with local topography often adding roughly 5 knots over nearby forecasts.

Is Abu Soma / Soma Bay good for beginners?

Yes, the Abu Soma/Palm Royale side is typically side to side-onshore with shallow teaching lagoons, while the Soma Bay peninsula side is more offshore and rescue-dependent.

What is the wind like?

The wind is N to NW, typically 15-22 knots and up to 25-30 on stronger days, often starting side-off in the morning and turning sideshore around 11:00.

Are there kite schools and rescue?

Yes, several centers including 7Bft, Surfmotion, Abu Soma Riders and KBC Ras Soma run teaching zones with boat rescue as a standard part of the setup.

What hazards should riders know about?

Reef can be exposed at low tide, some sides of the bay are offshore requiring rescue cover, and independent riders should avoid dedicated teaching zones.

The bigger pictureEverything about Soma Bay

Last updated: August 2026