Map › Tunisia › Souk el Guebli (El Kantara) & Smile Beach (Sidi Smaël) › Souk el Guebli (El Kantara)
Médenine Governorate · Djerba — Sedouikech, near the El Kantara causeway · سدويكش · Midoun
Souk el Guebli (El Kantara)
also known as El Kantara causeway beach, Souk el Ghebli, Soug El Guebli, El Kantara lagoon, Lagoon Souk el Ghebli, Kite Aventure Spot, Kite Club Spot
Nearby Smile Beach (Sidi Smaël) 17 km · straight-line distance
When it fills in
Djerba-wide the summer thermal usually starts in the afternoon; no clock time is published for this lagoon.
The wind
locals call it Couchant for W/NW wind
Direction
Kite sizes
metres · typical quiver highlighted
Character
mixed
fills in: Djerba-wide the summer thermal usually starts in the afternoon; no clock time is published for this lagoon.
Typical strength
Djerba-wide, 12-20 kt is common; 15-25 kt is also advertised for May-October camps
Thermal or synoptic
mixed: synoptic westerlies in winter, thermal easterly in summer
Also on record
9
The quiver, in words
The common band is 12-20 kt, so the big end of the quiver does the work. As an indicative quiver for 75-85 kg, a 12 m and a 15 m cover most days, with a 9 m for the frontal periods that push past 20 kt; no school here publishes its own size guidance.
Direction to shore
NW and W run side-shore along the hard-sand beach, which is the angle the lagoon is shaped for. The summer NE comes in side-onshore and brings more chop with it.
Dominant direction
Splits by season: NW to W through the winter half, around 290-310 degrees, and NE as the summer thermal, around 65-70 degrees. NE is called the main and best direction in some accounts and NW/W in others; both are ridden.
Forecast
Month by month
- Jan24
- Feb33
- Mar, riders' month27
- Apr, riders' month43
- May, riders' month50
- Jun, riders' month52
- Jul, riders' month26
- Aug, riders' month40
- Sep, riders' month35
- Oct27
- Nov13
- Dec32
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.
- 24%Jan15°
- 33%Feb15°
- 27%Mar18°
- 43%Apr19°
- 50%May22°
- 52%Jun26°
- 26%Jul29°
- 40%Aug30°
- 35%Sep28°
- 27%Oct26°
- 13%Nov22°
- 32%Dec17°
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 | 24% | 34% | 31% | 10.4 kt | NW | 13:00 | 13.4°C | 14.8°C | 62 |
| Feb | 33% | 49% | 44% | 11.5 kt | W | 13:00 | 14.5°C | 15°C | 57 |
| Mar | 27% | 52% | 40% | 11.5 kt | E | 16:00 | 17.1°C | 17.5°C | 62 |
| Apr | 43% | 73% | 55% | 13.7 kt | ENE | 15:00 | 18.4°C | 19.3°C | 60 |
| May | 50% | 73% | 63% | 13.5 kt | E | 16:00 | 22.3°C | 22.4°C | 62 |
| Jun | 52% | 78% | 60% | 13.2 kt | E | 16:00 | 25.9°C | 25.6°C | 60 |
| Jul | 26% | 61% | 40% | 11.6 kt | E | 16:00 | 29.1°C | 29.4°C | 62 |
| Aug | 40% | 63% | 50% | 12.1 kt | E | 16:00 | 28.9°C | 29.8°C | 62 |
| Sep | 35% | 57% | 47% | 11.9 kt | E | 16:00 | 27.5°C | 28.3°C | 60 |
| Oct | 27% | 45% | 40% | 11.1 kt | E | 15:00 | 24.9°C | 25.9°C | 62 |
| Nov | 13% | 27% | 20% | 9.4 kt | E | 12:00 | 20.1°C | 21.8°C | 60 |
| Dec | 32% | 48% | 40% | 11.3 kt | WNW | 12:00 | 15.9°C | 16.8°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
Standable across most of it, with maximum depth given as 1.3-1.5 m over sand and hard-packed sand. The lagoon is shallow enough to sit warmer than the open sea in summer and colder in winter; the temperatures held here are island coastal averages, with no lagoon measurement found.
Tides
High tide is the one to aim for, but the lagoon is rideable at low tide too and is little affected either way.
Temperature
29°C summer · 14°C winter
Wetsuit
Shorts from spring through autumn; a shorty or a full suit in winter. Djerba-wide guidance is no wetsuit June-September and a shorty or 3/2 from October-May.
Currents
No meaningful current out in the lagoon. Near the Roemerdam and the causeway it runs harder.
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
4 schools name this spot
On your own
Room to launch: big to huge, with lots of hard-packed sand and several kilometers of beach/space
Somewhere else
Smile Beach (Sidi Smaël), 17 km
Every spot within 40 km is on the map at the top of this page, with its distance under it.
Rescue
Launch
A wide beach at Plage Souk el Guebli near Aghir and the causeway that links Djerba to the mainland, sandy to hard-packed. Schools sit on it, and self-launch areas are reported alongside them.
Space
big to huge, with lots of hard-packed sand and several kilometers of beach/space
Rules & access
Access rules drift faster than anything else we hold — check locally, and propose an edit if this has changed.
Rider tips
- Ask a school before you ride down toward the causeway; the current runs harder there and the boats use it.
- Ride the high tide for comfort, though the lagoon stays rideable at low tide.
- Carry cash and check the beach fee before you rig.
- Give the fishing nets and the boats at the edges of the lagoon a wide berth.
- Bring the bigger kites: 12-20 kt is the normal Djerba band.
- Look at the water for seaweed before you go out; a kite that drops into a thick raft of it is not coming back up, which is the beginner's nightmare here.
- In a NW you can run across to the old castle on the far side in about twenty minutes. Work out how you are getting back before you leave the beach.
Getting there
Airport
Djerba-Zarzis International Airport (DJE)
Route
The address is Plage Soug El Guebli, Aghir, Djerba, on the south side of the island beside the El Kantara causeway. From Djerba-Zarzis airport it is about 32 km by road, roughly 40 minutes by taxi or car (routing estimate; no operator publishes a transfer time), with a short walk at the end.Hotels along the Aghir and Midoun strip sit about 20 minutes from the water.
Transfer
40 min
Cost level
low
Staying
Kite Aventure runs the AMWEJ Kite Camp, plus hotels, guesthouses, villas or gites nearby; its packages can include airport and club transfers.
No-wind days
SUP · kayak · yoga · boat excursions · horse riding · pottery · desert excursions · Djerbahood · Houmt Souk
Photos
FAQ
Is Souk el Guebli suitable for beginners?
Yes, the lagoon is shallow, flat and sandy, and local operators describe it as suitable for both beginners and experienced riders.
When is the best time to kite here?
Local guides list May through September as the best months, while a broader Djerba season runs March to November with peak wind in spring and autumn.
What is the wind like?
Reports conflict: some sources describe NE side-onshore wind as the main direction, while others emphasize NW/W winds, with average speeds commonly cited around 12-20 knots.
Are there kite schools nearby?
Yes, several schools operate at the lagoon, offering lessons, rental, downwind trips and kite camps.
What hazards should riders watch for?
Fishing nets, local boats and stronger current near the Roemerdam causeway are the main hazards, along with a hard shallow bottom in places.
Last updated: August 2026