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Posted: Tue Jun 04, 2002 6:57 pm
by Toby
Did anyone go kitesurfing in Morocco yet?

Posted: Tue Jun 04, 2002 8:00 pm
by Guest
I went twice for windsurfing long ago when kitesurfing didn't exist. The best place for the thermic wind is from Essaouira until the south border. The swell is less in summer but the wind is gigantic ( mostly windsurfed with 3,5 -4,2 ( 70 kg). Beautifull places (Moulay Ouzerberktoun, was a secret spot 8 years ago, Tamri, Tafi... you just have to look for a place with no rocks. You can easily camp wild around the city of Jimmy Hendrix ( Essaouria) but pay attention for robbers.

greetz,

David

Posted: Wed Jun 05, 2002 8:23 am
by Toby
thx David,
so when using this small sails you had winds of about 5-8 Bft (or up to 40 knts) ?

Toby

Posted: Wed Jun 05, 2002 10:31 am
by Guest
Toby,

Chris, I and a couple of pro riders should go back to Essaouira this late july to shoot a video..
chris, malik where there after the Tarifa contest and they have found a new place to kite in Essaouira which seems great
when are you planning to go there?

cheers

Greg

Posted: Wed Jun 05, 2002 11:07 am
by Guest
It was about 6-8 beaufort ( end of july begin august). But don't forget your big sizes

David

Posted: Wed Jun 05, 2002 4:34 pm
by mede
hi toby

i was just kiting in essaouira in the end of april this year.

in spring, the wind is not as strong as in the summer, though very gusty.
out of 7 days, you could ride 5, the 2 other were great for surfing though (:-)
on the days with wind, wind range was from 3 bft to high 6 (in gusts more).

the beach is just perfect for kiting, huge, almost no people, sideshore wind with the beach going out to the ocean at the lower end, so you get always back to the beach.

because it is so gusty, it is not easy to ride though. you have to be able to deal with strong gusts when you are already powered on.

if you plan to go in july/august, take really small kites with you. i was there 4 years ago in july for windsurfing, and during one week we had each day 7-8 bft.

if you like waveriding, you can go to sidi kaouki about 20km from essaouira where you will find a perfect wave spot. it tends to be a little crowded on good days in the summer, though, and it is not as safe as essaouira.

hope this helps. if you need further infos, just tell me

regards

mede

Posted: Wed Jun 05, 2002 6:34 pm
by Guest
normally sidi kaouki is the place with most wind. But it has a beatifull beach and there are no rocks. In moulay ouzerberktoun you have swell on a reef of rocks but if you go at that place a bit more to the nord ( by foot ) you have gigantic deserted beaches. In moulay you can stay in "villa rose" very typical house ( but normally full booked by Italians). When I went the first time too that place the local people made some tangine or couscous for about 0,25 euro. In the same month the price increased with 2000%

cheers,

David

( I 'm hesitating to buy a X2 between a 14 and a 20 , one kite equipment for Belgium)

Posted: Thu Jun 06, 2002 12:03 am
by Toby
thx guys or the infos.

I didn't plan any trip yet, but heard many things about it. So if I go on holidays I have to go to a nice spot, with every day kiting. I hate it when it is so gusty, so I prefer trade winds.

@David: the X2 have a lot of power. So IMO a 16.0 will be enough to use as biggest kite.

Posted: Sun Jun 09, 2002 12:54 am
by Guest
Three years ago I have been in Essaouira for 10 days in August and I always found wind. Just in front of the city you can find a very large beach with flat water,where wind is always quite light(big kites). In Sidi Kaouki instead wind is stronger (up to 35 knots),on-shore and you can find big waves (2-2,5m high);even here there's a big sandy beach.
Moulay is even more radical.It's the place i've seen the strongest wind in this trip.Thermic wind always pumping over 35-40 knots,side-on shore.Here there is a stone reef to walk on for entering the waves,a small "beach" fully covered of windsurfing kits. I met there some pro windsurfers showing spectacular wave riding.
I reached Essaouira by car starting from Tarifa and I can say it was quite a condamnation! Tanger-Essaouira:700 Km in nothing less than 12 hours. I hope they improved those roads since i was there!
In my opinion,if you only want to kitesurf and you are not so interested in landscapes;the best way is landing in Marrakech,renting a small car(fiat punto,opel corsa...)and driving for 3 hours straight to Essaouira.
I hope you'll enjoy it.Let me know.