65%
days ≥ 12 kn, yearly average
13.3 kn
Long peninsula and a ~40 km lagoon: flat water inside, ocean spots outside, and the windiest numbers in the dataset.
Learning with a schoolFlat waterWaves
Atlas · wind data 2015–2024
Where the wind blows on Morocco’s Atlantic coast
An atlas of nine spots, from Oualidia down to Dakhla, with Tarifa for comparison. Each plate gives month-by-month wind, sea temperature, offshore swell and what can honestly be said about the spot.
In short
Over the year, the windiest spot in the dataset is Dakhla: on average 65% of days have a mean daytime wind of at least 12 knots (annual mean 13.3 kn). Next come Tarfaya (56%) and Essaouira & Moulay Bouzerktoun (44%).
The month with the most windy days is July for Oualidia, Essaouira & Moulay Bouzerktoun, Sidi Kaouki, Tarfaya and Dakhla. Taghazout, a surf spot, almost never gets kiteable wind in the data.
Map and filters
Pick a month, a level, a type of water
Ranked spots
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Ranking and colours: share of days with a mean daytime wind ≥ 12 knots (All year). The number on each pin is that percentage.
9 of 9 spots
56%
days ≥ 12 kn, yearly average
12.5 kn
Southern town near Cap Juby, linked to Saint-Exupéry. Among the windiest summers in the dataset.
Not rated44%
days ≥ 12 kn, yearly average
11.0 kn
Wave spot with strong wind, for experienced riders only: waves, rocks and currents.
Same ERA5 grid cell as Essaouira: identical wind numbers.
Experts onlyWaves44%
days ≥ 12 kn, yearly average
11.0 kn
The “Wind City of Africa”: a long sandy bay and a northerly summer trade wind.
Learning with a schoolChop41%
days ≥ 12 kn, yearly average
10.8 kn
Long, exposed beach with a white marabout, used for both surf and kite.
Independent ridersWaves27%
days ≥ 12 kn, yearly average
9.6 kn
Comparison spot across the strait, with Levante and Poniente winds. ERA5 strongly underestimates its Levante.
Not rated26%
days ≥ 12 kn, yearly average
9.5 kn
Lagoon village with calm water and an ocean beach; lighter wind than Essaouira, Tarfaya or Dakhla in the data.
Not ratedFlat waterWaves20%
days ≥ 12 kn, yearly average
8.6 kn
Fishing village with a long right-hand point break: a surf destination with lighter wind.
Surf, not kiteWaves1%
days ≥ 12 kn, yearly average
5.6 kn
Surf village with almost no kiteable wind in the data. Listed so you don’t plan a kite trip around it.
Surf, not kiteWaves
The year at a glance
Windy days, spot by spot
Share of days (%) whose mean daytime wind reaches 12 knots, by spot and month (ERA5, 2015–2024).
| Spot | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oualidia | 11 | 18 | 29 | 28 | 40 | 34 | 50 | 39 | 19 | 17 | 13 | 10 |
| Moulay Bouzerktoun * | 28 | 34 | 40 | 47 | 56 | 57 | 75 | 64 | 46 | 28 | 28 | 21 |
| Essaouira | 28 | 34 | 40 | 47 | 56 | 57 | 75 | 64 | 46 | 28 | 28 | 21 |
| Sidi Kaouki | 28 | 33 | 35 | 44 | 54 | 59 | 71 | 57 | 42 | 24 | 24 | 18 |
| Imsouane | 16 | 19 | 22 | 31 | 34 | 40 | 22 | 18 | 11 | 11 | 10 | 7 |
| Taghazout | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Tarfaya | 41 | 49 | 55 | 59 | 64 | 73 | 93 | 82 | 61 | 32 | 29 | 28 |
| Dakhla | 50 | 57 | 66 | 69 | 81 | 87 | 89 | 76 | 82 | 44 | 39 | 36 |
| Tarifa † | 30 | 45 | 34 | 34 | 26 | 25 | 19 | 21 | 19 | 24 | 24 | 27 |
Values in %. * Same ERA5 grid cell as Essaouira (identical numbers). † Tarifa (Spain), comparison only: ERA5 strongly underestimates the Levante.
Road trips
Oualidia to Taghazout, and the deep south
Two route ideas along the coast, with straight-line distances computed from coordinates.
Methodology
Where the numbers come from, and their limits
ERA5 reanalysis via Open-Meteo, ~25–30 km grid, the Essaouira / Moulay Bouzerktoun cell, Tarifa’s Levante.