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The Red Sea · A guideGuide

Kitesurfing in Egypt: choose the beach before the course

The short answer: Choose the exact beach and the setting before the course. Each of these places holds several beaches with different depth, wind direction and rescue arrangements, so no single ranking is honest. Start with your level and who is travelling with you.

Giftun Island low on the horizon across the blue Red Sea, with a boat passing.

Start with you, not the destination

  • Your level: never flown a kite, can body-drag and water-start, rides independently, or wants a particular discipline. IKO's course path separates Discovery, Intermediate, Independent and Advanced.
  • Who is travelling: a solo learner looking for company, a couple with one rider, a family, or riders travelling together.
  • Life off the water: a town with restaurants, a contained resort, or a quieter kite-centred stay. This may matter more than a small difference in average wind.
  • Your dates. CDWS gives sea temperatures of around 20°C in February and March and up to 29°C in late summer; ask what wetsuit you will need.
  • How much uncertainty you accept. Wind can cancel a lesson, so every plan needs a no-wind day that is worth having.

Five places, compared

What each place's official pages say, followed by our judgement of who it may suit. The judgement is ours, drawn from those sources; it is not a measured ranking, and each place still has to be checked at the exact beach.

  1. El Gouna

    What the official sources say
    CDWS describes kite areas north and south of the town, with probably better conditions to the north, and a knee-deep lagoon. The tourism authority describes a town with restaurants and other activities.
    Who it may suit (our judgement)
    A complete beginner travelling with a companion who does not ride: the town gives the days off the water substance.
    Check at the exact beach
    Which of the north or south areas, the depth at your lesson time, the rescue boundary and the transfer from your hotel.

  2. Soma Bay

    What the official sources say
    CDWS describes flat water protected by small offshore islands, shallow sandy areas, and wind usually side-shore to side-offshore. The tourism authority describes a resort-led peninsula.
    Who it may suit (our judgement)
    A contained week of wind and rest, or progression for someone who prefers a resort base to town life.
    Check at the exact beach
    Wind direction at the actual beach, since side-offshore wind needs rescue cover; beach access and charges; and whether a companion can enjoy the same property.

  3. Dahab

    What the official sources say
    CDWS separates a shallow, protected kite lagoon for first-timers from areas for experienced riders, and notes wind that can blow cross-offshore to offshore. The tourism authority emphasises diving, windsurfing, cafés and the mountains.
    Who it may suit (our judgement)
    Riders whose companions dive or snorkel, or who want an informal town and the Sinai mountains nearby.
    Check at the exact beach
    Access to the lagoon and how busy it is, the rescue plan for offshore wind, and which sport the assigned team actually teaches.

  4. Ras Sudr

    What the official sources say
    CDWS describes shallow lagoons spread along about 40 kilometres of coast, and warns that some centres close or reduce operations from November to March. The tourism authority links it to Cairo.
    Who it may suit (our judgement)
    A quieter, kite-centred stay that can join a Cairo visit, for travellers content with simpler choices off the water.
    Check at the exact beach
    Whether your centre is open on your dates, the real road time from Cairo, and what there is to do on a day without wind.

  5. The Hurghada area

    What the official sources say
    CDWS describes bays south of the town with long beaches and sandy bottoms, some protected by offshore sandbanks. The tourism authority describes a large resort and activity base.
    Who it may suit (our judgement)
    A wider Red Sea stay in which a shore course is one part, alongside diving or rest.
    Check at the exact beach
    Which bay and launch, the transfer, and the school's own rescue cover. A large resort base does not certify a school.

Marsa Alam and Hamata are not in this comparison yet. CDWS's Marsa Alam page describes a coast largely of fringing reef, with particular bays rather than a continuous learning beach.

What a course level means

Recognised training systems describe skills, not holiday lengths. IKO's Independent course says the time it takes varies with the student, the weather and the spot. A fixed number of days cannot promise a level, so treat a level as a goal rather than something you buy.

Why the exact beach and the rescue matter

CDWS's guidance for beginners recommends shallow lagoons with a sandy bottom, sheltered from waves and free of rocks. With offshore wind, it advises staying close to the coast or riding only where a rescue boat is patrolling. A place name tells you none of this; the beach does.

In November 2025 the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities and CDWS announced that marine activities may take place only at the approved location in front of each licensed water-sports centre. Ask where your school is licensed to teach.

Questions to ask a school before you pay

A school that cannot answer these in writing is not ready to take your booking.

  • The exact beach and teaching zone, and whether the centre is licensed to operate there
  • Who teaches you, in which language, and how many learners each instructor has at each stage
  • How an hour of instruction is counted
  • The rescue boat, who watches the water, and the plan for offshore wind
  • The condition of the equipment, and whether renting it needs proof of your level
  • What is outside the course price: beach use, rescue, storage, certification, transfers
  • What happens on a day with no wind or unsafe wind: a new time, or a refund
  • Insurance, medical questions and any minimum age

What we do not publish, and why

You will find wind averages, counts of windy days and “best month” claims across the web, official pages included. We do not repeat them. None says where or how the wind was measured, and a regional average says little about one lagoon at the time of your lesson. Ask the school for dated wind logs from its own beach.

A kite safari is a different journey

A boat-based kite safari is for riders who already ride independently at the level the route requires. The vessel, the route, the captain, the rescue arrangements and the sleeping conditions matter more than the label. It is not an upgrade to a beginner course, and we do not offer one.

Where this leads

We will add kitesurfing journeys only after a school, its beach, its rescue cover and the accommodation have been checked in person. Until then, the Red Sea journeys below plan the coast around mixed interests, and Design Your Egypt can include a verified course when one is ready.

Read the Red Sea guide

Sources and review

Reviewed on by Deluxe Trips Egypt. Official statements are attributed to their source; where we give a judgement, we say so. This guide names no school, boat or hotel.