La Sarga, Dakhla: surfing and kitesurfing paradise in Morocco

Back when I was in the IXO Bodyboard team with Fred Compagnon, he was already spending his winters in lakes lost in the mountains. Today, some twenty years on, he’s travelling with his family, his wife Marylis and two children, Tao and Kainoa, and he hasn’t lost his sense of the sport. This paradise lost in the middle of the desert is just a few hours’ flight away; it’s the La Sarga kitesurf resort in Morocco. This town is located 1700 km south of the capital Rabat, right in the heart of the Western Sahara.

Discover kitesurfing in Dakhla

Kitesurfing in Dakhla, Morocco, a seemingly endless 45-kilometre lagoon known as a freestyle paradise. The Compagnon family will be taking us on a tour of this paradise of flatwater and waves, perfect for all kinds of surfers.

Fred Compagnon explains, » I started coming here between 2001 and 2003 and there was no one, we were all alone. A friend introduced us to this spot and we continued to come and train to kitesurf. «

This spot offers tons of space, flat water, wind every day, all surrounded by the charm of the Western Sahara.

The Compagnon family enjoyed several kitesurfing sessions and the spot was ideal for their children. In fact, they didn’t escape the surfing bug and got on a surfboard before they could even walk! So they were able to progress and have fun in the lagoon, all in complete safety.

Marylis, the mother, explains: ‘I have a lot of fears and I certainly don’t want to pass them on to my children. I have every confidence in Fred, who is putting all the necessary safety measures in place so that Tao and Kainoa can surf without any danger.

Wind, water temperature and marine conditions

• Best wind: April – September

In July and August, the chances of wind are over 90%, but in these months the wind will also be a little more gusty. In general, the chance of wind is over 50% all year round, with the best months being April to September.

• Best waves: October – March

October is the best month if you want to kitesurf at the Oum Lamboiur wave spot. If you’re just coming to surf a few waves, you can choose any time between October and March.

• Water temperature: full wetsuit
  

Full wetsuit all year round, in summer you can opt for a full wetsuit or a shorty wetsuit. It’s warm during the day, but as it’s a desert, it gets a bit chilly at night, so don’t forget to take something warm and comfortable for the evening.

• Water conditions: flat water in the lagoon, wave spot 30 minutes from the lagoon

Depending on the wind, you can have flat water or rough water with a stronger wind in the Dakhla lagoon. At Speed Spot, the water is oily and the tide is low. At Oum Lamboiur, you have waves and choppy water (but with gusty winds) – this is also where the GKA tour stopped in 2017.

• A typical windy day

Dakhla is all about eating, kitesurfing and sleeping (like Kaplitya in Sri Lanka or Hamata in Egypt). The wind blows from 10 in the morning and generally strengthens during the day, rising around 2pm. In the evening, it calms down again, but basically, you generally have the whole day to kitesurf if the wind is good.

The advantages and disadvantages

Advantages :

• Very high wind chill all year round
• A huge lagoon with lots of space
• Spot for all levels, ideal for beginners and advanced riders
• Flatwater for freestylers, Oum Lamboiur wave spot nearby (30 min. ride from the lagoon)
• Windward options

Disadvantages:

• Being in the middle of the Western Sahara there isn’t much to do apart from kitesurfing.
• No nightlife, isolated place
• No direct flights, you always have a stopover in Casablanca

How to get to Dakhla

Most flights from Europe are operated by Air Maroc, via Casablanca to Dakhla (airport code: VIL). The stopover in Casablanca is usually an hour or two. The advantage of Air Maroc is that your kitesurfing baggage up to 23 kg (in addition to your normal baggage) is free.

The only direct flight to Europe is from autumn 2017 with Transavia from Paris Orly. Prices start at €69 one way (without luggage) plus €44 one way for kiteboarding luggage (so add €88 to the total for sports luggage).

As your airport transfer is usually arranged with your accommodation, it’s super secure for you, even if you’re travelling alone as a girl. Once you’re there, there are quite a few kitesurfers, some of whom are also travelling solo, so it’s easy to meet people.

Where to stay in Dakhla

• Accommodation in the lagoon

There are several accommodation options around the lagoon... Most of the hotels are not really far from the lagoon (at least with high tide), so it’s only a short walk. Some are more basic (tents) and others more luxurious and more expensive.

• Accommodation at the Wave Spot Oum Lamboiur

If you want to stay at wave point in a more expensive but more beautiful ecolodge, then West point is your hotel of choice. They also have a kitesurfing and surfing school, so you can do both.

• Accommodation in Dakhla

It is also possible to book a flat via, for example, airbnb and hire your own car to get to the resort. The journey from the town of Dakhla to the wave spot takes around 15 minutes, the entrance to the lagoon 30 minutes and the hotels on the other side of the lagoon 45 minutes.

Getting around Dakhla

• From the lagoon, the only option you have is to take transport with the hotel to the various locations, which is quite expensive (10 euros one way per person at Dakhla Attitude, I didn’t check the other hotels).
• From West point, at the Foum Lambouir wave spot, you can walk down to the beach and check if a taxi goes that way or if one of the locals can take you.
• Car hire in Dakhla to get to the lagoon, wave spot and town

Where to eat in Dakhla

All hotels offer meals included with accommodation and you are pretty much limited to the food you have in your hotel – unless you are driving into town.

In the town of Dakhla, you can find a few cafés and restaurants, but also a wide variety of markets if you want to buy your own food to cook independently. You’ll find street food (meat sticks, Arabic bread, peeled cactus fruit, fresh juice), vegetables, nuts and if you’re feeling homesick, a selection of good German/Swiss chocolates in the market, souk and streets of Dakhla.

Details of the spot for the Dakhla lagoon

The lagoon is a great playground with a resting surface and flat, sometimes choppy, water. The wind can be gusty at times, but it remains fairly stable and allows you to progress or learn to kitesurf. It’s an ideal place to learn to kitesurf because the lagoon is huge, you have plenty of space, the water is flat and you have a large surface area to lean on at the start. So beginners are very welcome!

Spot details for Wave Spot Foum Lambouir

This beach, several kilometres long and close to the town, offers ideal waves: straight and long. Every year, one of the stages of the professional circuit takes place here, and rightly so! The best conditions are from October to May, when the wind is not too strong. The wind is a few knots lighter on the ocean than in the lagoon and gusts inside the bay. Once you leave the bay a little, the wind becomes more stable, but is still stronger than in the lagoon.

Activities in Dakhla

• Wakeboarding and skateboarding
• Catamaran excursions
• Visit the oyster farm
• Walking on the beach at low tide
• Golf
• Yoga, massages

Fred Compagnon has seen the benefits of yoga for his son Tao: « It’s of enormous benefit to him as a child who has difficulty concentrating, so it’s given him a little moment of calm ».

Dakhla also organises annual events, such as the GKA strapless tour stop: the world’s best kitesurfers compete in a 5-7 day event on the wave spot.

Is there a network in Dakhla?

Depending on where you stay, you may have little or no access to the Internet. Westpoint had a very good internet connection, although I’m not sure if that was only during the GKA World Cup? The internet at Dakhla Attitude was a bit unstable, so not really reliable. Still, it was pretty impressive to be in the middle of the desert and have an internet connection.

You can also get your own SIM card with mobile internet as a backup in Dakhla, a SIM card costs around 5 euros and 1GB of data around 1 euro.

In conclusion: Dakhla is a haven of peace and a surf and kite paradise for any surf enthusiast. You’ll have the opportunity to immerse yourself in the heart of Morocco and discover the country’s riches, both in terms of its landscapes and its culture.

Fred Compagnon also points out that « travelling brings diversity to children, they meet people who are so different that it opens up their minds and teaches them about sharing and respecting different cultures. »