Essaouira bay (beach)

The bay is where Essaouira takes to the water. Some 3 km of sand run from the medina to the bed of the Oued Ksob, as we measured it on OpenStreetMap. The sand starts 290 m from Place Moulay Hassan, 4 minutes on foot by our route calculation. Our view: come here to sail and to walk, not to lie on a towel.

To place the bay between the ramparts and the villages, read our map of Essaouira’s neighbourhoods. Swimming, water temperature and the beach’s label are covered in our pages on the beaches along this coast.

The schools, north to south

The kite, windsurf and wing foil schools follow one another along the bay. From Place Moulay Hassan, our calculation gives 18 minutes on foot to Kitesensation, 20 to Essaouira Kite Paradise, 29 to Océan Vagabond and 34 to UCPA Dreamkite, at the positions mapped on OpenStreetMap. Explora has its base on boulevard Mohammed V. Our view: pick a school for its instructors and its kit, not for its spot on the bay.

The water is the same for all of them, and it is beginners’ water. Explora starts its pupils across the bay, on calmer water, with an instructor following in a boat (school website, read on 16 October 2026). Prices, levels and the questions to ask before paying are in our section on kitesurfing in Essaouira. Explora also teaches surfing here, and our surfing section sets the bay against the wave spots along the coast.

The wind, the island and the evening

The bay runs to the rhythm of the trade wind. From April to September it blows from the north to north-east 83% of the hours. It tops 15 knots one hour in eight at 06:00, and four hours in ten from 14:00 to 17:00, by our calculation on the ERA5 reanalysis for 2016 to 2025. Mornings belong to walkers and lessons, afternoons to the kites. Before you head down, check the bay’s wind hour by hour.

Offshore, the Mogador archipelago closes the view, 800 m from the shore. It has been a permanent biological reserve since 1980, and Eleonora’s falcon nests there: 675 pairs were reported in 2001, according to the site’s Ramsar information sheet. We have found no official rule on landing. The sun sets over the ocean at 17:40 on 21 December and at 19:47 on 21 June, by our calculation. Our view: keep the end of one day for walking the bay, facing the island.

On foot to Diabat

The bay takes an hour to cross. From Place Moulay Hassan to the southern end of the beach, our calculation gives 4.5 km and 62 minutes. The village of Diabat, across the Oued Ksob, is 4.3 km and 57 minutes away along the seafront and over the bridge. Our view: walk there and take a taxi back, 5 km and 7 minutes by road to Bab Doukkala. We suggest the bridge: crossing the riverbed depends on the tide, and we have not yet checked it.

Sleeping, eating, and what to avoid

To sleep, the hotels on boulevard Mohammed V have the beach across the road. Our view: pick your hotel by your school, because Kitesensation and UCPA Dreamkite are 1.5 km and 19 minutes apart on foot, by our calculation. The sand also starts 7 minutes on foot from the fish market, at the end of the port and its fish grills.

For food, Océan Vagabond, on the beach, serves the Moroccan set breakfast for 120 MAD (2026 menu, read on 16 October 2026). For dinner, the medina starts 4 minutes on foot from where the sand begins, and our restaurant picks sort the addresses by neighbourhood.

Three things to avoid. Surfing among the kites in the afternoon: stay on the medina side, away from the kite schools. Walking past the horses and camels with a kite in your hands. Walking the beach above 20 knots, when the sand stings your calves: come in the morning.