A thermal wind over a 21 °C January sea
Kitepower El Gouna has a weather station on its lagoon. Between 2022 and 2026 it counted a rideable day on 63 % of January days and on about 77 % of all days across the year, over a sea that is about 21 °C in January. The wind is thermal, north and northwest for the most part. At its Hurghada spot UCPA sees it rise around 9 a.m. and hold until mid afternoon.
The bases spread along two coasts. On the mainland you choose between the resort beaches of El Gouna, Soma Bay and Safaga and the wing centers in Hurghada town. Dahab, across the water in Sinai, has a sheltered bay for courses and swell outside its reef. Far to the south, near Marsa Alam, lie El Naaba and the big lagoon at Lahami Bay. The wing, the board and the foil themselves are in the wingfoil guide.
Seven bases, from a shuttle ride to a 2.5 hour drive
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| Base | Transfer | Water | Suits |
|---|---|---|---|
| El Gouna lagoon | About 30 minutes from Hurghada | Standing depth, tide 20 to 70 cm | A first course |
| Soma Bay and Abu Soma | 30 to 40 minutes from Hurghada | Shallow behind sand banks, soft sand | Beginners at Ras Soma, height holders at 7Bft |
| Safaga | About 45 minutes from Hurghada | Standing depth for 80 to 120 m | First wing tries in a shallow lagoon |
| Hurghada town | - | Shallow for 150 m, sand bar | Courses in spring and autumn |
| Dahab | About 50 minutes to the hotel | Sheltered bay, swell at Napoleon Reef | All levels, by area |
| El Naaba, Marsa Alam | About 20 minutes from Marsa Alam | Flat inside a reef, swell outside | Beginners inside, swell riders outside |
| Lahami Bay | About 2.5 hours from Marsa Alam | Large lagoon shared with kite and windsurf | Winter, warmer water |
The El Gouna lagoon and Ras Soma in Soma Bay are the two places for a first course. Riders who hold height upwind have the 7Bft station in Soma Bay as well, and swell riders head for Dahab's area 3 or the outside of the reef at El Naaba.
For Sportif the El Gouna season is April to November, Hurghada's is spring and autumn and Soma Bay's is the whole year. Dahab rides all year and peaks from April to September. From mid November to March, Lahami Bay runs on average about 4 °C warmer than the northern Red Sea spots, Wingreisen says.
El Gouna and its standing depth lagoon
About 25 km north of Hurghada, El Gouna is a resort built around a marina and a web of canals. The main public kite beach is 5 to 10 minutes away by the resort shuttle bus or by tuk tuk. KBC El Gouna runs its kite and wing center on the kite beach near the hotels in the north of town, open all year, and claims more than two square kilometers of standing depth water, the biggest lagoon in the Red Sea. The tide moves it by 20 to 70 cm, and in summer, mostly around the full moon, it can drain for hours, so riding moves behind the reef. KBC calls the wind side onshore from the left, from north northwest, and constant.
Kitepower El Gouna, an IKO Pro Center and VDWS accredited school, also teaches on the lagoon. It gives typical conditions of 15 to 25 knots from north to northwest, gusting to 28. Groups stay at two students per instructor at most, coached through Bluetooth helmet radios, and the instructors speak Czech, Slovak, English, German, Polish, Russian, Italian and Arabic.
Wingreisen sells only one El Gouna station for wing: Osmosis, in the lee at the far south end, on the beach of the Labranda Club Paradisio. A small standing area of fine sand drops into deeper water, which suits a foil better than the wide flats elsewhere. Beginners train on an offshore sandbank about 7 minutes away.
Soma Bay, Ras Soma and Safaga
Soma Bay is a 7 km wide bay about 50 km south of Hurghada, with two riding areas: Soma Bay on the peninsula and Abu Soma on the south side. Both are shallow and protected by sand banks, with soft sand and hardly any coral, so you can ride without boots. Sportif puts the thermal wind at an average of 20 knots or more, up to about 5 knots above Hurghada because of the mountains behind. It blows side shore to cross offshore from the right.
KBC Ras Soma sits about 1 km south of the Steigenberger resort, stays open all year and runs a shuttle to the hotels. On windless days its foil simulator boat pulls learners up on the foil with no wing at all. The 7Bft Kitehouse, west of the Robinson Club, has offshore wind and flat water in front, but after a small standing area the water is about 3 m deep. Wingreisen sends riders who already hold height upwind.
Safaga
Safaga is about 45 minutes from Hurghada airport. ION CLUB rents and teaches wing foil at the Shams hotels with Duotone gear, open to outside guests all year. The wind blows side offshore from the left in the morning and turns side shore around 11 a.m. to noon. With the tide the standing area runs out 80 to 120 m, and Wingreisen advises shoes for the coral pieces in the shallows. Above 5 Beaufort the water gets choppy.
Wing centers on Hurghada's own beaches
Staying in Hurghada puts you closest to the airport. Sportif describes a sandy launch with shallow water for 150 m, a training lagoon and a sand bar about 300 m out, with the thermal wind cross shore in the morning and cross onshore in the afternoon.
Harry Nass runs a center directly at the Hotel Mercure, with boat support during courses, boards from 75 to 145 liters and wings from 2.2 to 6.2 m². UCPA keeps a site of its own, with a zone free of waves and chop for beginners and a small swell of about 1 m just outside the reef. It gives the wind as steady at 10 to 25 knots, and its best period is April to October. Its own tally for November to March has about half the days rideable.
Dahab's three riding areas
The mountains behind Dahab channel the thermal wind down to a gently shelving sandy launch. It blows offshore to side offshore from the left and side shore, and grows stronger as the day goes on. The town lies in South Sinai, on the west coast of the Gulf of Aqaba between Nuweiba and Sharm El Sheikh, and Sportif puts the transfer to the hotel at about fifty minutes.
Harry Nass runs two centers here. Area 1, 2.5 km inside the bay at Center 1, is sheltered by the headland and has a standing area of 500 by 200 m, with a sandbank Wingreisen calls drift safe, so the beginner courses run there. Area 2, known as Speedy or Baby Bay, has flat water and a steady wind. Area 3 lies beyond the Napoleon reef, with non breaking swell up to 3 m, and Harry Nass advises not to go out there alone.
Harry Nass keeps rescue boats on call, with walkie talkie rescue for guests in areas 2 and 3. Wingreisen advises shoes against dead coral and sharp shells, and the flagged tip of the headland is off limits because of sea urchins and coral.
El Naaba and Lahami Bay near Marsa Alam
The Tommy Friedl Pro Center at El Naaba teaches wing from complete beginner to advanced, in German and English, 10 minutes' walk downwind of the Three Corners Equinox Beach Resort. A small reef about 250 m out keeps the water inside flat, while outside it runs a non breaking swell of about 1 to 2 m, and the wind builds through the morning to an average of 15 to 20 knots. Marsa Alam International Airport (RMF) is about 60 km north of the town, and the resort is about 20 minutes from it.
Lahami Bay, 7 km south of Hamata, is about 2.5 hours by road from the airport. Wing, windsurf and kite share one large lagoon, and the side offshore wind is gusty in the first 100 m. Even in this warmer bay, a long wetsuit is still the advice for winter.
February beats December on the lagoon
Kitepower's lagoon station (Windguru station 3321) logged 1,441 days between 2022 and 2026. It counts a day as rideable when the wind held at least 12 knots for 2 hours or more between 08:00 and 18:00. The sea columns are long term climate normals.
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| Month | Rideable days, El Gouna | Lagoon water, El Gouna | Sea, Hurghada | Sea, Marsa Alam | Sea, Sharm El Sheikh |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 63 % | 21 °C | 22 °C | 23 °C | 22 °C |
| February | 80 % | 20 °C | 21 °C | 23 °C | 21 °C |
| March | 62 % | 21 °C | 21 °C | 23 °C | 21 °C |
| April | 65 % | 22 °C | 22 °C | 24 °C | 23 °C |
| May | 69 % | 23 °C | 24 °C | 25 °C | 24 °C |
| June | 83 % | 25 °C | 26 °C | 27 °C | 26 °C |
| July | 63 % | 28 °C | 27 °C | 28 °C | 27 °C |
| August | 85 % | 29 °C | 28 °C | 29 °C | 28 °C |
| September | 83 % | 28 °C | 27 °C | 29 °C | 28 °C |
| October | 81 % | 27 °C | 26 °C | 28 °C | 27 °C |
| November | 75 % | 24 °C | 25 °C | 26 °C | 25 °C |
| December | 61 % | 22 °C | 23 °C | 25 °C | 24 °C |
In winter the spread runs from 80 % of days in February down to 61 % in December. KBC calls December to February less consistent, with more strong days and more light ones. Its wetsuit advice is a long suit in winter and a shorty in spring and autumn.
Five hours at El Gouna, six at Ras Soma
Both El Gouna centers spread their 5 course hours over two or three days, and Ras Soma does the same with its 6. Kitepower's pair format puts two students on one complete set, taking turns.
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| Center | Course or rental | Price |
|---|---|---|
| KBC El Gouna | Beginner course, 5 hours over 2 to 3 days | €370 |
| KBC El Gouna | Private 1:1 hour with gear | €115 |
| KBC El Gouna | Semi private 2:1 hour, per person | €95 |
| KBC El Gouna | Full wing set rental, one day | €140 |
| Kitepower El Gouna | Basic I, 5 hours, pair format, all gear | €365 |
| Kitepower El Gouna | Basic I, 5 hours, private 1:1, all gear | €515 |
| KBC Ras Soma | Beginner course 2:1, 6 hours, per person | €420 |
| KBC Ras Soma | Private course 1:1, 6 hours | €550 |
| KBC Ras Soma | Private hour with rental gear | €127 |
| KBC Ras Soma | Complete wing rental, one day | €151 |
A full set at KBC means wing, foil, wetsuit, vest and helmet. Neither KBC center hands out wing gear below Level 5 of the VDWS Wing Licence, the foiled jibe; at Ras Soma you can take the card on site. The wingfoil lessons page compares how schools elsewhere build their courses.
A motor in the mast at El Gouna, Flite boards at Ras Soma
KBC El Gouna's eFoil is “powered by MANTA Foils”, the F-ONE boards and foils from the wing course fitted with the MANTA Foil Assist TakeOff Mast, which has the motor built in. You start on your knees with the remote in your hand, and a session of about 20 minutes costs €40. For €410 the “Wingfoil Beginner Course PLUS eFoil” adds one eFoil lift up session to the 5 hour course, best held on a day with little wind. What that mast motor does for a wing learner is on the foil assist page.
At Ras Soma, KBC's eFoil base on the Steigenberger Resort beach uses FLITE gear: the Flitescooter, an eFoil with a handlebar, from age 12, and the Fliteboard from 14. Riders must be able to swim and should weigh no more than 110 kg. Both boards are described in the Fliteboard guide.
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| Board | Lesson | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Flitescooter | Level 1, 40 minutes, private | €75 |
| Flitescooter | Level 1, 40 minutes, 2:1, per person | €50 |
| Flitescooter | Full course Level 1 plus 2, 70 minutes, private | €125 |
| Fliteboard | Level 1, 60 minutes, private | €150 |
| Fliteboard | Level 1, 60 minutes, 2:1, per person | €100 |
| Fliteboard | Full course Level 1 plus 2, 90 minutes, private | €210 |
Wingreisen also sells an “E-Foil und Wingfoil Safari” on a yacht from Hurghada, often around the islands of Ashrafi, Abu Moungar, Gessum and Tawila, with eFoil gear from Aerofoils and Lift on board.
Wing weeks, safaris and package holidays
Sportif, a UK tour operator that describes itself as a fully bonded ATOL licence holder, sells Red Sea holidays to Dahab, El Gouna, Hurghada, Marsa Alam, Safaga and Soma Bay. Wingreisen sells to Germany, Austria and Switzerland, with stations from El Gouna to Lahami Bay plus the yacht safari.
UCPA in France has a “Wingfoil vacances” week at its Hurghada site, with 7 nights full board, 5 days of wing foil, coaching, all gear and transfers to the spots. Flights are included when booked through UCPA, and the week takes ages 18 to 55.
KBC El Gouna's wing event runs 7 days, with 6 training days of up to 4 hours and F-ONE gear, typically for 4 to 12 people. The hotel is booked separately. The Harry Nass Red Sea Wing Weeks give 5 days of morning and afternoon lessons with VDWS wing instructors and free riding on day 6.
Reef protectorates and Law No. 102 of 1983
Since Prime Minister's Decree No. 4419 of 2025, the Great Fringing Reefs of the Red Sea governorate are a sustainable use protected area on the list of the Egyptian Environmental Affairs Agency (EEAA). The conservation group HEPCA describes the reef as running roughly 2,000 km along Egypt's coast, from a few meters to 400 m wide.
The legal frame is Law No. 102 of 1983 for Nature Protectorates. Inside a protectorate, its article 2 forbids disturbing wildlife, damaging or removing living organisms or natural features such as shells, corals and rocks, and running commercial activities without permission.
In our reading, a rider who stands on live coral, breaks a piece off or takes shells home from a protected reef falls under article 2, so launch from sand and keep to the areas the center shows you. A draft guide of the CDWS, Egypt's chamber for diving and watersports, would allow day trips to shallow islands or protected areas only with a permit naming the center, the instructors and the riders. This summary is not legal advice.
Three airports, with a visa rule of its own at Sharm El Sheikh
Hurghada airport serves El Gouna, Soma Bay and Safaga, and easyJet and TUI fly there from several UK airports. Sharm El Sheikh and Marsa Alam also have direct UK flights, some only in season. From North America the usual route is through Cairo with EgyptAir, or through a European hub.
Under the FCDO entry rules your passport must be valid for at least 6 months after arrival and have one blank page. British passport holders normally need a visa, as an e-visa online, from the Egyptian Consulate General in the UK or at the kiosks on arrival, valid for up to 30 days. Fly into Sharm El Sheikh and stay less than 15 days only in Sharm El Sheikh, Dahab, Nuweiba or Taba, and a free entry permission stamp on arrival is enough. Traveling beyond those resorts or staying longer needs a visa, which you can buy at Sharm El Sheikh airport or online.
The German Foreign Office warns that customs seize drones brought in without permission from the Egyptian civil aviation authority, and that walkie talkies and satellite phones without permits can be seized. The FCDO expects radio equipment and satellite phones to be confiscated without prior clearance. The full entry and customs wording is in the FCDO travel advice for Egypt ↗.
Cape Verde, Zanzibar, Dakhla and Essaouira in Morocco and Alaçatı in Turkey are the other warm water wing destinations with a guide of their own here.