It’s not until the third day that I finally get round to kiting in Sharm el Sheikh. There is practically never any wind in Naama Bay, and when there is, there are still kites and Smurfs close together, followed by several boats. To go kitesurfing in Sharm el Sheikh, you drive 20 kilometres north to Nabq. This costs around €1.30 with the blue minibus and takes 20 to 30 minutes.
If you search the internet for kitesurfing Sharm el Sheikh, Google only spits out one page: Colona Watersports, just taken over by kite junkies. They are located on the beach in front of the Regency Plaza in Nabq. I arrive on day one and realise: calm. For the first time in a week. Back to Naama.
On day two there’s finally wind. I unpack the 19 and they call me to the office. Starting fee 15 €. Including storage and rescue. I don’t have it, I don’t want it, I don’t need it. With a standing area of approx. 1000 by 400 metres, rescue is a bit stupid, isn’t it? It’s all about the principle: wind is freedom, kitesurfing is enjoying freedom. You don’t pay for that.
Heavily frustrated, I waddle southwards along the beach. The hotels are all empty. Far too many have been built, and more are constantly being added. After 1km, I ask the Nubian kite instructor at a small kitesurfing school: “How much does it cost to start with you?” “Nothing” he says. I’ve forgotten my harness. He lends me one. I set up a 19 kite and head out into the turquoise water at 17 knots. The wind is a bit strong. As soon as I’m out, it picks up to 24 knots. My kite is far too big, maximally depowered and inverted.
That means a break until the wind dies down. I go out for another half hour from 12 noon and finally come ashore again with a really big grin on my face. Instead of looking after his kitesurfing school in Sharm el Sheikh, Kabo prefers to go out on the water today. “Do you want to see my kite loop?” Sure, the spot is great. Hardly any rocks or coral, shallow at around 400 metres, then a reef with a decent wave. Clean laminar wind of 15-25 knots sideshore from the north. Every day. The only bad thing: always only from 6 to 12.
The next day also makes my arms much longer. Jumping is a bit dangerous, the water is only a hand’s breadth deep at 50 metres from the beach. Outside, the only way is up, I don’t count the impacts or the blisters on my paws.
If you are looking for a nice little kitesurfing school in Sharm el Sheikh, take the blue taxi bus to Nabq to the Laguna Vista Resort. Take the path on the right behind it to the beach. Tell the guards: kitesurfing school. Sometimes they get it, sometimes they’re a bit bitchy. Cabo is 22, speaks good English and a few words of German. In any case, very helpful and an IKO-licensed kitesurfing instructor. Prices are reasonable at 300 euros for 10 hours of individual training. The Sharm el Sheikh kitesurfing school’s spot is perfect, and Kabo is a good guy. Further information is best obtained directly from him via email (write in English!) kabo_kite [ät] hotmail [dot] com
Frank Woelky, born in 1973. Kitesurfer since 1998. Since 2006, I have been combining kitesurfing and web design on trips lasting several months off the beaten track.