NaneaKite

A kitesurf, surf and wingfoil school run by Abdellah El Habch, known as Abdou, a professional kitesurfer who rode and worked on many spots before opening his own place in Essaouira. The school sits on Rue Abdari, a few minutes' walk from the medina, and teaches on the main Essaouira beach, with transport to other spots along the coast when conditions call for it. The team — Bilal, Mohamed, Atman, Ahmed, Hassan on the beach, Luic on the wing, Jamal and Ibrahim on surf — holds IKO and VDWS qualifications and teaches in French, English, Spanish and Arabic.

Three lesson formats: private, one student per instructor with a kite each; semi-private, two students of the same level, each with their own gear; group, four students maximum sharing a kite. Sessions run three hours at most, morning or afternoon. Kite, bar and lines, board, harness, wetsuit, helmet and impact vest are provided, along with insurance and radio contact with the instructor on the water. The school also rents equipment and offers a supervision service for independent riders discovering the spot — help with launching and landing, an eye on you through the session — while saying plainly that supervision is not a substitute for a lesson.

NaneaKite sells four- to eight-day camps bundling lesson hours, a private room in a riad, daily breakfast, transfers, full equipment and IKO certification — the formula it is known for, with close to 300 five-star Google reviews. It also runs guided surf trips to Sidi Kaouki, Tafedna and Imsouane, with guide, transport, equipment, food and accommodation included.

Open every day, 9 am to 7 pm.

The kitesurf season is announced from mid-February to the end of December, with wind almost all year. Surfing works year-round in the bay, the swell being bigger outside the summer.