Plate VIII · Dakhla-Oued Ed-Dahab region
Dakhla
Short answer
Best months for Dakhla (23.80° N · 15.85° W) in the data: July (89% of days ≥ 12 kn, mean 16.0 kn), June (87%), September (82%). Calmest: December (36%). Across the year an average of 65% of days reach 12 knots. In the best months the dominant wind is from the north. Offshore sea temperature ranges from 17.7 to 21.2 °C depending on the month.
The spot
Dakhla sits on a long, narrow peninsula enclosing a lagoon of about 40 km. Riders use both the flat-water lagoon and spots on the ocean side. The town has become a centre for kitesurfing and windsurfing, and is served by Dakhla airport (VIL).
It is the windiest spot in the dataset: in June and July the daytime mean is about 15–16 kn and 87–89 % of days reach 12 kn. Even in its calmest month, December, the mean is 10.7 kn.
Wind, month by month
ERA5 reanalysis 2015–2024, wind at 10 m, daytime 11:00–18:00 Moroccan clock time of the period, ≈ 10:00–17:00 on today’s UTC+0 clock.
Monthly wind statistics, Dakhla
| Month | Avg wind (kn) | Days ≥ 12 kn | Days ≥ 15 kn | Directions (hours ≥ 8 kn) | Air max (°C) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 11.8 | 50% | 18% | NE 51 · E 20 · N 18 | 22.4 |
| Feb | 12.7 | 57% | 29% | NE 44 · N 35 · E 11 | 22.3 |
| Mar | 13.6 | 66% | 37% | N 43 · NE 40 · NW 8 | 23.1 |
| Apr | 13.6 | 69% | 37% | N 61 · NE 28 · NW 8 | 23.3 |
| May | 14.6 | 81% | 52% | N 69 · NE 26 · NW 4 | 24.3 |
| Jun | 15.4 | 87% | 61% | N 69 · NE 27 · NW 3 | 25.4 |
| Jul | 16.0 | 89% | 68% | N 77 · NE 21 · NW 2 | 26.5 |
| Aug | 14.4 | 76% | 51% | N 70 · NE 24 · NW 5 | 28.0 |
| Sep | 14.2 | 82% | 44% | N 63 · NE 34 · NW 1 | 28.0 |
| Oct | 11.5 | 44% | 16% | N 55 · NE 32 · E 5 | 27.5 |
| Nov | 10.8 | 39% | 15% | NE 44 · N 35 · E 10 | 25.4 |
| Dec | 10.7 | 36% | 13% | NE 43 · E 29 · N 15 | 23.6 |
Directions: share (%) of daytime hours at 8 knots or more, for the three most frequent sectors. Air max: mean of daily daytime maximum air temperature.
The sea: temperature and offshore swell
Open-Meteo Marine API, monthly means 2022–2024 at the nearest offshore model point. These are not beach wave heights.
Wave and sea-temperature values are from an ocean-side model cell west of the peninsula. The lagoon itself is not represented.
Sea off Dakhla (23.70° N · 16.00° W)
| Month | Sea temp. (°C) | Offshore waves (m) | Period (s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 17.9 | 1.4 | 9.5 |
| Feb | 17.8 | 1.4 | 9.3 |
| Mar | 17.7 | 1.8 | 9.6 |
| Apr | 18.8 | 1.4 | 8.1 |
| May | 19.2 | 1.3 | 6.5 |
| Jun | 20.1 | 1.3 | 6.1 |
| Jul | 20.2 | 1.5 | 6.0 |
| Aug | 21.2 | 1.4 | 6.2 |
| Sep | 21.0 | 1.3 | 6.6 |
| Oct | 21.2 | 1.2 | 7.8 |
| Nov | 20.4 | 1.4 | 9.5 |
| Dec | 19.2 | 1.3 | 9.1 |