Classroom lesson · Dakhla Lagoon · 🇪🇭 Western Sahara

Dakhla Lagoon

Kitesurfing world capital on a desert peninsula

Kitesurfers on the flat turquoise lagoon at Dakhla peninsula

Photo · Wikimedia Commons

What is it?

Dakhla is a long, thin peninsula that sticks out into the Atlantic Ocean like a pointing finger. Behind it lies a sheltered lagoon of flat, turquoise water. Strong trade winds blow across the lagoon almost every day, making it one of the best kitesurfing spots on the entire planet.

Tell me more

Kitesurfing means riding a small board across the water while holding a large kite that catches the wind and pulls you forward. At Dakhla the wind is nearly always blowing at the perfect speed - not too gentle, not too strong - and the lagoon water is shallow, warm, and flat, which is ideal for learners and champions alike.

Every year, kitesurfers travel to Dakhla from Europe, America, and beyond. World championships have been held here, and some surfers have broken speed records on this very lagoon. Watching a skilled kitesurfer launch into the air and spin is a bit like watching a gymnastics display happening on the water.

The lagoon is also home to flamingos, herons, and many migratory birds that stop here on their journey between Europe and Africa. So while kitesurfers fly across the water, birds wade in the shallows at the edges. The contrast of pink flamingos and colourful kites in the same scene is something visitors never forget.

In the classroom

Walk your class through this in 15 minutes.

Talk together

Discussion prompts

  1. 01A kite can pull a person on a board across water. What other machines or tools use wind as their power source?
  2. 02Dakhla attracts visitors from around the world for kitesurfing. How might tourism change a small town?
  3. 03Flamingos and kitesurfers share the same lagoon. How might each one feel about the other being there?
Try this

Classroom activity

Make a simple paper kite from a sheet of A4, two straws, and some string. Test it outside and record: does it fly better when you run into the wind or with the wind? Draw a diagram showing the forces pulling the kite up and back.