Catamaran kitesurf safari: boats and destinations compared

When choosing a catamaran kitesurf safari or a motor yacht kite cruise, start with the season, the water you want to ride and the launch arrangements. You live on board and travel between spots, without returning to a hotel after each session. Trips run in the Red Sea, the Grenadines in the Caribbean, the Maldives and the Cyclades in Greece. Check launch assistance and rescue cover with the operator.

I keep going back to Mohamed's safari out of Hurghada, and I've known Mohamed for years. 3 things decide where to go: the month you can travel, the water you want and how big a boat and group you're happy with.

Kite safari destinations at a glance

The NASA model describes wind 10 m above the modelled surface on a grid of roughly 50 km. It shows which months are windier. How many knots you'll get on the beach is something it can't tell you. Local thermal wind around the islands is often stronger.

Catamaran or motor yacht

Mohamed's safari runs on a motor yacht. The boat used on recent trips, M/Y Hermes, is 36 m long with 3 decks, 10 twin cabins and 2 suites. In the Caribbean and Greece, island hopping is more often done on sailing yachts and catamarans.

For a useful comparison between a smaller sailing catamaran and a large motor safari boat, look at specific examples:

• The Lagoon 500 sailing catamaran used for the Greek kite camp is 15.5 m long and takes up to 9 kiters. That is the capacity of this particular trip, so check how it fits your group.
• The motor safari boat Hermes has the 10 twin cabins and 2 suites listed above; ask how many guests will actually be on board. On Mohamed's boat your kite gear stays in storage all week and the compressor and pumps are on board.

Check the draft of the model you are booking. The word catamaran alone tells you neither the group size nor the propulsion: motor catamarans exist too.

For me, the type of boat comes second. What makes or breaks a session is how far from the spot the boat anchors, where you launch from and who helps you. With Mohamed you launch from the island beach, where there's a tent with a rug, water and cold drinks. The beach boys carry and pump up your kite, hold it for launching and landing, and a rescue boat is on the water.

Red Sea: kite safari from Hurghada

The trip is 8 days and 7 nights from Hurghada, and every day the crew chooses an island based on the wind. Each island suits something different; I go through them in my guide to Red Sea kite safari islands:

• Tawila: a huge turquoise lagoon; Mohamed's site gives steady wind of 15-25 knots (8-13 m/s), shallow water and a sandy bottom. Entry costs a fee, so the boat only goes there by prior arrangement.
• Geisum: one of the least crowded spots, long beaches and downwinders to the neighbouring islands.
• Abu Mungar: a smaller lagoon with shallow, calm water, good for working on tricks.
• Ashrafi: the most remote, flat water and waves, downwinders. More for advanced riders.
• Gubal: stronger wind, deeper water and reef. The boat goes there when guests want to dive.

In April 2024 we took 8 beginners along and spent the first 2 days on Geisum. Day 1 was hard work; by the middle of day 2 everyone was riding, and then we moved on to Ashrafi. Where it's shallow with a sandy bottom, you stand up after a crash and go again, and over a week that adds up to a lot for a kiter with the basics. Experienced riders get the most out of the downwinders between islands, which the crew organises.

According to the NASA model, the windiest months around Hurghada are June to September, with wind from the northwest. The 2026 safari dates were in April, May, October and November. In the model, April, May and October reach 80-84% of the windiest month's strength, November 72%. For a day-by-day picture of life on board, see Kite safari Egypt: what to expect.

Caribbean: the Grenadines

At Union Island, the easterly trade winds blow from November to July. The local guide gives indicative ranges of 20-25 knots (10-13 m/s) for December to February and 18-20 knots (9-10 m/s) for the rest of the season. I'd use those figures to plan dates at Union Island; check conditions at other islands separately. In the NASA model, September and October are the weakest months at Union Island.

At the Union Island kite spots, the water is clear and mostly flat. The Tobago Cays marine park has 5 small cays and a sand-bottom lagoon sheltered by the 4 km Horseshoe Reef. Expect yachts and boats carrying day visitors from nearby islands too.

Maldives

In the Maldives you kite during the southwest monsoon, which the Maldives Meteorological Service says normally runs from mid-May to November. It's also the wet season. The northeast monsoon runs from January to March, and December and April are transition months. Near Male, the NASA model shows wind from the west to southwest from May to October, strongest in May and June.

For a Maldives trip, I'd want to know the actual number of kiters on board. Ask how much of the week the boat spends at kite spots and how much at dive sites. If training is your priority, ask for the kiting plan and details of launch assistance.

Greece: the Cyclades

From about mid-May to mid-September the Aegean gets the meltemi, a strong, dry northerly. It's usually strongest in the afternoon, often drops at night and sometimes blows for days without a break. It comes up in clear weather without warning and can get strong enough to keep most inter-island ferries in port. If gusts or local conditions are unsuitable, sit the session out; a smaller kite alone doesn't make it safe.

The water and launch arrangements depend on the route. The Greek kite camp aboard the Lagoon 500 includes launches from a sailing catamaran, open sea passages and a rescue tender. Compared with Mohamed's beach launches, you'll need to check how the kite is set up and who helps you. For flat-water training, ask which spots the trip visits and when they get choppy; the name Cyclades alone won't answer that.

What to ask before you pick a boat

I'd want to know this about any kite cruise, wherever it is:

1. How many guests are going and at what level. A boat full of beginners makes for a different week than a crew of freeriders.
2. Who helps with launching and landing, and how many boats are on the water.
3. Do you launch from the beach or from the water?
4. How many downwinders are planned and who follows them by boat.
5. What you pay on site. With Mohamed it's the marine park fees and crew tips, €100 to €150, with the exact amount confirmed with the dates.
6. Whether you can rent gear. With Mohamed a full kite set is €300 for 6 days and a twintip alone €60 for 6 days.

How many kites and which sizes to bring is in my kite safari packing list.

2027 dates

A week on Mohamed's kite safari cost €1,250 per person in a twin cabin in 2026. The 2027 dates haven't been published yet, and the boat is confirmed together with them. If you want to hear about dates and open spots first, sign up for an alert through the form on the safari page.