🇲🇷 Baie de l'Étoile (Baie du Lévrier)
Mauritania · Africa · All Mauritania spots →
Best directionN
Wind speed15–25kt
SeasonFeb – Sep
Skill levelAll levels
WaterFlat + chop
A huge, nearly empty bay just 12km from Nouadhibou — a flat lagoon right by the launch area, with wind stats similar to Dakhla further north: consistent and regular, building through the afternoon. Pelicans, flamingos, and camels are about the only other spectators. November to January are the months to skip; February through September is when it delivers.
View live 5-day wind forecast →Good to know
Getting thereLocated on the inner eastern side of the Nouadhibou peninsula, roughly a 15-minute drive from Nouadhibou International Airport (NDB). A rugged car or 4x4 is necessary to navigate the unpaved desert terrain tracks that switch down to the coastline, where free off-road parking is abundant on the dirt bluffs. The wide, sandy beach contours of the Baie de l'Étoile pocket provide the cleanest, most direct entry points.
HazardsThe bay is home to one of the largest ship graveyards in the world - over 300 rusting wrecks, confirmed directly against multiple sources, not just the original claim. An EU-funded project removed roughly 70 of the most dangerous ones between 2006 and 2012, but dozens remain, mostly in the shallower, less-trafficked corners of the bay - the collision hazard for a downwind-drifting kiter is real, just concentrated in specific areas rather than the whole bay. While the shallow margins provide highly forgiving flat-water training zones, true beginners must be extremely cautious of the strictly offshore wind and the total absence of structured safety boat or emergency rescue teams.
Best time of dayAfternoon, from March to September, when the intense Saharan thermal draw combines with the permanent Atlantic trade winds to blow with extreme, relentless consistency. Arriving after midday ensures that the thermal pressure has filled the bay completely, offering smooth, flat-water cruising paths away from the harbor shipping channels.