Masirah is a desert island off Oman's Arabian Sea coast, where the summer monsoon blows day and night over shallow lagoons, and where more loggerhead turtles nest than almost anywhere on earth.
What brings people here, from the people who manage it and the people who ride it.
The season runs June through September, driven by the southwest monsoon (khareef). Wind reaches up to 40 knots from mid-June to August, and is around 25 to 30 knots in May and September.
The wind blows strong and constant, day and night. Riders use the island's many lagoons, with extensive shallow water.
Sources: Oman Observer; Kiteboarding Oman; Surfertoday
Protected lagoons, wetlands and the species that depend on them. Stewardship days keep launches clean inside the protected zones.
Green, loggerhead, hawksbill, olive ridley and leatherback turtles nest on Masirah. Its loggerhead nesting population, an estimated 15,000 to 30,000 turtles a year, is one of the largest in the world.
Nesting runs from about April to September and hatching from July to October. Visitors should use only red light, avoid flash, keep their distance and stay quiet near nests.
Masirah is Oman's largest island, off the Arabian Sea coast, with about 95 km of coastline and around 12,000 residents.
There are no direct flights for visitors. Riders drive about 400 km across the desert from Muscat, about five hours including the 1.5 to 2 hour ferry from Shannah.
Monsoon temperatures run roughly 25 to 38 °C.
Outside the monsoon season, Omani riders move to the north coast, such as Sawadi Beach about 75 km from Muscat.
Sources: Kiteboarding Oman; Surfertoday; Times of Oman; Surfertoday
Every summer the southwest monsoon sweeps up the Arabian Sea, and Masirah sits right in its path. From June to September the wind blows strong and constant, day and night, over lagoons with wide shallow areas, and riders cross the desert and the sea to reach it.
The island is also one of the most important turtle nesting sites in the world. All of Oman's nesting turtle species come ashore here, and the loggerhead population is among the largest anywhere. Nesting and hatching overlap with the kite season.
A chapter gives Masirah's riders a way to protect what brings them here: a voice with local and national authorities, riders who know the nesting beaches and the light rules, and support for the people who look after the turtles.
KKiteboarding OmanLocal school teaching on this waterWWSThe chapterHolds the line on access: one standing voice with whoever manages the launch.WWSThe chapterRuns stewardship days, so the people who manage the beach see riders as an asset.WWSThe chapterRuns sponsored certification weekends, so riders are trained and self-policing.KKiteboarding OmanLocal school teaching on this waterWWSThe chapterHolds the line on access: one standing voice with whoever manages the launch.WWSThe chapterRuns stewardship days, so the people who manage the beach see riders as an asset.WWSThe chapterRuns sponsored certification weekends, so riders are trained and self-policing.
iSportsKite, WingiWind spotMasirah bc omānaiKnow thisMasirah Island, Oman's largest island, off the Al Wusta coast, reached by ferry from Shannah.iKnow thisSouthwest monsoon wind from June to September, up to 40 knots; warm, shallow lagoons.iKnow thisNo published kite rules; turtle nesting beaches need red light only and distance.iSportsKite, WingiWind spotMasirah bc omānaiKnow thisMasirah Island, Oman's largest island, off the Al Wusta coast, reached by ferry from Shannah.iKnow thisSouthwest monsoon wind from June to September, up to 40 knots; warm, shallow lagoons.iKnow thisNo published kite rules; turtle nesting beaches need red light only and distance.
Your gift keeps the chapter running and the beach cared for: cleanup supplies, signage, certification weekends and the costs of being the group the park can call.