Senegal & towed sports: why it all happens in Saly
Towed sports have no Senegalese history, and we are not going to invent one for you. What they have is geography. The country’s coastline divides on either side of the Cap-Vert peninsula, where Dakar stands. To the north, the Grande Côte takes the Atlantic head-on. To the south, the Petite Côte runs down towards Joal with a sea that is calm most of the time. For a boat towing a ring or a rider, that is the basic requirement: a steady stretch of water, with no breakers to knock you off course at every turn.
The second factor is equipment. Saly has water sports centres on its beaches with boats, jet skis and instructors all in one place. It is this trio that makes the category’s activities possible: a boat for the ring, the wakeboard and the kneeboard, a jet ski for the flyboard and the hoverboard, and a qualified person to supervise.
Towed sports stay off the beaches, on the ocean side. The Somone lagoon, right next to Saly, has been a nature reserve since 1999 and a Ramsar Site since 2017: you explore it by pirogue or kayak, not behind an engine. As for the Sine-Saloum and Casamance, their bolongs (tidal creeks) belong to paddles and pirogues; no towed outing there features in the catalogue.
Formats: from the ring to the flyboard
Classic water-skiing and parasailing are not currently in the category’s catalogue. If it is jet skiing you are after, or a ring pulled by a jet ski rather than a boat, see the jet ski page.
Where to do towed sports in Senegal
- Saly: all the outings in the category leave from the main beach or a neighbouring beach in the resort. Ring, kneeboard, wakeboard, flyboard and hoverboard can follow one another in a single morning if you feel like it. The exact meeting point is on each listing.
- The rest of the Petite Côte: Mbour and the Somone are a few minutes’ drive from Saly, which makes them convenient bases for a towed outing. The activities themselves leave from Saly.
- Dakar: no towed outing in the catalogue to date. Dakar residents who want speed on the water without leaving the city turn to jet skiing in Hann Bay; for the ring and the flyboard, allow a day on the Petite Côte.
When to go
The best period runs from November to June, during the dry season. The sky is clear, humidity drops and the Petite Côte lines up its finest days. Between December and February, the morning wind can feel chilly once you are wet: a rash vest or a light neoprene top makes the second session more pleasant. The water hovers around 20 °C at its coolest, in February–March, and climbs towards 28 °C at its warmest, in September–October.
From July to October, the rainy season (hivernage) brings humid heat and showers, often brief but sometimes violent. A squall can whip up the sea in a few minutes; the instructor then decides whether to go out or wait. If you live in Senegal, this season lends itself to outings decided that same morning, between two sunny spells; if you are travelling a long way for the water, the dry season is a safer bet.
During the day, aim for the morning or late afternoon. The sea is often calmer then, which matters twice as much for wakeboarding and flyboarding, where a little chop is enough to make balancing harder.
Good to know & budget
Read the price unit. For the ring, the listing offers several models: single, two, four or six seats, or a price per person. On a multi-seat model, the price is per ring; with six of you, the bill is shared. For à la carte activities and the flyboard, the price is per person and per session, and the duration varies from one activity to another (fifteen minutes of kneeboard, twenty of wakeboard, thirty of flyboard or hoverboard). Compare like-for-like durations.
Safety. On every listing, a life jacket is provided and the session is supervised by an instructor. Being able to swim is recommended; if someone in the group is a weak swimmer, say so before setting off. The ring is open to children from 8; for the other activities, the listing sets no age and the instructor decides based on build and confidence. Listen to the briefing: the signals to give the driver, how to let go of the rope, the position to adopt if you fall.
What to bring. Swimsuit, towel, sun cream, sunglasses on a cord, and nothing valuable in your pockets: valuables stay on land.
Booking. On Que Faire Sénégal, the price shown is the price of the service. You pay 20% to secure your booking (the booking fee), and the balance is paid on site, on the day of the outing. If you live in Senegal, you get the resident rate: up to 30% off (the exact rate is shown on each listing). No additional official fees. At weekends and in high season, book a few days ahead; the rules on cancellation, including when the sea makes going out impossible, are set out on each listing.
Who is it for?
Families, first of all: the four- or six-seat ring is the activity that gets everyone to agree, children from 8 included, with parents screaming louder than they do. Beginners who want to glide, who would do well to start with the kneeboard before standing up on a wakeboard. And finally the curious, for whom the flyboard remains a once-in-a-lifetime box to tick: the feeling of standing on a jet of water is like nothing else.
Resident or visitor, you do not prepare the outing the same way. If you live in Dakar, a towed outing fits into a weekend in Saly: leave early to beat the traffic out of the city, do the ring with the family on Saturday morning, keep the wakeboard for Sunday when your arms have recovered, and make the most of the resident rate. If you are passing through, slot the activity in at the start of your stay, on a calm morning, to leave some leeway if the sea forces a change of plan; and if you are staying in Mbour or the Somone, allow for the short trip to the departure beach.
The flyboard was born from a jet ski rider. In the early 2010s, Franky Zapata, a Frenchman and former champion of the sport, was looking for a way to get riders out of the water: he connected a board to a jet ski’s turbine with a long hose and turned the jet downwards. The device then spread to beaches all over the world. Zapata, for his part, kept on climbing: on 4 August 2019, he crossed the English Channel standing on a turbine-powered machine of his own invention, about 35 kilometres in around twenty minutes, refuelling stop included. The moment your feet leave the water for the first time, watched by the instructor on the jet ski, comes straight from that idea.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to be able to swim for the towed ring or wakeboarding?
It is recommended. A life jacket is provided on every outing and the session is supervised by an instructor, but being at ease in the water makes falls less stressful. Tell the team about anyone who is a weak swimmer before setting off.
From what age can you go on the towed ring?
The towed ring is open to children from 8. For kneeboard, wakeboard and flyboard, the listing sets no age: the instructor decides based on the participant’s build and confidence.
Is the ring price per person or per ring?
Both exist. The listing offers a price per person, a single ring and rings for two, four or six at a price per ring, to be shared between the riders. The other towed activities are priced per person and per session.
Where can I go flyboarding in Senegal?
The flyboard and hoverboard sessions in the catalogue leave from Saly, on the Petite Côte. They last half an hour, are powered by a jet ski and are supervised by a qualified instructor.
How does booking work?
You pay 20% to secure your booking (the booking fee), and the balance is paid on site, on the day of the outing. You get the resident rate: up to 30% off (the exact rate is shown on each listing), and no additional official fees apply. Cancellation terms are set out on each listing.
