Winter kiteboarding: where to find warm water and wind

For winter kiteboarding in November I would pick Ceará in Brazil. From December I would also consider Cape Verde, Vietnam, the Philippines or Aruba, with Bonaire joining the list from January. Water conditions and your ability to ride independently matter too: on Bonaire, arrange boat rescue before riding because the wind blows away from shore.

In winter I snowkite in the Ore Mountains back home in the Czech Republic. If you want a week on warm water to push your riding, pick the place by its season in that exact month. Some famous kite destinations happen to have their weak months in winter, Mauritius being one of them.

Where to kitesurf in winter, month by month

For a progression week, I would also look at whether you can handle the local chop, ride back upwind and launch from the beach. Being in season doesn't automatically make a spot right for you.

How often it really blows in winter

When choosing a month, I also look at long-term Windfinder observations. The table shows the share of daytime measurements with at least 4 Beaufort, which means 11 knots (5.7 m/s) or more. These percentages are not the probability of getting a kite session at a particular beach.

The observation periods differ: Cumbuco 4/2013-9/2026; Sal, Bonaire and Hurghada 11/2000-9/2026; Aruba 10/2001-9/2026. Boracay has an older record, 6/2011-12/2018, and its station no longer reports current measurements. Airport stations don't measure right on the beach either, so I use this as a guide to the months, not a ranking of spots. For Mui Ne and Paje I use local schools' operating experience.

Global climate models work on a grid tens of kilometres wide and underestimate thermal wind, so I wouldn't rely on them when choosing a spot. Thermal wind builds when the land heats up during the day and pulls air in from the sea. On thermal spots the mornings tend to be light and the wind fills in after lunch.

The Atlantic: Cape Verde, Brazil, the Caribbean

Cape Verde (Sal)

For kitesurfing in Cape Verde in winter I would pick Sal, where the north-east trade wind, a prevailing tropical wind, blows. November to March is a good period. The airport station shows the wind is most frequent from January to May, though, with November still lighter.

The main spot is Kite Beach. It faces east and the wind there is onshore to cross-onshore, so if something goes wrong it pushes you back towards the beach. Close to shore expect chop, meaning short messy wind waves, and sometimes a shore break, with bigger waves breaking further out on the reef. It suits riders who already hold an edge with confidence. Ponta Preta is a famous wave spot for experienced riders only, with offshore wind and big waves.

Brazil (Ceará)

For a winter trip to Ceará in north-east Brazil, I would pick November or December. Cumbuco's wind season runs roughly from June to January, but readings above the threshold become noticeably less frequent in January and February. The beach gets choppy at high tide. If flat water is your priority, I would ask a local school about Cauipe lagoon.

The Caribbean (Aruba, Bonaire, Cabarete)

For Bonaire in winter I would choose January or February, when the airport readings look better than in November and December. Aruba's airport records a higher share of measurements above the same threshold than Bonaire in each of these winter months, so I would consider Aruba from December.

Atlantis Beach on Bonaire has warm, flat water, but the wind blows at an angle away from shore, known as side-offshore. To ride independently, you need confident upwind skills. Before launching, arrange shore supervision and check that a rescue boat with a trained operator is ready on the water. Ride only while rescue cover is in place. There is a shallow reef near shore, so use the marked entry and exit points. If you aren't confident about riding back upwind, arrange lessons.

In Cabarete in the Dominican Republic, April to September is the windiest period. Good wind can also happen from December to March, but for a week focused on riding I would put it behind Aruba and Bonaire.

Asia: Vietnam and the Philippines

Vietnam (Mui Ne)

Mui Ne's season builds through autumn and lasts roughly until April. For a winter week I would choose December to February, without relying on a fixed November start date for the wind. The wind comes in at an angle towards shore, but brings chop, and school and rider traffic is busiest in mid-afternoon. If choppy water holds you back at home, expect to deal with it here too.

The Philippines (Boracay)

Boracay gets the north-east monsoon, known locally as Amihan, from November to April, at its best from December to March. Kiting happens on Bulabog Beach on the east side of the island. The reef-protected lagoon offers flat water, but at extreme low tide it is too shallow even for ordinary riding. Check safe water levels for your session with a local school. There are rocks, reef and sea urchins in parts of the lagoon; a smooth surface alone doesn't mean a safe landing area.

Zanzibar: a lighter winter wind season

Paje's winter Kaskazi season runs roughly from December to mid-March. The wind is lighter than in the summer Kusi season, but that wouldn't make me rule winter out. For a progression week, check conditions and suitable gear for your level with a local school. Plan around the tide too: the inner lagoon empties at low tide, so agree where and when to ride according to the water level.

Mauritius and Egypt: weaker winter conditions

Mauritius. The main season at Le Morne is June to September. From November to April it's hot with heavy rain, and you may be unlucky with the wind. I wouldn't choose it in winter for a week focused on riding.

Egypt. According to NASA's long-term model, the wind around Hurghada is roughly a quarter weaker from November to February than in August and September. The airport station also records less frequent wind: in winter it reaches at least 4 Beaufort in 41-43% of measurements, against 63% in June and September. The mean daily air temperature drops to about 18°C in January. You can still kite there, but plan for a bigger kite and a warmer wetsuit suited to the water and air temperature. When choosing the best time to kitesurf in Egypt, I would consider the cold as well as the wind.

A progression week: what to look for

If the point of the trip is to improve, wind strength is only part of it:

• Water. For upwind practice I would look for flat water. Jumps and tricks need enough depth for landing and clear space away from riders and obstacles. Check the depth locally and don't jump in shallow water.
• When it blows. Find out whether it blows from the morning or only in the afternoon, and how many sessions a day you'll realistically get.
• Kite size. For the lighter months bring a bigger kite or rent one there. The kite size calculator gives you a starting point.
• Help with launching and landing. On an unfamiliar spot it makes the difference between a calm session and a stressful one.
• Insurance that covers kiting. Standard travel insurance may not.

If you want a week where all you think about is wind and your own riding, there's the kite safari in the Red Sea. On the boat you ride a morning and an afternoon session, the evenings bring video coaching where you go through what you did that day, and the crew helps with launches and landings. In April 2024 we took 8 beginners along, and by the middle of day 2 on Geisum everyone was riding. That was how this trip went; your pace may be different. Of the winter months, only November has a safari date in 2026: 7-14 November. The wind is lighter then than in summer, so a bigger kite comes in handy. The other 2026 trips ran in April, May and October, and the 2027 dates haven't been published yet. The programme and prices are on the kite safari in Egypt page.

Winter kiting at home: snow and cold water

If you're not flying anywhere, there's no need to put the kite away for the winter. I snowkite in the Ore Mountains on the Czech side, at Moldava and Nakléřov, and in February 2025 I was at Lipno too. On the plateau I keep an eye on the forest: when the wind comes from the trees and I'm close to them, the kite gets turbulent and I need to ride further away.

I would recommend winter water sessions only to experienced independent riders. Choose thermal protection for the water and air temperature, the wind, and the time you might spend immersed if something goes wrong. Before launching, work out how to get back safely if your gear fails; never ride further out than you can swim back in those conditions. Ride with a buddy and carry a working means of signalling for help.

On the last day of 2022 I was out on Lake Milada with a Kitech FRS 15 m² foil kite in light wind. On cold water I wouldn't go alone.

More spots in the Czech Republic and around the world are on the kite spot map.