Map › Santa Maria - Sal › Kite Beach (Santa Maria)
Spot · tier 1 · Cape Verde
Kite Beach (Santa Maria)
A roughly 3km sandy beach right beside Santa Maria town on Sal, and the easiest place on the island to learn - cross-onshore NNE-E trade winds blow almost constantly for eight months of the year, with wind-blown chop close to shore and flatter water further out. It has also hosted GKA Wave Tour competition heats and is home to the island's biggest concentration of kite schools.
beginnerfreeridewavesfreestyle
Wind
| best months |
|
|---|---|
| season notes | Near-constant wind for about 8 months a year; peak windiness Jan-Apr and Jun, wind probability ranging from ~45% in Aug up to ~88% in Dec. Wind is usually strongest between about 9am and 3pm. |
| avg knots | 15-25 |
| wind name | NNE/NE/E trade winds |
| direction to shore | cross-onshore |
| quality | steady |
Water
| type | mixed |
|---|---|
| wetsuit | 3/2mm shorty works for most of the season; board shorts fine later in season; air around 22C in winter, water only slightly cooler |
| tides | shallow at low tide |
| standing depth | shallow sand-bottom areas suit lessons |
Levels
| beginner | yes |
|---|---|
| intermediate | yes |
| advanced | yes |
| notes | Sand launch and beginner-friendly shallow zones close to town; the beach also gets genuinely powerful wind/chop that experienced riders enjoy, and it has run GKA Wave Tour heats. |
Launch & crowd
| description | Sand launch directly on the town beach, plenty of space along the 3km stretch. |
|---|---|
| rescue | schools on site offer rescue support |
| busy months |
|
| vibe | the busiest, most developed kite beach on the island, with a strong school/tourist scene |
Monthly wind statistics
Station: Santa Maria, Sal (WeatherSpark (modeled climatology, MERRA-2 reanalysis), ~1 km) — No windfinder page has statistics for Santa Maria/Sal (page says 'No statistical weather data available'); windfinder itself was rate-limited (HTTP 429) throughout this session and could not be retried successfully. Used WeatherSpark's modeled climatology (MERRA-2 reanalysis) for Santa Maria town, ~1 km away — no Bft-probability figures available, only mean hourly speed and directional %. Direction is northerly nearly all year with a brief easterly shift around Dec 6-Jan 18. Data supports the batch's Nov-Jun best-months window well.
| Month | Wind ≥4 Bft | Avg kn | Dir | Air °C | Water °C |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | —% | 14.6 | N | 21.7 | 22.8 |
| Feb | —% | 14.4 | N | 21.7 | 22.2 |
| Mar | —% | 14 | N | 21.7 | 21.7 |
| Apr | —% | 14.3 | N | 22.2 | 22.2 |
| May | —% | 14.2 | N | 23.3 | 22.8 |
| Jun | —% | 12.7 | N | 23.9 | 22.8 |
| Jul | —% | 9.9 | N | 25.6 | 24.4 |
| Aug | —% | 9.5 | N | 26.7 | 25.6 |
| Sep | —% | 10.8 | N | 27.2 | 26.7 |
| Oct | —% | 12 | N | 26.7 | 26.7 |
| Nov | —% | 12.7 | N | 25 | 25.6 |
| Dec | —% | 13.7 | NE | 23.3 | 23.9 |
Hazards
- gets crowded in peak season (~150 kiters at busiest)
- shallow water at low tide
- other beach users close to the launch zone
Tips
- book lessons ahead in peak months given the crowd
- morning through mid-afternoon (roughly 9am-3pm) is when wind is most reliably strongest
Travel basics
| airport | SID Amilcar Cabral International Airport (Sal) |
|---|---|
| getting there | walkable from central Santa Maria town |
| accommodation | widest range of hotels/guesthouses on the island, right in Santa Maria |
| cost level | mid |
| no wind | Santa Maria town, restaurants, and day trips elsewhere on Sal |
Nearby: Ponta Preta, Ponta Leme, Ponta Sino, Murdeira
Sources: locations.thekitespot.com · kitebeachcaboverde.com