Destination · Hourly model wind, 2017 to 2025

Confidence highClose model cell, both models agree on the season, 9 full years.

Kitesurfing in Bahía Salinas, Costa Rica

Name: Bahía Salinas
Address: CRI

Bay in Costa Rica · 3 kite spots · airports LIR, NOB, MGA

Best for kiting from July to August and from November to April, with 53 to 95 % kite days. Water 25 to 29 °C.

Season 18 Jun to 26 Aug and 5 Nov to 13 May, peak 2 Jul to 12 Aug and 19 Nov to 6 May.

A kite day has at least 3 hours of 12 to 35 kn model wind between 10:00 and 19:00 in daylight, with gusts up to 45 kn. Percentages are the share of such days in each month, counted over 2017 to 2025.

Numbers on this page are from Playa Copal, the main spot of Bahía Salinas. The other 2 spots have 19 % kite days in October.

Kite Year

Kite days per month, in % of days. Colour is the verdict, the number is the share. Tap a month for its details.

JJan95Prime
FFeb93Prime
MMar94Prime
AApr77Prime
MMay41Good
JJun36Possible
JJul76Prime
AAug53Good
SSep20Possible
OOct19Offnow · chosen
NNov58Good
DDec94Prime

Prime 60 % and more
Good 40 to 59 %
Possible 20 to 39 %
Off under 20 %
No data hatched
Ringed: this month
Raised: your chosen month

Prime also needs a good month in at least 7 of the 9 years, so one freak year cannot make a month Prime. A month with 60 %+ but fewer good years shows as Good.

October in Bahía Salinas, this month, averaged over 2017 to 2025.

KITE DAYS: 6 of 31; 19 % kite days, Off, good in 0 of 9 years
WIND: 7 knots; afternoon average, 12:00 to 18:00
WATER: 29 °C, boardshorts; suit for 27 °C and warmer

2 in 10

trips of 10 days starting in October got at least 5 kite days in 2017 to 2025 (9 Octobers).

about 2.2 kite days expected out of 10.

x in 10 reads: of all 10 day trips that started in that month between 2017 and 2025, x in 10 got at least 5 kite days. We cap the figure at 9 in 10 because wind is never a promise. How we count trip odds

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Live forecast How we count a kite day

Month by month

Tap a month for trip odds, good years, best hours, water, air and rain.

MonthKite days% of days, verdict10 day tripof 10 trips, 5+ kite daysWater°C, what to wear

Kite days
19 % Offabout 6 of 31 days
Too light, kiteable, too strong
Too light 81 %
Kiteable 19 %
Too strong 0 %
Good years
0 of 9 years reached 50 % kite days
10 day trip
2 in 10 trips got at least 5 kite days, about 2.2 expected
Best hours
10:00 to 13:00when the wind is most often 12 to 35 knots
Daylight
11.9 h
Water
29 °C, boardshorts
Air
29 °Cdaily maximum, 28 °C during kite hours
Rain
25 of 31with 1 mm or more
In one sentence
In October, Playa Copal averaged 6 kite days out of 31 (19 %). Water 29 °C, boardshorts. 2 in 10 trips of 10 days starting in October got at least 5 kite days.

Playa Copal

Kite days% of days	95	93	94	77	41	36	76	53	20	19	58	94
Verdictshare plus good years	Prime	Prime	Prime	Prime	Good	Possible	Prime	Good	Possible	Off	Good	Prime
10 day tripof 10 trips, 5+ kite days	9 in 10	9 in 10	9 in 10	8 in 10	3 in 10	4 in 10	9 in 10	5 in 10	2 in 10	2 in 10	7 in 10	9 in 10
Good yearsof 9, reached 50 %	9 of 9	9 of 9	9 of 9	9 of 9	3 of 9	1 of 9	9 of 9	4 of 9	1 of 9	0 of 9	6 of 9	9 of 9
Best hourshour of day, most often 12 to 35 kn	10 to 16	10 to 17	10 to 17	10 to 15	10 to 13	10 to 12	10 to 13	10 to 14	10 to 12	10 to 13	10 to 13	10 to 15
Daylighth	11.6	11.8	12.1	12.4	12.6	12.8	12.7	12.5	12.2	11.9	11.6	11.5
Water°C at the surface	26	25	27	28	30	30	29	29	30	29	28	27
Air°C, daily maximum	29	29	30	31	31	29	30	30	30	29	28	28
Rain days1 mm or more	4 of 31	1 of 28	2 of 31	4 of 30	19 of 31	22 of 30	17 of 31	19 of 31	23 of 30	25 of 31	16 of 30	9 of 31
Wetsuitfor that water and the air on kite days, + boots and gloves	shorty	shorty	shorts	shorts	shorts	shorts	shorts	shorts	shorts	shorts	shorts	shorts

In January, Playa Copal averaged 29 kite days out of 31 (95 %). Water 26 °C, shorty. 9 in 10 trips of 10 days starting in January got at least 5 kite days.
In February, Playa Copal averaged 26 kite days out of 28 (93 %). Water 25 °C, shorty. 9 in 10 trips of 10 days starting in February got at least 5 kite days.
In March, Playa Copal averaged 29 kite days out of 31 (94 %). Water 27 °C, boardshorts. 9 in 10 trips of 10 days starting in March got at least 5 kite days.
In April, Playa Copal averaged 23 kite days out of 30 (77 %). Water 28 °C, boardshorts. 8 in 10 trips of 10 days starting in April got at least 5 kite days.
In May, Playa Copal averaged 13 kite days out of 31 (41 %). Water 30 °C, boardshorts. 3 in 10 trips of 10 days starting in May got at least 5 kite days.
In June, Playa Copal averaged 11 kite days out of 30 (36 %). Water 30 °C, boardshorts. 4 in 10 trips of 10 days starting in June got at least 5 kite days.
In July, Playa Copal averaged 23 kite days out of 31 (76 %). Water 29 °C, boardshorts. 9 in 10 trips of 10 days starting in July got at least 5 kite days.
In August, Playa Copal averaged 16 kite days out of 31 (53 %). Water 29 °C, boardshorts. 5 in 10 trips of 10 days starting in August got at least 5 kite days.
In September, Playa Copal averaged 6 kite days out of 30 (20 %). Water 30 °C, boardshorts. 2 in 10 trips of 10 days starting in September got at least 5 kite days.
In October, Playa Copal averaged 6 kite days out of 31 (19 %). Water 29 °C, boardshorts. 2 in 10 trips of 10 days starting in October got at least 5 kite days.
In November, Playa Copal averaged 17 kite days out of 30 (58 %). Water 28 °C, boardshorts. 7 in 10 trips of 10 days starting in November got at least 5 kite days.
In December, Playa Copal averaged 29 kite days out of 31 (94 %). Water 27 °C, boardshorts. 9 in 10 trips of 10 days starting in December got at least 5 kite days.

Good year: at least half the days of that month were kite days. x in 10 reads: of all 10 day trips that started in that month between 2017 and 2025, x in 10 got at least 5 kite days. We cap the figure at 9 in 10 because wind is never a promise. Best hours: the hours from 10:00 on when the wind most often reaches 12 to 35 knots. Rain day: 1 mm or more of rain.

Source: hourly wind from the ECMWF IFS 9 km via Open-Meteo, hourly model, 2017 to 2025; water temperature 2023 to 2025; kiteCOMPASS method v1. How we count kite days and trip odds

October in Playa Copal

this month, averaged over 2017 to 2025.

Kite days: 19 % Offabout 6 of 31 days
Too light, kiteable, too strong: Too light 81 %
Kiteable 19 %
Too strong 0 %
Good years: 0 of 9 years reached 50 % kite days
10 day trip: 2 in 10 trips got at least 5 kite days, about 2.2 expected
Best hours: 10:00 to 13:00when the wind is most often 12 to 35 knots
Daylight: 11.9 h
Water: 29 °C, boardshorts
Air: 29 °Cdaily maximum, 28 °C during kite hours
Rain: 25 of 31with 1 mm or more
In one sentence: In October, Playa Copal averaged 6 kite days out of 31 (19 %). Water 29 °C, boardshorts. 2 in 10 trips of 10 days starting in October got at least 5 kite days.

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Trip odds, expected kite days, water and wetsuit for your exact dates. Free, no sign up.

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Confidence

Confidence highhourly model data, close sea cell, checks agree on the season

Why. Close model cell, both models agree on the season, 9 full years. Shares its model grid cell with 2 nearby spots, so the numbers describe the area, not one beach.

What it means for you. The numbers on this page are a fair forecast of a typical year here. Medium would mean one check is uncertain, for example a cell 12 km away: expect a few points off. Low means global models miss part of the local wind, often at lakes, thermal or inland spots; where documented local sources describe the season, we show that curated season instead of model numbers.

Water and wetsuit

29 °C in October, boardshorts (27 °C and warmer).

boardshorts27 and up
shorty24 to 26
spring suit21 to 23
3/218 to 20
4/314 to 17
5/410 to 13
6/5under 10

The filled step is the suit for October; the band under each step is the water temperature it covers, in °C.

25 to 30 °C, shorty to boardshorts.

Where the model is blind

Here the model sees the wind at Playa Copal, so the numbers on this page are model numbers. Where documented local sources describe the season of a lake or thermal spot, we show that curated season instead: a hatched band over the season months with its sources named and no percentage, because the model number would be wrong there.

Getting there

Daniel Oduber Quirós International Airport (LIR), 51 km straight line
Nosara Airport (NOB), 117 km straight line
Augusto C. Sandino (Managua) International Airport (MGA), 134 km straight line

Flight time from

FRA Frankfurt: about 12 h 15 min straight line, 9,372 km
MUC Munich: about 12 h 35 min straight line, 9,638 km
AMS Amsterdam: about 11 h 50 min straight line, 9,071 km
LHR London Heathrow: about 11 h 25 min straight line, 8,723 km
ZRH Zurich: about 12 h 15 min straight line, 9,422 km
CDG Paris Charles de Gaulle: about 11 h 40 min straight line, 8,958 km

Flight time: the straight line distance at 800 km/h plus 30 minutes. Real flights with stops take longer. Flights are not sold here.

Best time to kitesurf in Bahía Salinas

Best for kiting from July to August and from November to April, with 53 to 95 % kite days. Water 25 to 29 °C.

Season 18 Jun to 26 Aug and 5 Nov to 13 May, peak 2 Jul to 12 Aug and 19 Nov to 6 May. Dates from 52 weekly values of the main spot, season from 40 % kite days, peak from 60 %, counted only in weeks with water or daytime air at 12 °C or more and at least 6 hours of daylight.

Prime months here: January, February, March, April, July, December. Each link shows where else to kite in that month.

Trip odds by start week

Pick your start week and trip length. Each cell: of all trips of that length that started in that week between 2017 and 2025, how many in 10 got at least half their days with kite wind.

Trip odds by start week, 10 day trips, 2017 to 2025

Colours as in the kite year: 6 in 10 and more like Prime · 4 to 5 in 10 like Good · 2 to 3 in 10 like Possible · under 2 in 10 like Off · No data hatched (fewer than 30 trips) · Ringed: this week · Raised: your start week

x in 10 reads: of all 10 day trips that started in that week between 2017 and 2025, x in 10 got at least 5 kite days. We cap the figure at 9 in 10 because wind is never a promise.

Source: hourly wind from the ECMWF IFS model via Open-Meteo, 2017 to 2025, kiteCOMPASS method v1. How we count

Start date

6 in 10

trips of 10 days starting in week 45 (e.g. 5 to 11 November) got at least 5 kite days in 2017 to 2025 (63 trips).

Zero wind trips: 2 in 10

about 5.0 kite days expected out of 10

Kite days per trip, 63 trips

Bars right of the line are good trips (5 kite days or more).

Is Bahía Salinas windy?

Across the year, 63 % of days at Playa Copal are kite days. The windiest month is January with 95 %, the calmest is October with 19 %.

Wind on kite days in January comes most often from ENE (68°).

Share of kite days by wind direction, 16 sectors

Afternoon wind7 knots(under 8 kn, average 12:00 to 18:00 in October)

under 8 kn
8 to 11 kn
12 to 15 kn
16 to 19 kn
20 to 24 kn
25 to 29 kn
30 kn and more

Main kite wind by month: Jan ENE, Feb ENE, Mar ENE, Apr ENE, May ENE, Jun ENE, Jul ENE, Aug ENE, Sep ENE, Oct ENE, Nov ENE, Dec ENE.

Live forecast

The numbers above are long term averages. The forecast shows the next days.

Live forecast from Windy

The forecast map for Bahía Salinas comes from windy.com (Windyty SE, Prague, Czech Republic) and opens right here on this page. Once you load it, your browser contacts Windy, which receives your IP address and may set its own cookies. Nothing is loaded before you click.

Water temperature in Bahía Salinas by month

The sea is warmest in May at 30 °C and coolest in February at 25 °C. Wetsuit: shorty in February, boardshorts in May.

Water temperature from the Open-Meteo marine archive, 2023 to 2025, monthly mean of the main spot.

Kite spots in Bahía Salinas

Playa Copal
Sea · main spot
Level Learning possible in parts, from kite guides we checked
1. J
2. F
3. M
4. A
5. M
6. J
7. J
8. A
9. S
10. O
11. N
12. D
Kite days by month at Playa Copal: Jan 95 %, Feb 93 %, Mar 94 %, Apr 77 %, May 41 %, Jun 36 %, Jul 76 %, Aug 53 %, Sep 20 %, Oct 19 %, Nov 58 %, Dec 94 %
Playa Papaturro
Sea · 1 km
Same model cell as Playa Copal: near identical numbers.
1. J
2. F
3. M
4. A
5. M
6. J
7. J
8. A
9. S
10. O
11. N
12. D
Kite days by month at Playa Papaturro: Jan 95 %, Feb 93 %, Mar 94 %, Apr 77 %, May 41 %, Jun 36 %, Jul 76 %, Aug 53 %, Sep 20 %, Oct 19 %, Nov 58 %, Dec 94 %
Playa Coyotera
Sea · 1 km
Same model cell as Playa Copal: near identical numbers.
1. J
2. F
3. M
4. A
5. M
6. J
7. J
8. A
9. S
10. O
11. N
12. D
Kite days by month at Playa Coyotera: Jan 95 %, Feb 93 %, Mar 94 %, Apr 77 %, May 41 %, Jun 36 %, Jul 76 %, Aug 53 %, Sep 20 %, Oct 19 %, Nov 58 %, Dec 94 %

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kiteCOMPASS · method k3h-10to19-v1 · 2017 to 2025

Model wind: ECMWF IFS 9 km via Open-Meteo, hourly, 2017 to 2025. Water temperature: 2023 to 2025. Kite day: at least 3 hours of 12 to 35 kn model wind between 10:00 and 19:00 in daylight, with gusts up to 45 kn. Shares its model grid cell with 2 nearby spots, so the numbers describe the area, not one beach. Confidence: high.

Cite this

In October, 19 % of days at Playa Copal met the kiteCOMPASS kite day rule: at least 3 hours of 12 to 35 kn model wind between 10:00 and 19:00 in daylight, with gusts up to 45 kn (ECMWF IFS 9 km via Open-Meteo, hourly, 2017 to 2025). https://kitecompass.app/kitesurfing/salinas-costa-rica

Download CSV (12 months)

Numbers on this page are free to reuse under CC BY 4.0: name kiteCOMPASS and link to this page.