Sea · Tafea · Vanuatu
Airport Reef
Best for kiting in February, from April to May and from July to October, with 50 to 63 % kite days. Water 24 to 28 °C.
A kite day has at least 3 hours of 12 to 35 knots (gusts up to 45) between 10:00 and 19:00, in daylight. Percentages are the share of such days in each month, counted over 9 years.
- Prime 60 % and more
- Good 40 to 59 %
- Possible 20 to 39 %
- Off under 20 %
- No data hatched
- Ringed: this 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.
Confidence highClose model cell, both models agree on the season, 9 full years.
Month by month
- Kite days
- 55 % Goodabout 17 of 31 days
- Too light, kiteable, too strong
- Too light 45 %
- Kiteable 55 %
- Too strong 0 %
- 10 day trip
- 6 in 10 trips got at least 5 kite days, about 5.2 expected
- Best hours
- 10:00 to 17:00when the wind is most often 12 to 35 knots
- Daylight
- 12.6 h
- Water
- 25 °C, shorty
- Air
- 24 °Cdaily maximum, 24 °C during kite hours
- Rain
- 14 of 31with 1 mm or more
- In one sentence
In October, Airport Reef averaged 17 kite days out of 31 (55 %). Water 25 °C, shorty. 6 in 10 trips of 10 days starting in October got at least 5 kite days.
| Kite days% of days | 47 | 54 | 48 | 50 | 62 | 49 | 53 | 57 | 63 | 55 | 44 | 39 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Verdictshare plus good years | Good | Good | Good | Good | Prime | Good | Good | Good | Prime | Good | Good | Possible |
| 10 day tripof 10 trips, 5+ kite days | 5 in 10 | 7 in 10 | 5 in 10 | 6 in 10 | 7 in 10 | 5 in 10 | 6 in 10 | 7 in 10 | 8 in 10 | 6 in 10 | 5 in 10 | 4 in 10 |
| Good yearsof 0, reached 50 % | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · |
| Best hourshour of day, most often 12 to 35 kn | 10 to 17 | 10 to 17 | 10 to 17 | 10 to 16 | 10 to 16 | 10 to 16 | 10 to 16 | 10 to 16 | 10 to 17 | 10 to 17 | 10 to 17 | 10 to 17 |
| Daylighth | 13.2 | 12.8 | 12.2 | 11.6 | 11.2 | 10.9 | 11.0 | 11.4 | 12.0 | 12.6 | 13.1 | 13.3 |
| Water°C at the surface | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 27 | 26 | 25 | 24 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 |
| Air°C, daily maximum | 27 | 27 | 27 | 27 | 25 | 24 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 27 |
| Rain days1 mm or more | 19 of 31 | 20 of 28 | 20 of 31 | 19 of 30 | 15 of 31 | 11 of 30 | 10 of 31 | 10 of 31 | 11 of 30 | 14 of 31 | 11 of 30 | 15 of 31 |
| Wetsuitfor that water and the air on kite days, + boots and gloves | shorts | shorts | shorts | shorts | shorts | shorty | shorty | shorty | shorty | shorty | shorty | shorts |
- In January, Airport Reef averaged 15 kite days out of 31 (47 %). Water 28 °C, boardshorts. 5 in 10 trips of 10 days starting in January got at least 5 kite days.
- In February, Airport Reef averaged 15 kite days out of 28 (54 %). Water 28 °C, boardshorts. 7 in 10 trips of 10 days starting in February got at least 5 kite days.
- In March, Airport Reef averaged 15 kite days out of 31 (48 %). Water 28 °C, boardshorts. 5 in 10 trips of 10 days starting in March got at least 5 kite days.
- In April, Airport Reef averaged 15 kite days out of 30 (50 %). Water 28 °C, boardshorts. 6 in 10 trips of 10 days starting in April got at least 5 kite days.
- In May, Airport Reef averaged 19 kite days out of 31 (62 %). Water 27 °C, boardshorts. 7 in 10 trips of 10 days starting in May got at least 5 kite days.
- In June, Airport Reef averaged 15 kite days out of 30 (49 %). Water 26 °C, shorty. 5 in 10 trips of 10 days starting in June got at least 5 kite days.
- In July, Airport Reef averaged 16 kite days out of 31 (53 %). Water 25 °C, shorty. 6 in 10 trips of 10 days starting in July got at least 5 kite days.
- In August, Airport Reef averaged 18 kite days out of 31 (57 %). Water 24 °C, shorty. 7 in 10 trips of 10 days starting in August got at least 5 kite days.
- In September, Airport Reef averaged 19 kite days out of 30 (63 %). Water 24 °C, shorty. 8 in 10 trips of 10 days starting in September got at least 5 kite days.
- In October, Airport Reef averaged 17 kite days out of 31 (55 %). Water 25 °C, shorty. 6 in 10 trips of 10 days starting in October got at least 5 kite days.
- In November, Airport Reef averaged 13 kite days out of 30 (44 %). Water 26 °C, shorty. 5 in 10 trips of 10 days starting in November got at least 5 kite days.
- In December, Airport Reef averaged 12 kite days out of 31 (39 %). Water 27 °C, boardshorts. 4 in 10 trips of 10 days starting in December got at least 5 kite days.
Good years are not shown here: this spot has no complete per year values, because the two models drift apart over the years. 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: ECMWF IFS 9 km via Open-Meteo, hourly model wind, 2017 to 2025; water temperature 2023 to 2025. How we count kite days and trip odds
Trip odds at Airport Reef
How often a trip of your length got at least half its days with kite wind, 2017 to 2025, capped at 9 in 10.
- January5 in 10 trips of 10 days got at least 5 kite days, about 4.8 expected
- February7 in 10 trips of 10 days got at least 5 kite days, about 5.2 expected
- March5 in 10 trips of 10 days got at least 5 kite days, about 4.8 expected
- April6 in 10 trips of 10 days got at least 5 kite days, about 5.4 expected
- May7 in 10 trips of 10 days got at least 5 kite days, about 5.9 expected
- June5 in 10 trips of 10 days got at least 5 kite days, about 5.0 expected
- July6 in 10 trips of 10 days got at least 5 kite days, about 5.2 expected
- August7 in 10 trips of 10 days got at least 5 kite days, about 5.8 expected
- September8 in 10 trips of 10 days got at least 5 kite days, about 6.3 expected
- October (now)6 in 10 trips of 10 days got at least 5 kite days, about 5.2 expected
- November5 in 10 trips of 10 days got at least 5 kite days, about 4.3 expected
- December4 in 10 trips of 10 days got at least 5 kite days, about 4.1 expected
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.
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
- 6
- 4
- 4
- 6
- 8
- 7
- 7
- 6
- 5
- 4
- 7
- 5
- 6
- 5
- 6
- 6
- 7
- 9
- 8
- 7
- 5
- 6
- 4
- 3
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 6
- 5
- 6
- 5
- 5
- 7
- 9
- 7
- 8
- 9
- 7
- 7
- 7
- 8
- 6
- 4
- 5
- 5
- 5
- 5
- 5
- 5
- 4
- 3
- 5
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
5 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: 1 in 10
about 4.0 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).
How the wind behaves
In September, the windiest month
- Too light 37 %
- Kiteable 63 %
- Too strong 0 %
Too light on 37 %, kiteable on 63 %, too strong on 0 % of days.
Best hours: 10:00 to 17:00, when the wind is most often 12 to 35 knots.
Share of kite days by wind direction, 16 sectors
Wind steadily from ESE (113°).
Kitesurfing at Airport Reef: quick answers
When is the best time to kitesurf at Airport Reef?
The best months are February, April to May and July to October: from 2017 to 2025, 50 to 63 % of days in those months were kite days.
Is Airport Reef windy in October?
Yes, often. 55 % of days in October were kite days from 2017 to 2025, about 17 days in a typical October. 6 in 10 trips of 10 days starting in October got at least 5 kite days, 2017 to 2025.
What is the water temperature at Airport Reef?
The water ranges from 24 °C in August to 28 °C in January. In October it is about 25 °C (wetsuit: shorty).
How many kite days does Airport Reef get in a year?
About 188 days a year were kite days from 2017 to 2025, out of 365. 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.
Live forecast
The numbers above are long term averages. The forecast shows the next days.
Live forecast from Windy
The forecast map for Airport Reef 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.
Spot facts
- Region
- Tafea
- Country
- Vanuatu
- Water body
- Sea, from Natural Earth map data
- Nearest airport
- Whitegrass Airport (TAH), 106 km straight line. Flights are not sold here; this is for planning only.
- Time zone
- UTC+11:00 in October
- Coordinates
- -20.2590, 169.7760
- Model
- ECMWF IFS 9 km via Open-Meteo, hourly
Conditions, checked against kite guides
Water state, flat areas, waves and whether schools teach here, from kite sources, not from satellite images.
- Water state unknown: no kite source found.
- Learning: no kite source says.
- This position matches Anatom airport on Inyeug (Mystery Island), with a shallow lagoon sheltered by reef. No kite guide covers the spot; Vanuatu kite reports say spots are shallow, reefy and tide dependent.
Checked 2026-10-08, confidence low (no kite source, or contradictions). Sources: www.seabreeze.com.au, en.wikipedia.com.
Nearby kite spots in Tafea
Kite days in October, % of days
- White Sands
Vanuatu · 2 points more kite days than Airport Reef in October
57 %Kite days by month at White Sands: Jan 44 %, Feb 53 %, Mar 45 %, Apr 49 %, May 64 %, Jun 60 %, Jul 58 %, Aug 65 %, Sep 67 %, Oct 57 %, Nov 46 %, Dec 39 % - Futuna Island
Vanuatu · 14 points more kite days than Airport Reef in October
69 %Kite days by month at Futuna Island: Jan 55 %, Feb 63 %, Mar 59 %, Apr 60 %, May 73 %, Jun 71 %, Jul 67 %, Aug 75 %, Sep 80 %, Oct 69 %, Nov 57 %, Dec 55 % - Aniwa Island
Vanuatu · 14 points more kite days than Airport Reef in October
69 %Kite days by month at Aniwa Island: Jan 48 %, Feb 58 %, Mar 50 %, Apr 56 %, May 70 %, Jun 65 %, Jul 67 %, Aug 72 %, Sep 75 %, Oct 69 %, Nov 54 %, Dec 51 %
Plan your trip
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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. Confidence: high.
Cite this
In October, 55 % of days at Airport Reef 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/spot/airport-reef
Numbers on this page are free to reuse under CC BY 4.0: name kiteCOMPASS and link to this page.