Sea · Marlborough · New Zealand
Clifford Bay
Best for kiting all year except July and August, with 62 to 82 % kite days. Water 12 to 17 °C. Also windy, but cold (water and air under 12 °C or short days): July to August.
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 highHourly model data, 2017 to 2025, checked against the season shape of a nearby weather station, a regional model or a documented season.
Month by month
- Kite days
- 82 % Primeabout 25 of 31 days
- Too light, kiteable, too strong
- Too light 18 %
- Kiteable 82 %
- Too strong 0 %
- Good years
- 9 of 9 years reached 50 % kite days
- 10 day trip
- 9 in 10 trips got at least 5 kite days, about 8.2 expected (capped at 9 in 10)
- Best hours
- 12:00 to 19:00when the wind is most often 12 to 35 knots
- Daylight
- 13.2 h
- Water
- 13 °C, 5/4
- Air
- 14 °Cdaily maximum, 13 °C during kite hours
- Rain
- 9 of 31with 1 mm or more
- In one sentence
In October, Clifford Bay averaged 25 kite days out of 31 (82 %). Water 13 °C, 5/4. 9 in 10 trips of 10 days starting in October got at least 5 kite days.
| Kite days% of days | 73 | 78 | 74 | 72 | 62 | 63 | 61 | 72 | 80 | 82 | 80 | 76 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Verdictshare plus good years | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | cold | cold | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime |
| 10 day tripof 10 trips, 5+ kite days | 9 in 10 | 9 in 10 | 9 in 10 | 9 in 10 | 9 in 10 | 8 in 10 | 8 in 10 | 9 in 10 | 9 in 10 | 9 in 10 | 9 in 10 | 9 in 10 |
| Good yearsof 9, reached 50 % | 9 of 9 | 9 of 9 | 9 of 9 | 9 of 9 | 8 of 9 | 8 of 9 | 8 of 9 | 9 of 9 | 9 of 9 | 9 of 9 | 9 of 9 | 9 of 9 |
| Best hourshour of day, most often 12 to 35 kn | 10 to 19 | 10 to 19 | 11 to 19 | 11 to 17 | 11 to 16 | 10 to 16 | 10 to 16 | 10 to 17 | 10 to 17 | 12 to 19 | 10 to 19 | 10 to 19 |
| Daylighth | 14.8 | 13.7 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.8 | 9.2 | 9.5 | 10.5 | 11.8 | 13.2 | 14.5 | 15.1 |
| Water°C at the surface | 16 | 17 | 16 | 15 | 13 | 12 | 12 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 |
| Air°C, daily maximum | 18 | 18 | 17 | 16 | 14 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 17 |
| Rain days1 mm or more | 6 of 31 | 8 of 28 | 8 of 31 | 8 of 30 | 8 of 31 | 11 of 30 | 11 of 31 | 9 of 31 | 9 of 30 | 9 of 31 | 8 of 30 | 9 of 31 |
| Wetsuitfor that water and the air on kite days, + boots and gloves | 4/3 | 4/3 | 4/3 | 4/3 | 5/4 | 6/5+ | 6/5+ | 6/5+ | 6/5+ | 5/4 | 4/3 | 4/3 |
- In January, Clifford Bay averaged 23 kite days out of 31 (73 %). Water 16 °C, 4/3. 9 in 10 trips of 10 days starting in January got at least 5 kite days.
- In February, Clifford Bay averaged 22 kite days out of 28 (78 %). Water 17 °C, 4/3. 9 in 10 trips of 10 days starting in February got at least 5 kite days.
- In March, Clifford Bay averaged 23 kite days out of 31 (74 %). Water 16 °C, 4/3. 9 in 10 trips of 10 days starting in March got at least 5 kite days.
- In April, Clifford Bay averaged 21 kite days out of 30 (72 %). Water 15 °C, 4/3. 9 in 10 trips of 10 days starting in April got at least 5 kite days.
- In May, Clifford Bay averaged 19 kite days out of 31 (62 %). Water 13 °C, 5/4. 9 in 10 trips of 10 days starting in May got at least 5 kite days.
- In June, Clifford Bay averaged 19 kite days out of 30 (63 %). Water 12 °C, 6/5 with boots and gloves. 8 in 10 trips of 10 days starting in June got at least 5 kite days.
- In July, Clifford Bay averaged 19 kite days out of 31 (61 %). Water 12 °C, 6/5 with boots and gloves. 8 in 10 trips of 10 days starting in July got at least 5 kite days.
- In August, Clifford Bay averaged 22 kite days out of 31 (72 %). Water 11 °C, 6/5 with boots and gloves. 9 in 10 trips of 10 days starting in August got at least 5 kite days.
- In September, Clifford Bay averaged 24 kite days out of 30 (80 %). Water 12 °C, 6/5 with boots and gloves. 9 in 10 trips of 10 days starting in September got at least 5 kite days.
- In October, Clifford Bay averaged 25 kite days out of 31 (82 %). Water 13 °C, 5/4. 9 in 10 trips of 10 days starting in October got at least 5 kite days.
- In November, Clifford Bay averaged 24 kite days out of 30 (80 %). Water 14 °C, 4/3. 9 in 10 trips of 10 days starting in November got at least 5 kite days.
- In December, Clifford Bay averaged 23 kite days out of 31 (76 %). Water 15 °C, 4/3. 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: 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 Clifford Bay
How often a trip of your length got at least half its days with kite wind, 2017 to 2025, capped at 9 in 10.
- January9 in 10 trips of 10 days got at least 5 kite days, about 7.5 expected
- February9 in 10 trips of 10 days got at least 5 kite days, about 7.7 expected
- March9 in 10 trips of 10 days got at least 5 kite days, about 7.3 expected
- April9 in 10 trips of 10 days got at least 5 kite days, about 7.0 expected
- May9 in 10 trips of 10 days got at least 5 kite days, about 6.3 expected
- June8 in 10 trips of 10 days got at least 5 kite days, about 6.2 expected
- July8 in 10 trips of 10 days got at least 5 kite days, about 6.2 expected
- August9 in 10 trips of 10 days got at least 5 kite days, about 7.3 expected
- September9 in 10 trips of 10 days got at least 5 kite days, about 8.1 expected
- October (now)9 in 10 trips of 10 days got at least 5 kite days, about 8.2 expected
- November9 in 10 trips of 10 days got at least 5 kite days, about 7.9 expected
- December9 in 10 trips of 10 days got at least 5 kite days, about 7.3 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
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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
9 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, capped at 9 in 10).
Zero wind trips: fewer than 1 in 20
about 8.0 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 October, the windiest month
- Too light 18 %
- Kiteable 82 %
- Too strong 0 %
Too light on 18 %, kiteable on 82 %, too strong on 0 % of days.
Best hours: 12:00 to 19:00, when the wind is most often 12 to 35 knots.
Share of kite days by wind direction, 16 sectors
Wind direction varies, most often NNW (338°).
Kitesurfing at Clifford Bay: quick answers
When is the best time to kitesurf at Clifford Bay?
The best months are all year except July and August: from 2017 to 2025, 62 to 82 % of days in those months were kite days.
Is Clifford Bay windy in October?
Yes, very. 82 % of days in October were kite days from 2017 to 2025, about 25 days in a typical October. 9 in 10 trips of 10 days starting in October got at least 5 kite days, 2017 to 2025.
What is the water temperature at Clifford Bay?
The water ranges from 11 °C in August to 17 °C in February. In October it is about 13 °C (wetsuit: 5/4).
How many kite days does Clifford Bay get in a year?
About 265 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 Clifford Bay 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
- Marlborough
- Country
- New Zealand
- Water body
- Sea, from Natural Earth map data
- Nearest airport
- Woodbourne Airport (BHE), 36 km straight line. Flights are not sold here; this is for planning only.
- Time zone
- UTC+13:00 in October
- Coordinates
- -41.7246, 174.2038
- 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.
- Choppy water on the main riding area.
- Learning possible in parts: a flat area plus a wave zone.
- Open 15 km bay at Marfells Beach with chop and about 0.5 m wind waves, listed for beginner to expert; surf here is generally small and soft.
Checked 2026-10-08, confidence high (two or more kite sources agree). Sources: se.kiteforum.com, www.surfnerd.com.
Nearby kite spots in Marlborough
Kite days in October, % of days
- Wairau Bar
New Zealand · 49 points fewer kite days than Clifford Bay in October
33 %Kite days by month at Wairau Bar: Jan 27 %, Feb 31 %, Mar 24 %, Apr 16 %, May 11 %, Jun 10 %, Jul 9 %, Aug 17 %, Sep 37 %, Oct 33 %, Nov 36 %, Dec 35 %
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, 82 % of days at Clifford Bay 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/clifford-bay
Numbers on this page are free to reuse under CC BY 4.0: name kiteCOMPASS and link to this page.