Sea · French Polynesia

Fakarava

Name: Fakarava
Address: PYF

Best for kiting from May to October and from December to January, with 53 to 66 % kite days. Water 27 to 29 °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.

JJan57Good
FFeb49Good
MMar39Possible
AApr48Good
MMay57Good
JJun66Prime
JJul61Prime
AAug64Prime
SSep66Prime
OOct53Goodnow
NNov49Good
DDec53Good

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.

See the best months Live forecast Show on map

Month by month

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

Kite days
53 % Goodabout 17 of 31 days
Too light, kiteable, too strong
Too light 47 %
Kiteable 53 %
Too strong 0 %
Good years
6 of 9 years reached 50 % kite days
10 day trip
5 in 10 trips got at least 5 kite days, about 5.1 expected
Best hours
10:00 to 17:00when the wind is most often 12 to 35 knots
Daylight
12.5 h
Water
27 °C, boardshorts
Air
26 °Cdaily maximum, 26 °C during kite hours
Rain
15 of 31with 1 mm or more
In one sentence
In October, Fakarava averaged 17 kite days out of 31 (53 %). Water 27 °C, boardshorts. 5 in 10 trips of 10 days starting in October got at least 5 kite days.

Fakarava

Kite days% of days	57	49	39	48	57	66	61	64	66	53	49	53
Verdictshare plus good years	Good	Good	Possible	Good	Good	Prime	Prime	Prime	Prime	Good	Good	Good
10 day tripof 10 trips, 5+ kite days	7 in 10	5 in 10	4 in 10	5 in 10	7 in 10	9 in 10	7 in 10	9 in 10	7 in 10	5 in 10	7 in 10	6 in 10
Good yearsof 9, reached 50 %	6 of 9	5 of 9	4 of 9	5 of 9	5 of 9	9 of 9	7 of 9	9 of 9	8 of 9	6 of 9	6 of 9	6 of 9
Best hourshour of day, most often 12 to 35 kn	10 to 17	10 to 17	10 to 17	10 to 17	10 to 16	10 to 16	10 to 16	10 to 17	10 to 17	10 to 17	10 to 17	10 to 14
Daylighth	13.0	12.6	12.2	11.7	11.4	11.2	11.3	11.6	12.0	12.5	12.9	13.1
Water°C at the surface	29	29	29	29	29	28	27	27	27	27	28	28
Air°C, daily maximum	28	28	28	28	28	27	26	26	26	26	27	27
Rain days1 mm or more	24 of 31	19 of 28	21 of 31	19 of 30	17 of 31	16 of 30	12 of 31	12 of 31	13 of 30	15 of 31	21 of 30	21 of 31
Wetsuitfor that water	boardshorts all year

In January, Fakarava averaged 18 kite days out of 31 (57 %). Water 29 °C, boardshorts. 7 in 10 trips of 10 days starting in January got at least 5 kite days.
In February, Fakarava averaged 14 kite days out of 28 (49 %). Water 29 °C, boardshorts. 5 in 10 trips of 10 days starting in February got at least 5 kite days.
In March, Fakarava averaged 12 kite days out of 31 (39 %). Water 29 °C, boardshorts. 4 in 10 trips of 10 days starting in March got at least 5 kite days.
In April, Fakarava averaged 14 kite days out of 30 (48 %). Water 29 °C, boardshorts. 5 in 10 trips of 10 days starting in April got at least 5 kite days.
In May, Fakarava averaged 18 kite days out of 31 (57 %). Water 29 °C, boardshorts. 7 in 10 trips of 10 days starting in May got at least 5 kite days.
In June, Fakarava averaged 20 kite days out of 30 (66 %). Water 28 °C, boardshorts. 9 in 10 trips of 10 days starting in June got at least 5 kite days.
In July, Fakarava averaged 19 kite days out of 31 (61 %). Water 27 °C, boardshorts. 7 in 10 trips of 10 days starting in July got at least 5 kite days.
In August, Fakarava averaged 20 kite days out of 31 (64 %). Water 27 °C, boardshorts. 9 in 10 trips of 10 days starting in August got at least 5 kite days.
In September, Fakarava averaged 20 kite days out of 30 (66 %). Water 27 °C, boardshorts. 7 in 10 trips of 10 days starting in September got at least 5 kite days.
In October, Fakarava averaged 17 kite days out of 31 (53 %). Water 27 °C, boardshorts. 5 in 10 trips of 10 days starting in October got at least 5 kite days.
In November, Fakarava averaged 15 kite days out of 30 (49 %). Water 28 °C, boardshorts. 7 in 10 trips of 10 days starting in November got at least 5 kite days.
In December, Fakarava averaged 16 kite days out of 31 (53 %). Water 28 °C, boardshorts. 6 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 Fakarava

How often a trip of your length got at least half its days with kite wind, 2017 to 2025, capped at 9 in 10.

January7 in 10 trips of 10 days got at least 5 kite days, about 6.0 expected
February5 in 10 trips of 10 days got at least 5 kite days, about 4.5 expected
March4 in 10 trips of 10 days got at least 5 kite days, about 4.0 expected
April5 in 10 trips of 10 days got at least 5 kite days, about 4.9 expected
May7 in 10 trips of 10 days got at least 5 kite days, about 5.6 expected
June9 in 10 trips of 10 days got at least 5 kite days, about 7.0 expected
July7 in 10 trips of 10 days got at least 5 kite days, about 5.9 expected
August9 in 10 trips of 10 days got at least 5 kite days, about 6.6 expected
September7 in 10 trips of 10 days got at least 5 kite days, about 6.3 expected
October (now)5 in 10 trips of 10 days got at least 5 kite days, about 5.1 expected
November7 in 10 trips of 10 days got at least 5 kite days, about 5.2 expected
December6 in 10 trips of 10 days got at least 5 kite days, about 4.9 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.

Open in the trip planner

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: fewer than 1 in 20

about 4.8 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 June, the windiest month

Too light 34 %
Kiteable 66 %
Too strong 0 %

Too light on 34 %, kiteable on 66 %, too strong on 0 % of days.

Best hours: 10:00 to 16:00, when the wind is most often 12 to 35 knots.

Share of kite days by wind direction, 16 sectors

Wind steadily from E (90°).

Kitesurfing at Fakarava: quick answers

When is the best time to kitesurf at Fakarava?

The best months are May to October and December to January: from 2017 to 2025, 53 to 66 % of days in those months were kite days.

Is Fakarava windy in October?

Yes, often. 53 % of days in October were kite days from 2017 to 2025, about 17 days in a typical October. 5 in 10 trips of 10 days starting in October got at least 5 kite days, 2017 to 2025.

What is the water temperature at Fakarava?

The water ranges from 27 °C in July to 29 °C in January. In October it is about 27 °C (wetsuit: boardshorts).

How many kite days does Fakarava get in a year?

About 201 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 Fakarava 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

Country: French Polynesia
Water body: Sea, from Natural Earth map data
Nearest airport: Fakarava Airport (FAV), 30 km straight line. Flights are not sold here; this is for planning only.
Time zone: UTC-10:00 in October
Coordinates: -16.3188, -145.6032
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.

Not yet checked against kite guides. We research spot conditions one by one and show only what a kite source says.

Nearby kite spots in French Polynesia

Kite days in October, % of days

Faaite
French Polynesia · 2 points more kite days than Fakarava in October
55 %
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 Faaite: Jan 57 %, Feb 51 %, Mar 40 %, Apr 47 %, May 59 %, Jun 64 %, Jul 62 %, Aug 62 %, Sep 63 %, Oct 55 %, Nov 51 %, Dec 54 %
Paparara
French Polynesia · 5 points more kite days than Fakarava in October
58 %
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 Paparara: Jan 57 %, Feb 53 %, Mar 40 %, Apr 46 %, May 61 %, Jun 67 %, Jul 63 %, Aug 70 %, Sep 67 %, Oct 58 %, Nov 48 %, Dec 57 %
Arutua
French Polynesia · 5 points more kite days than Fakarava in October
58 %
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 Arutua: Jan 58 %, Feb 53 %, Mar 37 %, Apr 47 %, May 57 %, Jun 65 %, Jul 65 %, Aug 69 %, Sep 64 %, Oct 58 %, Nov 44 %, Dec 55 %
Raitahiti
French Polynesia · 4 points more kite days than Fakarava in October
57 %
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 Raitahiti: Jan 58 %, Feb 52 %, Mar 36 %, Apr 47 %, May 58 %, Jun 63 %, Jul 65 %, Aug 67 %, Sep 67 %, Oct 57 %, Nov 46 %, Dec 56 %
Takapoto
French Polynesia · 5 points more kite days than Fakarava in October
58 %
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 Takapoto: Jan 58 %, Feb 56 %, Mar 39 %, Apr 46 %, May 60 %, Jun 66 %, Jul 64 %, Aug 69 %, Sep 67 %, Oct 58 %, Nov 44 %, Dec 60 %
Manihi
French Polynesia · 7 points more kite days than Fakarava in October
60 %
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 Manihi: Jan 58 %, Feb 55 %, Mar 38 %, Apr 42 %, May 60 %, Jun 63 %, Jul 67 %, Aug 69 %, Sep 68 %, Oct 60 %, Nov 43 %, Dec 59 %
Ahe
French Polynesia · 8 points more kite days than Fakarava in October
61 %
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 Ahe: Jan 58 %, Feb 55 %, Mar 40 %, Apr 44 %, May 59 %, Jun 63 %, Jul 66 %, Aug 69 %, Sep 67 %, Oct 61 %, Nov 43 %, Dec 57 %
Makemo
French Polynesia · 1 point more kite days than Fakarava in October
54 %
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 Makemo: Jan 59 %, Feb 47 %, Mar 41 %, Apr 48 %, May 57 %, Jun 69 %, Jul 61 %, Aug 62 %, Sep 62 %, Oct 54 %, Nov 50 %, Dec 57 %

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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, 53 % of days at Fakarava 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/fakarava

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