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Sea · La Cruz · Costa Rica

Playa Papaturro

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

  1. J95
  2. F93
  3. M94
  4. A77
  5. M41
  6. J36
  7. J76
  8. A53
  9. S20
  10. O19
  11. N58
  12. D94
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 %
  • 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. Shares its model grid cell with 2 nearby spots, so the numbers describe the area, not one beach.

Month by month

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
    2017: 29 % kite days2018: 48 % kite days2019: 7 % kite days2020: 13 % kite days2021: 23 % kite days2022: 16 % kite days2023: 3 % kite days2024: 32 % kite days2025: 0 % kite days0 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 Papaturro 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.

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 Playa Papaturro

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

  1. January9 in 10 trips of 10 days got at least 5 kite days, about 9.4 expected
  2. February9 in 10 trips of 10 days got at least 5 kite days, about 9.4 expected
  3. March9 in 10 trips of 10 days got at least 5 kite days, about 9.3 expected
  4. April8 in 10 trips of 10 days got at least 5 kite days, about 7.1 expected
  5. May3 in 10 trips of 10 days got at least 5 kite days, about 3.6 expected
  6. June4 in 10 trips of 10 days got at least 5 kite days, about 4.0 expected
  7. July9 in 10 trips of 10 days got at least 5 kite days, about 7.7 expected
  8. August5 in 10 trips of 10 days got at least 5 kite days, about 4.6 expected
  9. September2 in 10 trips of 10 days got at least 5 kite days, about 1.9 expected
  10. October (now)2 in 10 trips of 10 days got at least 5 kite days, about 2.2 expected
  11. November7 in 10 trips of 10 days got at least 5 kite days, about 6.6 expected
  12. December9 in 10 trips of 10 days got at least 5 kite days, about 9.4 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

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

Trip odds by start week in Playa Papaturro: W1 9 in 10, W2 9 in 10, W3 9 in 10, W4 9 in 10, W5 9 in 10, W6 9 in 10, W7 9 in 10, W8 9 in 10, W9 9 in 10, W10 9 in 10, W11 9 in 10, W12 9 in 10, W13 9 in 10, W14 9 in 10, W15 9 in 10, W16 7 in 10, W17 6 in 10, W18 6 in 10, W19 4 in 10, W20 3 in 10, W21 2 in 10, W22 2 in 10, W23 2 in 10, W24 4 in 10, W25 7 in 10, W26 6 in 10, W27 9 in 10, W28 9 in 10, W29 9 in 10, W30 9 in 10, W31 8 in 10, W32 6 in 10, W33 3 in 10, W34 3 in 10, W35 2 in 10, W36 2 in 10, W37 2 in 10, W38 2 in 10, W39 2 in 10, W40 under 1 in 10, W41 1 in 10, W42 2 in 10, W43 2 in 10, W44 5 in 10, W45 6 in 10, W46 6 in 10, W47 9 in 10, W48 9 in 10, W49 9 in 10, W50 9 in 10, W51 9 in 10, W52 9 in 10

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).

How the wind behaves

In January, the windiest month

  • Too light 5 %
  • Kiteable 95 %
  • Too strong 0 %

Too light on 5 %, kiteable on 95 %, too strong on 0 % of days.

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

NESW

Share of kite days by wind direction, 16 sectors

Wind steadily from ENE (68°).

Kitesurfing at Playa Papaturro: quick answers

When is the best time to kitesurf at Playa Papaturro?

The best months are July to August and November to April: from 2017 to 2025, 53 to 95 % of days in those months were kite days.

Is Playa Papaturro windy in October?

Rarely. 19 % of days in October were kite days from 2017 to 2025, about 6 days in a typical October. 2 in 10 trips of 10 days starting in October got at least 5 kite days, 2017 to 2025.

What is the water temperature at Playa Papaturro?

The water ranges from 25 °C in February to 30 °C in May. In October it is about 29 °C (wetsuit: boardshorts).

How many kite days does Playa Papaturro get in a year?

About 229 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 Playa Papaturro 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
La Cruz
Country
Costa Rica
Water body
Sea, from Natural Earth map data
Nearest airport
Daniel Oduber Quirós International Airport (LIR), 51 km straight line. Flights are not sold here; this is for planning only.
Time zone
UTC-06:00 in October
Coordinates
11.0273, -85.6936
Model
ECMWF IFS 9 km via Open-Meteo, hourly
Satellite view of Playa Papaturro

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 La Cruz

Kite days in October, % of days

  1. Playa Copal

    Costa Rica · same kite days as Playa Papaturro in October

    19 %
    January: 95 % kite days (Prime)February: 93 % kite days (Prime)March: 94 % kite days (Prime)April: 77 % kite days (Prime)May: 41 % kite days (Good)June: 36 % kite days (Possible)July: 76 % kite days (Prime)August: 53 % kite days (Good)September: 20 % kite days (Possible)October: 19 % kite days (Off)November: 58 % kite days (Good)December: 94 % kite days (Prime)
    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 %

Plan your trip

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One mail, about 8 weeks before your month starts, with the kite day odds for that month and the link to this page. No newsletter.

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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 Papaturro 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/playa-papaturro

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