Sea · Diana Region · Madagascar
Sakalava Bay
Best for kiting all year except February, with 57 to 100 % 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.
- 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
- 94 % Primeabout 29 of 31 days
- Too light, kiteable, too strong
- Too light 6 %
- Kiteable 94 %
- 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 9.4 expected (capped at 9 in 10)
- Best hours
- 10:00 to 17:00when the wind is most often 12 to 35 knots
- Daylight
- 12.4 h
- Water
- 26 °C, shorty
- Air
- 25 °Cdaily maximum, 25 °C during kite hours
- Rain
- 6 of 31with 1 mm or more
- In one sentence
In October, Sakalava Bay averaged 29 kite days out of 31 (94 %). Water 26 °C, shorty. 9 in 10 trips of 10 days starting in October got at least 5 kite days.
| Kite days% of days | 57 | 42 | 57 | 89 | 97 | 97 | 100 | 100 | 99 | 94 | 84 | 65 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Verdictshare plus good years | Good | Good | Good | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime |
| 10 day tripof 10 trips, 5+ kite days | 6 in 10 | 5 in 10 | 7 in 10 | 9 in 10 | 9 in 10 | 9 in 10 | 9 in 10 | 9 in 10 | 9 in 10 | 9 in 10 | 9 in 10 | 7 in 10 |
| Good yearsof 9, reached 50 % | 6 of 9 | 2 of 9 | 5 of 9 | 9 of 9 | 9 of 9 | 9 of 9 | 9 of 9 | 9 of 9 | 9 of 9 | 9 of 9 | 9 of 9 | 8 of 9 |
| Best hourshour of day, most often 12 to 35 kn | 11 to 17 | 11 to 17 | 10 to 17 | 10 to 17 | 10 to 16 | 10 to 16 | 10 to 17 | 10 to 17 | 10 to 17 | 10 to 17 | 10 to 17 | 10 to 17 |
| Daylighth | 12.8 | 12.5 | 12.2 | 11.8 | 11.6 | 11.4 | 11.5 | 11.7 | 12.0 | 12.4 | 12.7 | 12.8 |
| Water°C at the surface | 28 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 28 | 27 | 26 | 25 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 |
| Air°C, daily maximum | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 27 | 26 | 25 | 24 | 25 | 25 | 27 | 28 |
| Rain days1 mm or more | 24 of 31 | 21 of 28 | 21 of 31 | 21 of 30 | 10 of 31 | 7 of 30 | 7 of 31 | 6 of 31 | 6 of 30 | 6 of 31 | 13 of 30 | 19 of 31 |
| Wetsuitfor that water and the air on kite days, + boots and gloves | shorts | shorts | shorts | shorts | shorts | shorts | shorty | shorty | shorty | shorty | shorts | shorts |
- In January, Sakalava Bay averaged 18 kite days out of 31 (57 %). Water 28 °C, boardshorts. 6 in 10 trips of 10 days starting in January got at least 5 kite days.
- In February, Sakalava Bay averaged 12 kite days out of 28 (42 %). Water 29 °C, boardshorts. 5 in 10 trips of 10 days starting in February got at least 5 kite days.
- In March, Sakalava Bay averaged 18 kite days out of 31 (57 %). Water 29 °C, boardshorts. 7 in 10 trips of 10 days starting in March got at least 5 kite days.
- In April, Sakalava Bay averaged 27 kite days out of 30 (89 %). Water 29 °C, boardshorts. 9 in 10 trips of 10 days starting in April got at least 5 kite days.
- In May, Sakalava Bay averaged 30 kite days out of 31 (97 %). Water 28 °C, boardshorts. 9 in 10 trips of 10 days starting in May got at least 5 kite days.
- In June, Sakalava Bay averaged 29 kite days out of 30 (97 %). Water 27 °C, boardshorts. 9 in 10 trips of 10 days starting in June got at least 5 kite days.
- In July, Sakalava Bay averaged 31 kite days out of 31 (100 %). Water 26 °C, shorty. 9 in 10 trips of 10 days starting in July got at least 5 kite days.
- In August, Sakalava Bay averaged 31 kite days out of 31 (100 %). Water 25 °C, shorty. 9 in 10 trips of 10 days starting in August got at least 5 kite days.
- In September, Sakalava Bay averaged 29 kite days out of 30 (99 %). Water 25 °C, shorty. 9 in 10 trips of 10 days starting in September got at least 5 kite days.
- In October, Sakalava Bay averaged 29 kite days out of 31 (94 %). Water 26 °C, shorty. 9 in 10 trips of 10 days starting in October got at least 5 kite days.
- In November, Sakalava Bay averaged 25 kite days out of 30 (84 %). Water 27 °C, boardshorts. 9 in 10 trips of 10 days starting in November got at least 5 kite days.
- In December, Sakalava Bay averaged 20 kite days out of 31 (65 %). Water 28 °C, boardshorts. 7 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 Sakalava 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.
- January6 in 10 trips of 10 days got at least 5 kite days, about 5.5 expected
- February5 in 10 trips of 10 days got at least 5 kite days, about 4.3 expected
- March7 in 10 trips of 10 days got at least 5 kite days, about 6.1 expected
- April9 in 10 trips of 10 days got at least 5 kite days, about 9.1 expected
- May9 in 10 trips of 10 days got at least 5 kite days, about 9.6 expected
- June9 in 10 trips of 10 days got at least 5 kite days, about 9.8 expected
- July9 in 10 trips of 10 days got at least 5 kite days, about 10.0 expected
- August9 in 10 trips of 10 days got at least 5 kite days, about 10.0 expected
- September9 in 10 trips of 10 days got at least 5 kite days, about 9.8 expected
- October (now)9 in 10 trips of 10 days got at least 5 kite days, about 9.4 expected
- November9 in 10 trips of 10 days got at least 5 kite days, about 8.0 expected
- December7 in 10 trips of 10 days got at least 5 kite days, about 6.4 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
- 5
- 8
- 7
- 5
- 6
- 4
- 5
- 5
- 6
- 6
- 9
- 7
- 9
- 9
- 9
- 9
- 9
- 9
- 9
- 9
- 9
- 9
- 9
- 9
- 9
- 9
- 9
- 9
- 9
- 9
- 9
- 9
- 9
- 9
- 9
- 9
- 9
- 9
- 9
- 9
- 9
- 9
- 9
- 9
- 9
- 9
- 9
- 9
- 9
- 9
- 6
- 6
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 8.3 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 July, the windiest month
- Too light 0 %
- Kiteable 100 %
- Too strong 0 %
Too light on 0 %, kiteable on 100 %, 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 SE (135°).
Kitesurfing at Sakalava Bay: quick answers
When is the best time to kitesurf at Sakalava Bay?
The best months are all year except February: from 2017 to 2025, 57 to 100 % of days in those months were kite days.
Is Sakalava Bay windy in October?
Yes, very. 94 % of days in October were kite days from 2017 to 2025, about 29 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 Sakalava Bay?
The water ranges from 25 °C in August to 29 °C in February. In October it is about 26 °C (wetsuit: shorty).
How many kite days does Sakalava Bay get in a year?
About 299 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 Sakalava 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
- Diana Region
- Country
- Madagascar
- Water body
- Sea, from Natural Earth map data
- Nearest airport
- Arrachart Airport (DIE), 14 km straight line. Flights are not sold here; this is for planning only.
- Time zone
- UTC+03:00 in October
- Coordinates
- -12.2687, 49.3914
- 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.
- A flat area and real waves, both normal here.
- A flat or sheltered area exists for riding.
- Breaking waves are normal in the season.
- Learning possible in parts: a flat area plus a wave zone.
- Shallow sandy lagoon, glassy at low tide and choppier at high tide, used by schools; reef waves 1 to 3 m about 600 m out for experienced riders. Shallow at low tide.
Checked 2026-10-08, confidence high (two or more kite sources agree). Sources: www.kiteloopers.com, www.sakalava.com, web.kite-and-windsurfing-guide.com.
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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, 94 % of days at Sakalava 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/sakalava-bay
Numbers on this page are free to reuse under CC BY 4.0: name kiteCOMPASS and link to this page.