Sea · Western Cape · South Africa

Shark Bay

Name: Shark Bay
Address: ZAF

Best for kiting from September to March, with 51 to 76 % kite days. Water 14 to 16 °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.

JJan76Prime
FFeb69Prime
MMar51Good
AApr42Good
MMay25Possible
JJun34Possible
JJul34Possible
AAug39Possible
SSep59Good
OOct66Primenow
NNov74Prime
DDec72Prime

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. Shares its model grid cell with 3 nearby spots, so the numbers describe the area, not one beach.

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
66 % Primeabout 20 of 31 days
Too light, kiteable, too strong
Too light 34 %
Kiteable 66 %
Too strong 0 %
Good years
8 of 9 years reached 50 % kite days
10 day trip
9 in 10 trips got at least 5 kite days, about 6.6 expected
Best hours
13:00 to 18:00when the wind is most often 12 to 35 knots
Daylight
12.9 h
Water
15 °C, 4/3
Air
18 °Cdaily maximum, 17 °C during kite hours
Rain
3 of 31with 1 mm or more
In one sentence
In October, Shark Bay averaged 20 kite days out of 31 (66 %). Water 15 °C, 4/3. 9 in 10 trips of 10 days starting in October got at least 5 kite days.

Shark Bay

Kite days% of days	76	69	51	42	25	34	34	39	59	66	74	72
Verdictshare plus good years	Prime	Prime	Good	Good	Possible	Possible	Possible	Possible	Good	Prime	Prime	Prime
10 day tripof 10 trips, 5+ kite days	9 in 10	9 in 10	7 in 10	4 in 10	1 in 10	2 in 10	2 in 10	4 in 10	8 in 10	9 in 10	9 in 10	9 in 10
Good yearsof 9, reached 50 %	9 of 9	9 of 9	4 of 9	1 of 9	0 of 9	1 of 9	1 of 9	1 of 9	8 of 9	8 of 9	9 of 9	9 of 9
Best hourshour of day, most often 12 to 35 kn	13 to 19	14 to 19	13 to 18	14 to 17	12 to 17	12 to 15	11 to 17	11 to 17	13 to 17	13 to 18	13 to 18	13 to 19
Daylighth	14.1	13.3	12.3	11.3	10.4	10.0	10.2	10.9	11.9	12.9	13.8	14.3
Water°C at the surface	15	15	16	14	14	14	14	14	14	15	14	14
Air°C, daily maximum	21	21	20	19	17	17	16	16	17	18	19	19
Rain days1 mm or more	2 of 31	2 of 28	3 of 31	3 of 30	5 of 31	9 of 30	9 of 31	8 of 31	5 of 30	3 of 31	3 of 30	2 of 31
Wetsuitfor that water	4/3 all year

In January, Shark Bay averaged 23 kite days out of 31 (76 %). Water 15 °C, 4/3. 9 in 10 trips of 10 days starting in January got at least 5 kite days.
In February, Shark Bay averaged 19 kite days out of 28 (69 %). Water 15 °C, 4/3. 9 in 10 trips of 10 days starting in February got at least 5 kite days.
In March, Shark Bay averaged 16 kite days out of 31 (51 %). Water 16 °C, 4/3. 7 in 10 trips of 10 days starting in March got at least 5 kite days.
In April, Shark Bay averaged 12 kite days out of 30 (42 %). Water 14 °C, 4/3. 4 in 10 trips of 10 days starting in April got at least 5 kite days.
In May, Shark Bay averaged 8 kite days out of 31 (25 %). Water 14 °C, 4/3. 1 in 10 trips of 10 days starting in May got at least 5 kite days.
In June, Shark Bay averaged 10 kite days out of 30 (34 %). Water 14 °C, 4/3. 2 in 10 trips of 10 days starting in June got at least 5 kite days.
In July, Shark Bay averaged 10 kite days out of 31 (34 %). Water 14 °C, 4/3. 2 in 10 trips of 10 days starting in July got at least 5 kite days.
In August, Shark Bay averaged 12 kite days out of 31 (39 %). Water 14 °C, 4/3. 4 in 10 trips of 10 days starting in August got at least 5 kite days.
In September, Shark Bay averaged 18 kite days out of 30 (59 %). Water 14 °C, 4/3. 8 in 10 trips of 10 days starting in September got at least 5 kite days.
In October, Shark Bay averaged 20 kite days out of 31 (66 %). Water 15 °C, 4/3. 9 in 10 trips of 10 days starting in October got at least 5 kite days.
In November, Shark Bay averaged 22 kite days out of 30 (74 %). Water 14 °C, 4/3. 9 in 10 trips of 10 days starting in November got at least 5 kite days.
In December, Shark Bay averaged 22 kite days out of 31 (72 %). Water 14 °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 Shark 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 7.4 expected
February9 in 10 trips of 10 days got at least 5 kite days, about 6.5 expected
March7 in 10 trips of 10 days got at least 5 kite days, about 5.1 expected
April4 in 10 trips of 10 days got at least 5 kite days, about 3.9 expected
May1 in 10 trips of 10 days got at least 5 kite days, about 2.5 expected
June2 in 10 trips of 10 days got at least 5 kite days, about 3.4 expected
July2 in 10 trips of 10 days got at least 5 kite days, about 3.3 expected
August4 in 10 trips of 10 days got at least 5 kite days, about 4.2 expected
September8 in 10 trips of 10 days got at least 5 kite days, about 6.0 expected
October (now)9 in 10 trips of 10 days got at least 5 kite days, about 6.6 expected
November9 in 10 trips of 10 days got at least 5 kite days, about 7.6 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.

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

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 7.3 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 January, the windiest month

Too light 24 %
Kiteable 76 %
Too strong 0 %

Too light on 24 %, kiteable on 76 %, too strong on 0 % of days.

Best hours: 13:00 to 19:00, when the wind is most often 12 to 35 knots.

Share of kite days by wind direction, 16 sectors

Wind steadily from S (180°).

Kitesurfing at Shark Bay: quick answers

When is the best time to kitesurf at Shark Bay?

The best months are September to March: from 2017 to 2025, 51 to 76 % of days in those months were kite days.

Is Shark Bay windy in October?

Yes, very. 66 % of days in October were kite days from 2017 to 2025, about 20 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 Shark Bay?

The water ranges from 14 °C in April to 16 °C in March. In October it is about 15 °C (wetsuit: 4/3).

How many kite days does Shark Bay get in a year?

About 194 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 Shark 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: Western Cape
Country: South Africa
Water body: Sea, from Natural Earth map data
Nearest airport: Cape Town International Airport (CPT), 107 km straight line. Flights are not sold here; this is for planning only.
Time zone: UTC+02:00 in October
Coordinates: -33.1232, 18.0573
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 Western Cape

Kite days in October, % of days

Swartriet
South Africa · 3 points fewer kite days than Shark Bay in October
63 %
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 Swartriet: Jan 73 %, Feb 68 %, Mar 51 %, Apr 45 %, May 32 %, Jun 44 %, Jul 45 %, Aug 44 %, Sep 62 %, Oct 63 %, Nov 69 %, Dec 67 %
Yzerfontein
South Africa · 4 points fewer kite days than Shark Bay in October
62 %
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 Yzerfontein: Jan 67 %, Feb 65 %, Mar 53 %, Apr 39 %, May 28 %, Jun 42 %, Jul 43 %, Aug 40 %, Sep 58 %, Oct 62 %, Nov 69 %, Dec 68 %
Silverstroomstrand
South Africa · 10 points fewer kite days than Shark Bay in October
56 %
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 Silverstroomstrand: Jan 65 %, Feb 63 %, Mar 47 %, Apr 31 %, May 20 %, Jun 32 %, Jul 34 %, Aug 36 %, Sep 48 %, Oct 56 %, Nov 64 %, Dec 66 %
Shelley Point
South Africa · 10 points more kite days than Shark Bay in October
76 %
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 Shelley Point: Jan 80 %, Feb 85 %, Mar 56 %, Apr 50 %, May 32 %, Jun 36 %, Jul 36 %, Aug 39 %, Sep 62 %, Oct 76 %, Nov 77 %, Dec 75 %
Melkbos
South Africa · 5 points more kite days than Shark Bay in October
71 %
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 Melkbos: Jan 80 %, Feb 82 %, Mar 65 %, Apr 48 %, May 33 %, Jun 43 %, Jul 43 %, Aug 43 %, Sep 61 %, Oct 71 %, Nov 77 %, Dec 79 %
Haakgat
South Africa · 5 points more kite days than Shark Bay in October
71 %
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 Haakgat: Jan 84 %, Feb 81 %, Mar 66 %, Apr 48 %, May 32 %, Jun 42 %, Jul 41 %, Aug 44 %, Sep 60 %, Oct 71 %, Nov 80 %, Dec 82 %
Rietvlei
South Africa · 3 points fewer kite days than Shark Bay in October
63 %
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 Rietvlei: Jan 81 %, Feb 78 %, Mar 58 %, Apr 37 %, May 25 %, Jun 39 %, Jul 38 %, Aug 41 %, Sep 52 %, Oct 63 %, Nov 74 %, Dec 79 %
Milnerton
South Africa · 24 points fewer kite days than Shark Bay in October
42 %
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 Milnerton: Jan 61 %, Feb 57 %, Mar 40 %, Apr 26 %, May 19 %, Jun 32 %, Jul 30 %, Aug 31 %, Sep 36 %, Oct 42 %, Nov 53 %, Dec 58 %

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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 3 nearby spots, so the numbers describe the area, not one beach. Confidence: high.

Cite this

In October, 66 % of days at Shark 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/shark-bay

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