Sea · Eastern Cape · South Africa
St. Francis Bay - Krom River Mouth
Best for kiting all year except May and June, with 50 to 71 % kite days. Water 17 to 20 °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
- 70 % Primeabout 22 of 31 days
- Too light, kiteable, too strong
- Too light 30 %
- Kiteable 70 %
- 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 7.1 expected (capped at 9 in 10)
- Best hours
- 11:00 to 18:00when the wind is most often 12 to 35 knots
- Daylight
- 12.9 h
- Water
- 17 °C, 4/3
- Air
- 19 °Cdaily maximum, 18 °C during kite hours
- Rain
- 8 of 31with 1 mm or more
- In one sentence
In October, St. Francis Bay - Krom River Mouth averaged 22 kite days out of 31 (70 %). Water 17 °C, 4/3. 9 in 10 trips of 10 days starting in October got at least 5 kite days.
| Kite days% of days | 71 | 68 | 59 | 52 | 44 | 49 | 50 | 59 | 65 | 70 | 69 | 70 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Verdictshare plus good years | Prime | Prime | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime |
| 10 day tripof 10 trips, 5+ kite days | 9 in 10 | 9 in 10 | 8 in 10 | 7 in 10 | 5 in 10 | 6 in 10 | 6 in 10 | 8 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 | 8 of 9 | 7 of 9 | 0 of 9 | 5 of 9 | 4 of 9 | 8 of 9 | 9 of 9 | 9 of 9 | 9 of 9 | 9 of 9 |
| Best hourshour of day, most often 12 to 35 kn | 11 to 18 | 12 to 17 | 12 to 17 | 13 to 17 | 12 to 16 | 11 to 16 | 11 to 16 | 12 to 17 | 12 to 17 | 11 to 18 | 11 to 18 | 11 to 18 |
| Daylighth | 14.1 | 13.3 | 12.3 | 11.3 | 10.4 | 9.9 | 10.1 | 10.9 | 11.9 | 12.9 | 13.9 | 14.4 |
| Water°C at the surface | 19 | 20 | 19 | 18 | 19 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 17 | 19 | 20 |
| Air°C, daily maximum | 22 | 22 | 21 | 20 | 20 | 19 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 19 | 19 | 21 |
| Rain days1 mm or more | 6 of 31 | 6 of 28 | 6 of 31 | 6 of 30 | 7 of 31 | 6 of 30 | 7 of 31 | 8 of 31 | 8 of 30 | 8 of 31 | 6 of 30 | 7 of 31 |
| Wetsuitfor that water and the air on kite days, + boots and gloves | 3/2 | 3/2 | 3/2 | 3/2 | 3/2 | 3/2 | 4/3 | 4/3 | 4/3 | 4/3 | 3/2 | 3/2 |
- In January, St. Francis Bay - Krom River Mouth averaged 22 kite days out of 31 (71 %). Water 19 °C, 3/2. 9 in 10 trips of 10 days starting in January got at least 5 kite days.
- In February, St. Francis Bay - Krom River Mouth averaged 19 kite days out of 28 (68 %). Water 20 °C, 3/2. 9 in 10 trips of 10 days starting in February got at least 5 kite days.
- In March, St. Francis Bay - Krom River Mouth averaged 18 kite days out of 31 (59 %). Water 19 °C, 3/2. 8 in 10 trips of 10 days starting in March got at least 5 kite days.
- In April, St. Francis Bay - Krom River Mouth averaged 16 kite days out of 30 (52 %). Water 18 °C, 3/2. 7 in 10 trips of 10 days starting in April got at least 5 kite days.
- In May, St. Francis Bay - Krom River Mouth averaged 14 kite days out of 31 (44 %). Water 19 °C, 3/2. 5 in 10 trips of 10 days starting in May got at least 5 kite days.
- In June, St. Francis Bay - Krom River Mouth averaged 15 kite days out of 30 (49 %). Water 18 °C, 3/2. 6 in 10 trips of 10 days starting in June got at least 5 kite days.
- In July, St. Francis Bay - Krom River Mouth averaged 15 kite days out of 31 (50 %). Water 18 °C, 4/3. 6 in 10 trips of 10 days starting in July got at least 5 kite days.
- In August, St. Francis Bay - Krom River Mouth averaged 18 kite days out of 31 (59 %). Water 18 °C, 4/3. 8 in 10 trips of 10 days starting in August got at least 5 kite days.
- In September, St. Francis Bay - Krom River Mouth averaged 19 kite days out of 30 (65 %). Water 18 °C, 4/3. 9 in 10 trips of 10 days starting in September got at least 5 kite days.
- In October, St. Francis Bay - Krom River Mouth averaged 22 kite days out of 31 (70 %). Water 17 °C, 4/3. 9 in 10 trips of 10 days starting in October got at least 5 kite days.
- In November, St. Francis Bay - Krom River Mouth averaged 21 kite days out of 30 (69 %). Water 19 °C, 3/2. 9 in 10 trips of 10 days starting in November got at least 5 kite days.
- In December, St. Francis Bay - Krom River Mouth averaged 22 kite days out of 31 (70 %). Water 20 °C, 3/2. 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 St. Francis Bay - Krom River Mouth
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 6.9 expected
- February9 in 10 trips of 10 days got at least 5 kite days, about 6.9 expected
- March8 in 10 trips of 10 days got at least 5 kite days, about 5.7 expected
- April7 in 10 trips of 10 days got at least 5 kite days, about 5.2 expected
- May5 in 10 trips of 10 days got at least 5 kite days, about 4.4 expected
- June6 in 10 trips of 10 days got at least 5 kite days, about 4.9 expected
- July6 in 10 trips of 10 days got at least 5 kite days, about 5.0 expected
- August8 in 10 trips of 10 days got at least 5 kite days, about 6.0 expected
- September9 in 10 trips of 10 days got at least 5 kite days, about 6.7 expected
- October (now)9 in 10 trips of 10 days got at least 5 kite days, about 7.1 expected
- November9 in 10 trips of 10 days got at least 5 kite days, about 6.7 expected
- December9 in 10 trips of 10 days got at least 5 kite days, about 7.0 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
- 9
- 9
- 9
- 9
- 9
- 9
- 9
- 9
- 9
- 9
- 7
- 7
- 7
- 8
- 7
- 6
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- 5
- 4
- 3
- 6
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 5
- 6
- 6
- 4
- 7
- 7
- 7
- 7
- 9
- 9
- 7
- 8
- 9
- 9
- 9
- 9
- 9
- 9
- 9
- 9
- 9
- 9
- 9
- 9
- 9
- 9
- 9
- 9
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).
Zero wind trips: fewer than 1 in 20
about 6.8 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 January, the windiest month
- Too light 29 %
- Kiteable 71 %
- Too strong 0 %
Too light on 29 %, kiteable on 71 %, too strong on 0 % of days.
Best hours: 11:00 to 18:00, when the wind is most often 12 to 35 knots.
Share of kite days by wind direction, 16 sectors
Wind direction varies, most often E (90°).
Kitesurfing at St. Francis Bay - Krom River Mouth: quick answers
When is the best time to kitesurf at St. Francis Bay - Krom River Mouth?
The best months are all year except May and June: from 2017 to 2025, 50 to 71 % of days in those months were kite days.
Is St. Francis Bay - Krom River Mouth windy in October?
Yes, very. 70 % of days in October were kite days from 2017 to 2025, about 22 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 St. Francis Bay - Krom River Mouth?
The water ranges from 17 °C in October to 20 °C in February. In October it is about 17 °C (wetsuit: 4/3).
How many kite days does St. Francis Bay - Krom River Mouth get in a year?
About 220 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 St. Francis Bay - Krom River Mouth 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
- Eastern Cape
- Country
- South Africa
- Water body
- Sea, from Natural Earth map data
- Nearest airport
- Chief Dawid Stuurman International Airport (PLZ), 74 km straight line. Flights are not sold here; this is for planning only.
- Time zone
- UTC+02:00 in October
- Coordinates
- -34.1437, 24.8405
- 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 Eastern Cape
Kite days in October, % of days
- Cape St Francis
South Africa · 2 points more kite days than St. Francis Bay - Krom River Mouth in October
72 %Kite days by month at Cape St Francis: Jan 73 %, Feb 68 %, Mar 61 %, Apr 57 %, May 49 %, Jun 49 %, Jul 53 %, Aug 59 %, Sep 69 %, Oct 72 %, Nov 68 %, Dec 72 % - Kabeljous Lagoon - JBay
South Africa · 4 points more kite days than St. Francis Bay - Krom River Mouth in October
74 %Kite days by month at Kabeljous Lagoon - JBay: Jan 71 %, Feb 65 %, Mar 58 %, Apr 54 %, May 46 %, Jun 53 %, Jul 57 %, Aug 58 %, Sep 67 %, Oct 74 %, Nov 70 %, Dec 71 % - Gamtoos River Mouth
South Africa · 7 points fewer kite days than St. Francis Bay - Krom River Mouth in October
63 %Kite days by month at Gamtoos River Mouth: Jan 67 %, Feb 65 %, Mar 43 %, Apr 37 %, May 28 %, Jun 39 %, Jul 38 %, Aug 44 %, Sep 52 %, Oct 63 %, Nov 63 %, Dec 69 % - Sardinia Bay
South Africa · 3 points fewer kite days than St. Francis Bay - Krom River Mouth in October
67 %Kite days by month at Sardinia Bay: Jan 67 %, Feb 59 %, Mar 53 %, Apr 48 %, May 41 %, Jun 45 %, Jul 46 %, Aug 53 %, Sep 61 %, Oct 67 %, Nov 64 %, Dec 65 % - Kings Beach
South Africa · 4 points more kite days than St. Francis Bay - Krom River Mouth in October
74 %Kite days by month at Kings Beach: Jan 76 %, Feb 68 %, Mar 64 %, Apr 57 %, May 51 %, Jun 50 %, Jul 58 %, Aug 61 %, Sep 71 %, Oct 74 %, Nov 72 %, Dec 74 % - Blue Water Bay
South Africa · 4 points more kite days than St. Francis Bay - Krom River Mouth in October
74 %Kite days by month at Blue Water Bay: Jan 78 %, Feb 71 %, Mar 57 %, Apr 47 %, May 35 %, Jun 38 %, Jul 42 %, Aug 51 %, Sep 64 %, Oct 74 %, Nov 70 %, Dec 77 % - Sundays River Mouth
South Africa · 22 points fewer kite days than St. Francis Bay - Krom River Mouth in October
48 %Kite days by month at Sundays River Mouth: Jan 63 %, Feb 53 %, Mar 32 %, Apr 28 %, May 18 %, Jun 33 %, Jul 34 %, Aug 33 %, Sep 39 %, Oct 48 %, Nov 51 %, Dec 58 % - Cannon Rocks
South Africa · 1 point more kite days than St. Francis Bay - Krom River Mouth in October
71 %Kite days by month at Cannon Rocks: Jan 64 %, Feb 61 %, Mar 57 %, Apr 50 %, May 39 %, Jun 46 %, Jul 49 %, Aug 56 %, Sep 65 %, Oct 71 %, Nov 64 %, Dec 64 %
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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, 70 % of days at St. Francis Bay - Krom River Mouth 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/st-francis-bay-krom-river-mouth
Numbers on this page are free to reuse under CC BY 4.0: name kiteCOMPASS and link to this page.