External renown — how known this place is in the kite world. Not a quality rating.
what a trip here turns on, before the detail
When to come
Oct to May
every spot here is in season then
3 spots, and each figure is how many of them name that month as their own season, so a month reading 1 is one spot and not the whole place.
How windy
13.8 kt
the month's average wind in April at Lassing Park, the strongest month any spot here models
A weather model's cell over this place, not a station on it. What it holds here is the month's average wind, month by month; it does not count how many days carry a three-hour window at 12 kt.
Riding on your own
3 spots
publish rules of their own for permits, zoning or the bathing season, on the spot cards
Where to ride
3 spots
bay flats, gulf beach, bay
Levels at least one spot takes
Good to know before you go3
Skyway Beach is two launches off one exit: the St.
In seasonOct to May
The model here carries the month's average wind rather than a count of windy days: it reaches 11.9 kt in April, the strongest month it models for this spot.
More on Skyway Beach
Petersburg-side Sunshine Skyway rest-area exit, with Skyway East used for north, east and southeast wind and Skyway West for north, northwest, southwest and south or west-component setups. Pick the wrong side and you rig for nothing. The water is shallow sandbar flats you can stand in across most of the riding zone, which is why the schools teach here and why the flats fill with lesson kites on any decent forecast; the deeper water and the boat channel are what the foilers and wingers go out for. Season is the cooler frontal window, roughly October through May or June, and July-September turn hotter, lighter and less dependable. What the easy-looking flats hide is the bottom: oysters, shells and rocks, plus current, channels, trees and stretches with no bailout. This is one of St. Petersburg's busiest kite beaches, so choosing the right side and staying out of the lesson zone matters more here than your kite size does. No public rescue is on record, and the jet skis on the water belong to schools looking after their own students.
Getting on the water
Use the St. Petersburg-side rest-area / fishing-pier exit off I-275 by the Sunshine Skyway Bridge. The east and west launches are off the same exit: Skyway East has hardpack sand/shoreline and grass patches near the main launch, while Skyway West has parking and setup along the west-side access road and beach.
If it goes wrong
No public rescue, no lifeguard. Schools run jet skis for their own students. The sand is usually busy enough that someone will launch or land you and riders look after each other, which is the whole of the safety net. The deep water south of both launches is a swim: too deep to walk back, so a kite down there means self-rescue and your own arms. Do not ride alone at the north Skyway launch.
Room to rig
large but can fill quickly; west side has a smaller launch feel and riders often move farther out to the shallow riding area
Rules and access
2026: Yield right of way to all beach and water users, avoid swimmers by at least one or two kite lengths, avoid crowded launches, do not jump close to the beach, do not ride farther out than you can swim, do not go out in offshore conditions, wear booties and ride away from shore. No official kite-specific city/state permit rule was found for Skyway Beach.
Pass-a-Grille BeachPass-a-Grille Beach is the open Gulf of Mexico end of St.
In seasonOct to May
The model here carries the month's average wind rather than a count of windy days: it reaches 13.1 kt in April, the strongest month it models for this spot.
More on Pass-a-Grille Beach
Pete Beach, so the water deepens fast and the whole thing behaves like an ocean launch rather than a Tampa Bay flat. NW, W and SW are the directions that work; on an easterly, take the gear to another St. Petersburg launch, because side-off here means the Gulf. The sandy access near 21st-22nd Ave is small, and how much of it you get depends on the swim zones and the beachgoers. Riders come for twintip freeride, kitefoil, wing foil, big air and the mellow wind-driven waves, not for a first lesson. Nobody is coming to get you: no dedicated kite rescue is on record, and the local rule of thumb is to stay inside the distance you can swim back. It is quieter than Skyway and Fort De Soto for kites, and still a public beach shared with swimmers, surfers, skimboarders and jet skis. October through May is when it blows, and there is more beach then.
Getting on the water
Small sandy Gulf access near 21st-22nd Ave. Walk north up the shoreline to get clear of beachgoers before you pump.
If it goes wrong
No dedicated kite rescue is on record. Do not kite farther out than you are willing to swim back, and know your self-rescue.
Room to rig
Medium overall beach launch, but practical setup space varies with beachgoers, parking access and swim areas.
Rules and access
2026: Do not kite inside designated swim areas or marked buoy boundaries; give beachgoers space, avoid crowded setup areas and keep downwind clearance when launching and landing.
Lassing ParkLassing Park is a grass launch on the Old Southeast waterfront in St.
In seasonOct to May
The model here carries the month's average wind rather than a count of windy days: it reaches 13.8 kt in April, the strongest month it models for this spot.
More on Lassing Park
Petersburg, on a shallow cove of Tampa Bay. An outside sandbar knocks the bay chop down and leaves a flat patch to ride on. NE, E and SE all work, but straight east is the one you want: on NE and SE the land breaks the wind up and it arrives weaker than at Skyway or Fort De Soto East. Shallow flat water and grass to rig on make this one of the more forgiving St. Petersburg launches for freeride and supervised progression, though it is still a city park, with power lines by the street, houses to the south, trees and people walking through. Tide matters less here than at some Tampa Bay spots, but a very low one can leave almost no water in Lassing Bay. The beach opens 30 minutes before sunrise and closes 30 minutes after sunset, and swimming is not permitted (2026). The season is winter and spring fronts plus the warm-season seabreeze: January-May and October-December.
Getting on the water
Grass waterfront park launch in Old Southeast St. Petersburg, reached from 22nd Ave S, with parking near 18th Ave S.
If it goes wrong
No lifeguard and no kite-specific rescue. Swimming is not permitted at this beach, so there is no guard tower and nobody watching the water. The shallow cove lets you walk yourself back in from most of the riding area, but the power lines, the trees and the houses downwind mean a plan for a dead kite matters more here than the depth suggests. Emergency number is 911.
Room to rig
Good grassy rigging area for a public urban park; keep clear of pedestrians, homeowners and the street side.
Rules and access
2026: Lassing Park Beach opens 30 minutes before sunrise and closes 30 minutes after sunset, and swimming is not permitted at this beach. Local kite practice is to stay clear of swimmers and crowded launch areas, skip jumping close to the beach, and stay off the water in offshore conditions.
1 in the directory
1 shop
Tampa Bay's kite shop and school since 2009, stocking over 300 kites and repairing all brands, mainly teaching at Skyway Beach and reaching Dunedin and Clearwater riders.
3101 22nd Ave S, St. Petersburg, FL 33712
(727) 800-2202elitewatersports.com
As of 2026
Type the carrier you are flying: what it charges for a kite bag, and the year of the policy that says so.
Known for USA:Southwest AirlinesDelta / American / United
Every carrier, with limits and what riders report at the counter →
5 recurring claims
Skyway is the hub riders name first: shallow flat water, a launch on both sides of the highway, and enough kiters around that visitors do not feel alone.
consensus×7 riders
The wind reputation is winter-season good, not trade-wind reliable; fall through spring gets sessions, summer is often light, and one-week lesson trips can miss.
consensus×6 riders
School chatter is unusually strong here: Best Pro, Elite, and Kiteboarding St Petersburg all get named, and riders care about light-wind gear and jet ski support.
consensus×6 riders
Lassing and Pass-a-Grille are real alternatives, but they are direction-specific local launches rather than the default visitor classroom.
majority×4 riders
Beginners like the shallow flatwater, but riders split on whether a new kiter should use Skyway unsupervised; several point learners to lessons or Fort De Soto first.
contested×5 riders
Which spot should I use for which wind direction?
Skyway Beach has two launches - Skyway East for north, east or southeast wind and Skyway West for north, northwest, southwest and south - while Lassing Park works northeast, east and southeast, with straight east considered best.
Is any of this beginner-friendly?
Lassing Park is one of the more forgiving St. Petersburg launches, with a grass launch, shallow flat water and an outside sandbar that knocks down chop from Tampa Bay.
What's the water like?
These are Tampa Bay flatwater launches rather than wave spots, with sandbars and grass launches at Lassing Park and Skyway Beach providing shelter from open-bay chop; Pass-a-Grille faces the open Gulf and has a small shorebreak.
Out of ten, one place against another. The percentage beside a figure is how much of this record that figure had to work from, so a high score on a thin record is a thin score.
3 questions
What we could not settle. Ride here? These are the gaps worth filling.
Last updated: 4 September 2026