Nearby North Brigantine 26 km · Seaside Park (Bayside) 35 km · Lakes Bay 38 km · straight-line distance
On the clock
05:00 · 08:00 · 14:00 · 15:00 · 16:00 · 17:00 · 19:00
Summer runs on a thermal clock: mornings are thin, the wind builds through late morning, and the best of it lands between 14:00 and 17:00 before easing after 19:00. Modelled hourly data for the bay put the daily low at 05:00-08:00 and the peak at 15:00-16:00. Spring and autumn frontal days ignore all of that and blow from first light.
The marks are the clock times the record names, laid on a 24-hour day. The bar between the first and the last covers those hours; it is not a promise of wind.
The wind
Direction
Kite sizes
metres · typical quiver highlighted
Character
mixed
fills in: Summer runs on a thermal clock: mornings are thin, the wind builds through late morning, and the best of it lands between 14:00 and 17:00 before easing after 19:00. Modelled hourly data for the bay put the daily low at 05:00-08:00 and the peak at 15:00-16:00. Spring and autumn frontal days ignore all of that and blow from first light.
Typical strength
Thermal afternoons run 12-18 kt. Spring frontal days go 20-25 kt. July and August are the thin months, when plenty of days never leave 8-10 kt: in modelled hourly data roughly one daytime hour in ten reaches 12 kt in midsummer, against a third of them in March and April. Indicative for the bay, no station on the flats.
Also on record
8
The quiver, in words
For 75-85 kg a 12 m and a 9 m cover most of the season, with a 7 m for the spring fronts and a 14-15 m or a foil for the midsummer afternoons that sit at 10 kt. Flat shallow water makes the big kite easy to justify here.Indicative, derived from the wind range and not from anything measured locally.
Direction to shore
Bay-side launch on a shore that faces roughly west-northwest across Barnegat Bay, with the island running southwest to northeast behind it. W and NW blow onshore, SW and S run side-shore up the bay, N is side-shore the other way.Easterlies are offshore here and arrive broken over the dunes and houses, which is why they are missing from the working list. Geometry read off the map, not measured.
Dominant direction
NE and SSW are the common ones; N, NW, W, SW and S all work.
Forecast
Month by month
- Jan50
- Feb54
- Mar52
- Apr, riders' month52
- May, riders' month52
- Jun, riders' month43
- Jul, riders' month27
- Aug, riders' month47
- Sep, riders' month60
- Oct, riders' month40
- Nov, riders' month53
- Dec47
windy days per month (3 h+ at 12 kn+)
Ringed months are the ones riders and schools name: Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct, Nov.
- 50%Jan6°
- 54%Feb6°
- 52%Mar8°
- 52%Apr11°
- 52%May16°
- 43%Jun20°
- 27%Jul24°
- 47%Aug24°
- 60%Sep23°
- 40%Oct18°
- 53%Nov13°
- 47%Dec8°
windy days per month (3 h+ at 12 kn+) · water °C below · season highlighted
| Month | Windy days | Force 4+ | 12 kn or more | Knots | From | Peaks at | Air | Water | Readings |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 50% | 79% | 68% | 14.8 kt | W | 14:00 | 3.1°C | 5.9°C | 62 |
| Feb | 54% | 81% | 74% | 15.2 kt | SSW | 12:00 | 4.3°C | 5.7°C | 57 |
| Mar | 52% | 82% | 77% | 16.1 kt | WNW | 12:00 | 7.3°C | 7.5°C | 62 |
| Apr | 52% | 83% | 80% | 16.1 kt | S | 16:00 | 11.7°C | 11.2°C | 60 |
| May | 52% | 81% | 76% | 15 kt | S | 12:00 | 15.6°C | 15.6°C | 62 |
| Jun | 43% | 85% | 75% | 15.1 kt | S | 16:00 | 21.2°C | 20.2°C | 60 |
| Jul | 27% | 71% | 63% | 13.1 kt | S | 15:00 | 25.1°C | 23.7°C | 62 |
| Aug | 47% | 77% | 69% | 14.5 kt | S | 14:00 | 24.1°C | 23.5°C | 62 |
| Sep | 60% | 88% | 78% | 16.4 kt | NE | 13:00 | 20.8°C | 22.9°C | 60 |
| Oct | 40% | 69% | 63% | 13.6 kt | S | 14:00 | 15.2°C | 18.3°C | 62 |
| Nov | 53% | 77% | 70% | 14.8 kt | NW | 12:00 | 10.1°C | 13.3°C | 60 |
| Dec | 47% | 76% | 65% | 14.5 kt | WNW | 13:00 | 4.8°C | 7.8°C | 62 |
modelled
A weather model's cell over this place, not a station on it. Good for comparing places, weaker for one beach.
Modelled from the operational forecast archive at 1.5–7 km (2023-2024), daylight hours only, not a ground station: it resolves thermal, lake and valley winds far better than coarse reanalysis but still tends to understate a strong local thermal. A windy day has at least three consecutive daylight hours at 12 knots or more. The typical daily max and the direction are columns of the table above, month by month. Highlighted months are the riding season from the spot record.
High-resolution weather model (modelled) · Open-Meteo historical forecast archive — best-match operational model (ICON-D2 / AROME / ICON-EU / GFS by region), not a ground station · 2023-2024
The water
Type
bay
Standing depth
Waist deep over most of the marsh flats, and shallow enough at low water to catch a fin. The channel between the park side and the first island is the exception: it is overhead and has to be swum or paddled with the gear on a board.
Tides
High tide is the one you want. Tidal current is weak to moderate.
Temperature
23°C summer · 3°C winter
Wetsuit
Summer can be rash vest, shorty or thin top depending on wind; late winter requires a 5/4 or 6/5/4 hooded winter suit with boots and gloves.
Currents
Weak to moderate tidal currents reported in the bay; a deeper channel crossing is part of access to the flats.
Your level
The scene
What riders come here for
Launch and rules
three ways on to the water, and what each one asks of you
With a school or a boat
3 schools name this spot
On your own
Room to launch: large on marsh flats; tight at the park/beach access
Somewhere else
North Brigantine, 26 km
Every spot within 40 km is on the map at the top of this page, with its distance under it.
Rescue
Launch
Do not launch from the park beach. Carry or paddle the gear out, pump up on the marsh, and use the bigger flat grass and marsh area beyond the first island.
Space
large on marsh flats; tight at the park/beach access
Rules & access
Access rules drift faster than anything else we hold — check locally, and propose an edit if this has changed.
Rider tips
- Pack so the kite and board can be carried or floated out; do not rig on the park beach.
- Time it for high tide. Low water gets shallow enough to catch a fin.
- Put a weed fin in for summer sessions on the grassy flats.
- Leave yourself downwind room. The flats are forgiving, the corridor is not.
- Late-winter sessions want a 5/4 or a 6/5/4 hooded suit with boots and gloves.
- The channel to the first island is over your head. Anything you cannot swim with, you float across.
- March and April are the windy months. July and August are the ones you spend on a 14 m or a foil.
Getting there
Airport
Atlantic City International Airport (ACY); Philadelphia International Airport (PHL) is a larger alternative
Route
Take the bridge onto Long Beach Island, head north toward Barnegat Light/Loveladies, then turn left at 25th Street for the bay-side access.
Staying
Stay on Long Beach Island in Barnegat Light, Loveladies, Harvey Cedars, Surf City, Ship Bottom or other LBI beach towns.
No-wind days
Long Beach Island beaches · kayaking and paddleboarding on Barnegat Bay · Barnegat Lighthouse area · LBI restaurants and beach towns
Photos
FAQ
Is 25th Street suitable for beginners?
The bay's flat water is good for beginners once they reach the marsh flats, though other sources warn the corridor is tight with limited downwind room for novices.
What is the wind like?
A broad range of directions works, including NE, SSW and other westerly and southerly angles, averaging around 8 knots.
When is the best time to kite?
Favorable conditions generally run from April/May through the end of November.
Are there rules or restricted zones?
Local beach code prohibits flying kites in protected, lifeguard-supervised bathing areas, so launching must happen away from those zones.
What hazards should riders know about?
The park-side launch has wooden and metal poles and obstructions, so riders should carry gear to the marsh rather than launching from the park beach.
Last updated: August 2026