Map › Guadeloupe › Anse a la Gourde

Grande-Terre · Saint-François, east coast of Grande-Terre · Saint-Francois

Anse a la Gourde

also known as Anse à la Gourde

beginner-friendly

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec

On this page

Wind
- Month by month
Forecast
Water
Level
The scene
Launch
- Rescue
Hazards
Rules & access
Schools
Tips
Getting there
Photos
FAQ

Nearby Saint-François (Marina) 6 km · Le Moule Beach Park 15 km · Sainte-Anne 18 km · La Saline (Le Gosier) 25 km · straight-line distance

SeasonJan, Feb, Mar, Apr, Decthe months riders and schools name How windy12-25 kttrade Launchokaccess rules on record, below Watermixed29°C in summer · 8 things riders flag LevelBeginner to advancedwith a caveat, in the Level section Schools2named at this spot From the airport50 minPitre Le Raizet Airport (PTP)

When it fills in

Trade wind, not a thermal: when the alize is in it blows day and night, so the forecast decides the session rather than the hour. No local daily onset pattern is documented.

Anse a la Gourde is on the Saint-Francois side of Grande-Terre, out toward Pointe des Chateaux: a public white-sand beach with a coral barrier reef across the front of it. Inside the barrier the water goes flat to choppy, with small to medium waves further out, and the spot is tide independent.

The launch is a medium sandy beach, wide enough to be easy, but rocks are the hazard called out on the sand and in the water, so walk the shallows before you fly. The wind is the alizes, NE to E, and December through April are the months.

Monthly averages run 11 to 16 kt, which makes this a big-kite trip: 11-12 m is the Guadeloupe norm and you will use it. It is rated beginner through expert, though with rocks about, a first-timer needs someone watching. Water is 29 C in summer and 27 C in winter, so shorts.

The beach is reportedly empty of other users, and that is unconfirmed.

The wind

locals call it alizes

Direction

wind blows away from land — rescue cover matters here

Kite sizes

67891011121314151617

metres · typical quiver highlighted

Character

trade

fills in: Trade wind, not a thermal: when the alize is in it blows day and night, so the forecast decides the session rather than the hour. No local daily onset pattern is documented.

Typical strength

12-25 kt through the December-June trade season, with monthly means running 11-16 kt. Those are regional figures for Guadeloupe and Saint-Francois; there is no measurement at the bay itself.

Regular trades through the season. Most months rate well, but no wind-direction record has been published for this spot.

December through April are the best months. At least 26 days per month clear a 4 Bft / 12 kt threshold, though those are general wind figures, not thermal-wind statistics.

Thermal or synoptic

synoptic

Also on record

The quiver, in words

11-12 m is the Guadeloupe norm for a 75-85 kg rider and you will use it, because the monthly means sit at 11-16 kt rather than 20. An 8-9 m covers the top of a reinforced trade day; September to November, when the average drops to 11-12 kt, is big-kite or foil territory. Regional sizing, not measured at this beach.

Direction to shore

The bay faces north, along the Pointe des Chateaux side of Grande-Terre. NE comes in cross-onshore, ENE and E run the length of the 1.2 km of sand as cross-shore, and anything backing south of east turns side-off with the reef and open water behind you.

Forecast

Month by month

Jan, riders' month73
Feb, riders' month64
Mar, riders' month69
Apr, riders' month59
May57
Jun81
Jul91
Aug68
Sep44
Oct48
Nov69
Dec, riders' month61

per cent of the month at force 4 or more

Ringed months are the ones riders and schools name: Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, Dec.

13Jan27°
12Feb27°
12Mar27°
12Apr28°
12May29°
13Jun29°
14Jul29°
12Aug30°
11Sep30°
11Oct30°
12Nov29°
12Dec28°

avg knots per month · water °C below · season highlighted

Month	Force 4+	Knots	From	Air	Water
Jan	73%	12.6 kt	ENE	25.5°C	27.1°C
Feb	64%	12.3 kt	ENE	25.3°C	26.8°C
Mar	69%	12.3 kt	ENE	25.7°C	27.2°C
Apr	59%	11.5 kt	E	26.2°C	27.6°C
May	57%	11.6 kt	ESE	27.6°C	28.7°C
Jun	81%	12.9 kt	E	28°C	29.2°C
Jul	91%	14 kt	E	27.7°C	29.3°C
Aug	68%	12.2 kt	E	27.9°C	29.8°C
Sep	44%	10.6 kt	E	28.1°C	30.4°C
Oct	48%	11.2 kt	E	27.9°C	30.2°C
Nov	69%	11.9 kt	E	27°C	29.2°C
Dec	61%	11.6 kt	E	26.1°C	28.1°C

modelled

A weather model's cell over this place, not a station on it. Good for comparing places, weaker for one beach.

Modelled from weather reanalysis on a 10–25 km grid (2022-2024), not a ground station: reliable for trade and synoptic winds, understates thermal sea breezes and valley winds. 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.

ERA5 reanalysis grid point (modelled) · Open-Meteo historical weather API — ECMWF ERA5/ERA5-Land reanalysis, not a ground station · 2022-2024

The water

Type

mixed

Standing depth

Unconfirmed; no depth is published for the bay. Sand inside the coral barrier, but with rocks lying both on the beach and in the shallows, so the bottom is uneven rather than a clean standing lagoon. Wade your launch line before you fly.

Tides

Tide independent.

Temperature

29°C summer · 27°C winter

Wetsuit

Shorts all year, no wetsuit. The water stays warm through the season.

27–30°C water

Flat water and chop close in, small to medium waves outside. Clear water. A coral barrier reef protects the public beach.

Your level

beginnerintermediateadvanced

Beginner, intermediate and expert. Rocks are the main hazard, so beginner suitability still depends on supervision and on the day's conditions.

The scene

What riders come here for

freerideflat waterchopsmall wavesmedium waves

Reportedly empty of beach users, though no independent crowd report exists.

Launch and rules

three ways on to the water, and what each one asks of you

With a school or a boat

2 schools name this spot

See who they are

On your own

Room to launch: ok

access rules on record

Somewhere else

Saint-François (Marina), 6 km

Saint-François (Marina)Le Moule Beach Park Sainte-Anne

Every spot within 40 km is on the map at the top of this page, with its distance under it.

Rescue

VHF channel 16

No lifeguard post, no kite centre, no staff of any kind: the beach is public, free and permanently open, with a car park and a short walk in.

Sea emergencies anywhere in Guadeloupe go to 196, the free national number that reaches the rescue coordination centre for the Antilles-Guyane, or VHF channel 16. Saint-Francois, about 10 km back west, is the nearest town with help.

Launch

Medium sandy public beach at Anse a la Gourde, with rocks on the sand and in the water.

Space

Rules & access

2026: no formal local kite bylaw for Anse a la Gourde, so rules are none. The beach's protected status is archaeological, covering ancient settlement remains, rather than a nature reserve, and access is permanent and free of charge.

Access rules drift faster than anything else we hold — check locally, and propose an edit if this has changed.

Rider tips

Walk the sand and the shallows for rocks before you put a kite up.
Pack 11-12 m: monthly averages here run 11 to 16 kt, not 25.
Come December through April, when at least 26 days a month clear 4 Bft / 12 kt.
Do not plan on an empty beach; check it on the day.
Allow about 50 minutes by car from Pointe-a-Pitre, east through Saint-Francois toward Pointe des Chateaux.
Save 196 in your phone before you go out. It is the free French sea-emergency number and there is nobody on this beach to call for you.
The rock 700 m out, the Rocher de l'Eperon, is the marker to keep track of; if the wind backs south of east it sits downwind of you.

Getting there

Airport

Pointe-a-Pitre Le Raizet Airport (PTP)

Route

Drive east from Saint-Francois toward Pointe des Chateaux; the beach is about 10 km from the town centre, at the Kahouanne locality, with car parking and a short walk in. Access is permanent and free.

Transfer

50 min

Cost level

medium

Staying

Most practical accommodation is around Saint-Francois or Sainte-Anne: hotels, residences, gites, surf camps, guest rooms and private bungalows.

No-wind days

Pointe des Chateaux walks, Saint-Francois lagoon activities, snorkeling, Petite-Terre boat trips, golf, surf/SUP, rhumeries, markets and Basse-Terre rainforest hikes.

Photos

Anse à la Gourde en Guadeloupe — Daniel Jolivet, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

FAQ

Is Anse a la Gourde good for beginners?

Yes, it is listed for beginner through expert riders, though rocks on the beach and in the water require care.

When is the best time to kite?

December through April, on NE to E trade winds averaging 11-16kt by month.

What is the water like?

Flat water, chop and small-to-medium waves in crystal-clear water behind a coral barrier reef.

Are there kite schools nearby?

Blue Soley and Action Kite Caraibes operate in the area.

Last updated: August 2026