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Southwest coast, near Kralendijk · Kralendijk

Atlantis Beach

also known as Kite Beach, Atlantis Kite Beach

flat waterbeginner-friendlymedium crowds
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec

Nearby Pink Beach under 1 km · straight-line distance

SeasonJan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Nov, Decthe months riders and schools nameHow windy15-25tradeLaunchokaccess rules on record, belowWaterflat28°C in summer · 8 things riders flagLevelBeginner to advancedwith a caveat, in the Level sectionSchools3named at this spotFrom the airport15 minInternational Airport (BON)

On the clock

09:30 · 10:00 · 11:00 · 16:00 · 17:00

Most stable from about 10:00 or 11:00 to 16:00; schools operate roughly 09:30-17:00 on windy days.

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.

Atlantis, which everyone calls Kite Beach, is the one place inside the Bonaire National Marine Park where you may kite: the marked entry and exit zone on the southwest coast, a short drive down the coast road from Kralendijk.
The water is flat, clear and 25-28 C, with the reef holding the swell off and 3-7 ft of depth over sand in the kite area. The trade blows NE to E at 15-25 knots, steadiest from about 10:00 or 11:00 to 16:00, and it is offshore to side-offshore.
That is the thing to understand before you pump up: the wind will not bring you home, which is why the schools keep a rescue boat out while they are open, roughly 09:30-17:00, and after about 17:00 it can swing fully offshore.
One tourism page calls the wind side-onshore; every school says offshore, and the schools are the ones with the boat. Season is December to July, August usually still good, September to November thinner but rideable; 300+ windy days a year is the local figure.
You pay the STINAPA Nature Fee before you get in the water (2026), whatever a general tourism site says about no fee. Where the kites go in is sand, but the wider beach is petrified coral, stones and bush, and divers surface in the same water, so give their buoys room.

The wind

locals call it trade wind

Direction

beachwater
wind blows away from land — rescue cover matters here

Kite sizes

567891011121314151617

metres · typical quiver highlighted

Character

trade

fills in: Most stable from about 10:00 or 11:00 to 16:00; schools operate roughly 09:30-17:00 on windy days.

Typical strength

15-25

Dependable trade wind, 300+ windy days a year. Offshore to side-offshore and sometimes gusty, mostly toward evening.
Main season December to July. August is often still windy; September to November has fewer windy days, but you will get sessions.

Thermal or synoptic

synoptic (NE trade winds)

Also on record

17-22

The quiver, in words

No local quiver is published for Atlantis. Indicative for a 75-85 kg rider on the trade season figures: 12 m when it sits at 15-17 kt, 9-10 m through the usual 18-22 kt, 7-8 m on the 25 kt days. September to November runs lighter and a 12-14 m plus a bigger board is the sensible pack.

Direction to shore

Offshore to side-offshore NE trade. The wind will not blow you back to the beach, which is why the rescue boat during school hours matters. One tourism page calls it side-onshore; nothing else backs that up.

Forecast

Month by month

  1. Jan, riders' month99
  2. Feb, riders' month94
  3. Mar, riders' month99
  4. Apr, riders' month97
  5. May, riders' month100
  6. Jun, riders' month100
  7. Jul, riders' month100
  8. Aug, riders' month99
  9. Sep92
  10. Oct73
  11. Nov, riders' month76
  12. Dec, riders' month94

per cent of the month at force 4 or more

Ringed months are the ones riders and schools name: Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Nov, Dec.

  1. 17Jan27°
  2. 17Feb27°
  3. 18Mar27°
  4. 17Apr28°
  5. 19May28°
  6. 19Jun29°
  7. 18Jul29°
  8. 16Aug29°
  9. 15Sep30°
  10. 14Oct31°
  11. 14Nov30°
  12. 15Dec28°

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

MonthForce 4+KnotsFromAirWater
Jan99%16.8 ktE26.7°C27.4°C
Feb94%16.8 ktE26.6°C27°C
Mar99%17.8 ktE27°C27.2°C
Apr97%17.3 ktE27.5°C27.6°C
May100%18.8 ktE28.1°C28.1°C
Jun100%18.6 ktE28.4°C28.5°C
Jul100%18 ktE28.4°C28.7°C
Aug99%16 ktE29.1°C29.3°C
Sep92%14.9 ktE29.7°C30°C
Oct73%13.7 ktE29°C30.5°C
Nov76%13.9 ktE27.9°C29.7°C
Dec94%14.9 ktE27.5°C28.3°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

flat

Standing depth

3-7 ft in the kite area.

Tides

Micro-tidal. Between low and high the water moves roughly 0.25-0.40 m, with spring highs around 0.6 m, so the tide neither opens nor closes the kite area and no session needs planning around it.

Temperature

28°C summer · 25°C winter

Wetsuit

No wetsuit normally needed for kiting; rash guard or UV lycra recommended for sun and harness protection.

Currents

Moderate to strong current turns up from time to time at the Kite Beach dive site; how much it affects kiters is not quantified.

27–31°C water
Flat, clear, warm water protected by offshore reef. The sandy kite area has no coral or rocks, while the broader beach includes fine white sand, petrified coral, stones, and bushes.

Your level

beginnerintermediateadvanced
Beginners can learn here because the schools run a rescue boat and the zone is flat and shallow; on your own with offshore wind it is a different beach. Advanced riders get flat water for freestyle and big air.

The scene

What riders come here for

freestylefreeridebeginnerslessonsflat waterbig air
The island's main kite beach: school buses, lessons, rental, a rescue boat, and people hanging around between sessions.

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

See who they are

On your own

Room to launch: ok

access rules on record

Somewhere else

Pink Beach, under 1 km

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

Rescue

Rescue boat on the water while the schools are open, roughly 09:30-17:00 on windy days. Outside those hours you are on your own with an offshore wind.

Launch

The marked Atlantis entry/exit zone: beach launch, free parking, the school buses and their gear. Sand where the kites go in; petrified coral, stones and bushes on the wider beach.

Space

ok

Hazards riders report 8

  • Wind direction is disputed: most accounts say offshore or side-offshore with rescue cover needed, one says onshore and beginner-friendly. Assume offshore.
  • Rocky shoreline to cross outside the sandy kite area.
  • Offshore or side-offshore wind.
  • Wind can turn fully offshore after about 17:00
  • Moderate to strong currents can occur at the dive site
  • Shared area with divers and snorkelers; divers are advised to use a buoy when surfacing
  • Broader beach includes petrified coral, stones, and bushes outside the sandy kite area
  • Strong sun and dehydration risk
Rules & access
2026: inside the Bonaire National Marine Park kitesurfing is allowed only at the Atlantis entry and exit zone. Outside the park, kite and windsurfing are allowed in dark blue water at least 75 m from shore, except at Klein Bonaire. The STINAPA Nature Fee is required, since kiting counts as a non-diving ocean activity in the park; the schools treat payment as mandatory before you enter the water, whatever one tourism page says about no fee.

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

Rider tips

  • Launch only in the marked Atlantis entry/exit zone. Anywhere else in the Marine Park is off limits, and outside the park you must be 75 m off the beach in dark blue water (2026).
  • Pay the STINAPA Nature Fee before you get wet (2026); the schools will ask, and it applies to kiting.
  • Ride while the rescue boat is out, roughly 09:30-17:00 on school days; the wind is offshore and can turn fully offshore after about 17:00.
  • Best hours are about 10:00 or 11:00 to 16:00; evenings get gusty.
  • Rent a car in Kralendijk and take the south coast road; there is no bus to the beach, and parking at the zone is free.
  • Rash guard and reef-safe sunscreen; the water is 25-28 C and the sun is the main hazard after the wind direction.
  • Give surfacing divers a wide berth; the dive site shares the water and divers put up a buoy when they come up.

Getting there

Airport

Flamingo International Airport (BON)

Route

South coast road from Kralendijk by car. There is no public transport to the beach, so rent one.

Transfer

15 min

Cost level

medium

Staying

No accommodation directly on Kite Beach; hotels, apartments, villas, and resorts are available around Kralendijk and the south coast.

No-wind days

shore diving · snorkeling · Bonaire National Marine Park · Washington Slagbaai National Park · Goto Lake flamingos · salt pans · windsurfing at Lac Bay/Sorobon

FAQ

When is the best time to kite at Atlantis Beach?

December through July is the most commonly cited main season, with the trade-wind period extending into August and lighter conditions from September to November.

Is Atlantis Beach suitable for beginners?

Local schools run beginner lessons with rescue and boat support, though sources disagree on wind direction, so novices should stay in the designated zone with instruction.

What is the wind like?

NE to E trade winds typically blow 15-25 knots, most stable from about 10:00 to 16:00.

Are there rules or permits? (2026)

As of 2026, STINAPA allows kitesurfing in the Bonaire National Marine Park only at the Atlantis entry and exit zone, and sources disagree on whether a Nature Fee applies.

What is the water like?

The kite area is flat, clear and reef-protected with a sandy bottom, standing depth of about 3-7 feet, and no wetsuit normally needed.

Last updated: August 2026