Map › Belize › The Split, Caye Caulker & Boca del Rio / San Pedro › Boca del Rio / San Pedro

Belize District · San Pedro, Ambergris Caye · San Pedro

Boca del Rio / San Pedro

also known as Ambergris Caye, Ambergris Caye | San Pedro

lagoonbeginner-friendlylow crowds

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 The Split, Caye Caulker 21 km · straight-line distance

SeasonJan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Nov, Decthe months riders and schools name How windy15-25 kttrade Launchvariable; organized areas are better, while much of the east coast has docks and piersaccess rules on record, below Waterlagoon27°C in summer · 11 things riders flag LevelBeginner to advancedwith a caveat, in the Level section Schools2named at this spot From the airport120 minInternational Airport (BZE)

When it fills in

After lunch; the afternoon boost runs roughly 1-4pm.

San Pedro's kiting is inside the Belize Barrier Reef, with the organised launches around Boca del Rio and along the lagoon side of town. The reef takes the swell, so inside you get flat to lightly choppy water and, on the sandbar trips the schools run, knee- to waist-deep flats.

The wind is the E to SE Caribbean trade, 15-25 knots from November to May with January-April the best of it, and it usually builds after lunch, roughly 1-4pm. Light days happen even in season. Kite size advice is split between 9 m/12 m and 12 m/14 m; lean bigger.

Most of the east coast is docks and piers, so a beginner who walks down to a random beachfront and pumps up is going to have a bad afternoon; use a school, a boat or the sandbar.

Outside the reef there is wave and swell for riders who know what they are doing, and the west-side lagoon and sandbars can be offshore, so know which side you are on before you launch.

Hol Chan Marine Reserve rules apply south of town (2026), and you will share the water with water taxis rather than with other kiters; the scene is small.

The wind

locals call it Caribbean trade winds

Direction

wind blows away from land — rescue cover matters here

Kite sizes

5678910111213141516

metres · typical quiver highlighted

Character

trade

fills in: After lunch; the afternoon boost runs roughly 1-4pm.

Typical strength

15-25 kt in the November-May season

Seasonal trades, mostly dependable, but light-wind days happen even in season.

November-May, with January-April the best of the dry season. The wind tends to pick up after lunch.

Thermal or synoptic

synoptic (Caribbean trades, reported afternoon boost roughly 1-4pm)

Also on record

The quiver, in words

Advice is split: a 9 m as the workhorse for an 80 kg rider with a 12 m for lighter days, against 12 m and 14 m if you go by the local school. Lean bigger.The island's own weather station averaged only 7 kt across the year before it stopped reporting, so the season is what makes this spot, not the baseline.

Direction to shore

Generally onshore to side-onshore on Ambergris Caye's east/reef side; west-side lagoon and sandbar trips can be offshore.

Forecast

Month by month

Jan, riders' month98
Feb, riders' month100
Mar, riders' month100
Apr, riders' month99
May, riders' month96
Jun97
Jul99
Aug96
Sep90
Oct95
Nov, riders' month87
Dec, riders' month98

per cent of the month at force 4 or more

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

18Jan27°
18Feb27°
18Mar28°
18Apr29°
17May30°
17Jun31°
18Jul30°
15Aug31°
14Sep31°
16Oct30°
16Nov29°
18Dec27°

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

Month	Force 4+	Knots	From	Air	Water
Jan	98%	17.5 kt	ESE	25.9°C	27°C
Feb	100%	18.2 kt	E	25.6°C	26.8°C
Mar	100%	18.3 kt	ESE	26.6°C	27.9°C
Apr	99%	17.9 kt	E	27.2°C	28.5°C
May	96%	17.4 kt	E	28.1°C	29.7°C
Jun	97%	17.4 kt	E	28.4°C	30.6°C
Jul	99%	17.5 kt	E	28.5°C	30.2°C
Aug	96%	15 kt	E	28.5°C	30.8°C
Sep	90%	14 kt	E	28.6°C	31.1°C
Oct	95%	15.5 kt	E	28°C	30.1°C
Nov	87%	15.7 kt	NE	27.1°C	28.6°C
Dec	98%	17.7 kt	NNE	25.9°C	27.2°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

lagoon

Standing depth

vast shallow flat-water area between island and reef; sandbar lessons report knee- to waist-deep water

Tides

Reported as tide-independent, and no tide table or tidal range for San Pedro could be retrieved to check it. What actually governs a session is depth: over the flats, and over the coral heads near the reef.

Temperature

27°C summer · 27°C winter

Wetsuit

no wetsuit normally; rash guard/sun protection

Currents

Current inside the reef is described as weak, with no local measurement. Nothing is published for the reef cuts, where moving water is likelier, so treat the far side as unknown.

27–31°C water

Flat to lightly choppy water inside the barrier reef, with more wave/chop/swell outside the reef for advanced riders.

Your level

beginnerintermediateadvanced

Beginners belong on the shallow flats with a school or a boat. Riding the east coast on your own means threading docks and piers, so be self-sufficient. Outside the reef is advanced water.

The scene

What riders come here for

all-level ridinglagoon cruisingreef-break waves for advanced ridersall-level riding with local supportflat-water lagoon cruisingbeginner lessons on shallow sandbarsfreeride/downwindersreef-side wave/chop sessions for advanced riders

Small local kite scene on top of a resort town; far fewer kites on the water than at the big Caribbean hubs.

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: variable; organized areas are better, while much of the east coast has docks and piers

access rules on record

Somewhere else

The Split, Caye Caulker, 21 km

The Split, Caye Caulker

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

Rescue

+501 634 0873

Rescue is whatever your school brings. The operators run boat support for lessons, and the sandbar shop is boat-based the whole time it is out there. There is no public rescue service for a rider going out alone, and no confirmation that a school boat will come for a non-client, so ask before you launch.

The beachfront school at Boca del Rio answers phone and WhatsApp on +501 634 0873.

Launch

Launches cluster around Boca del Rio at the north edge of San Pedro town, where the beachfront school sits, and along the lagoon side. The boat-supported alternative runs to sandbars in the lagoon: about a 15-minute ride from the lagoon side of town out to the sandbar between Ambergris and Blackadore Cayes, where the floating operation sits from around late November, moving back to Boca del Rio in the off-season.

Space

variable; organized areas are better, while much of the east coast has docks and piers

Rules & access

2026: Hol Chan Marine Reserve rules apply within the reserve south of San Pedro, including ticket/clearance and boating/diver-safety rules; no kite-specific Boca del Rio municipal rule is published.

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

Rider tips

Book lessons or boat-supported sessions a few days ahead for the January-April peak; there are only a couple of operators on the island.
Do not launch off a random beachfront on the east side: docks and piers line most of it. Use the Boca del Rio area or a sandbar trip.
Ask which side you are riding before you go out: the east/reef side is onshore to side-onshore, the west lagoon and sandbars can be offshore, and rescue there is whatever boat you arranged.
Plan for the afternoon: the trade builds after lunch, roughly 1-4pm, and mornings can be soft.
Carry water and sun cover on any downwinder or coast run; the water is 27 C and you will be out a while.
On flat days snorkel Hol Chan; the reserve needs a ticket and has its own boat rules (2026).
The docks hold the hazards nobody warns you about: cleat anchors and exposed nails, both at water level.
The one school with a fixed beachfront address is at Boca del Rio; call or WhatsApp +501 634 0873 rather than turning up.

Getting there

Airport

Philip S. W. Goldson International Airport (BZE), Belize City; San Pedro also has a local airstrip served from Belize City.

Route

Fly from Belize City to the San Pedro airstrip, or take the water taxi: about 1 hour 30 minutes from Belize City, about 30 minutes from Caye Caulker.

Transfer

120 min

Cost level

medium-high

Staying

San Pedro has budget, mid-range and premium hotels/hostels across town and Ambergris Caye.

No-wind days

Hol Chan Marine Reserve snorkeling/diving · Shark Ray Alley · barrier-reef boat tours · Secret Beach · restaurants and nightlife in San Pedro · Blue Hole scenic or dive trips

Photos

San Pedro Ambergris Caye beach dock eroded Dec 2015 — Asdfjrjjj, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

FAQ

When is the best time to kite at Boca del Rio?

The trade-wind season runs November through May, with January to April often cited as the best dry-season window.

Is Boca del Rio suitable for beginners?

Protected shallow, flat water inside the reef suits beginners with school or boat support, while riding outside the reef is for advanced riders.

What is the wind like?

East to southeast trade winds typically blow 15-25 knots, often boosted in the early afternoon.

What hazards should I know about?

Much of the east coast is lined with docks and piers, and boat traffic, coral heads and variable reef depth are common hazards.

Last updated: August 2026