MapUSACape Hatteras / Outer Banks, North CarolinaCanadian Hole & Kite PointCape Hatteras / Outer Banks, North Carolina

Canadian Hole & Kite Point

Cape Hatteras / Outer Banks, North Carolina · Dare County · Buxton / Avon

also known as Haulover, Haulover Day Use Area, Kite Point

Part of Cape Hatteras / Outer Banks, North Carolina →

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec

flat waterbeginner-friendlyhigh crowds

On this page

The spot
Wind
Forecast
Month by month
Water
Level
The scene
Launch
Schools
Tips
Getting there
FAQ

Riding essentials

Season

Mar, Apr, May, Sep, Oct, Nov

Months riders and schools name

How windy

10-22 kt

Character: mixed

Room to launch

huge

access rules on record, below

Water

flat

27 °C in summerPamlico Sound gives flat to lightly choppy water rather than surf

Hazards

Reported by riders

Level

Beginner to advanced

With a caveat: see Your level

BeginnerIntermediateAdvanced

Crowds

high crowds · busy Jun Jul Aug Apr

Schools

named at this spot

From the airport

176 min

International Airport (ORF)

When it fills in

In spring the southwesterly thermal is the reliable one and it kicks in during the early afternoon, then holds 15-25 kt into the evening. Autumn is different: the northeasterlies come with cold fronts, arrive on the front's schedule rather than the clock, and can blow through the night.

Nearbystraight-line distance

Backup spotsWhere riders go when the wind doesn't work here.

Salvo Soundside Beach Accessno page yet
Frisco Woodsno page yet
Buxton Slicksno page yet
Cape Point / The Coveno page yet
Jockey's Ridge Soundsideno page yet
Ocracoke soundside accessno page yet

The spot

Canadian Hole, officially Haulover Day Use Area, and Kite Point just along the sand sit on the Pamlico Sound side of Hatteras Island between Avon and Buxton. Both are designated kiteboarding sites inside Cape Hatteras National Seashore, which is why they stay open when other soundside beaches do not.

Water and wind

What you get is very shallow sound water, a lot of room, and wind that turns up often in spring and autumn on a barrier island where the Atlantic beach is a walk across NC-12.

Facilities

Haulover has the paved lot, the restrooms and the showers; Kite Point is the kite-specific launch and has none of that.

Ideal conditions

Clean side or side-on wind, room from the windsurfers and a wide berth from the NC-12 power lines are what make a session here uneventful.

Lesson and rescue requirements

Beginners belong in a lesson with an assisted launch, and independent riders need a self-rescue plan, because the Pamlico is broad and a sustained wind moves the water level around.

Season comparison

Summer southwest thermal still works, but the beach fills with families and the wind is less dependable than it is in March or October.

The wind

locals call it Cape Hatteras sea breeze and frontal wind

Direction

cross-on

Direction to shore

cross-on

Dominant direction

WSW annually at Cape Hatteras Airport; local spot guides highlight S/SW, SW, NE, N and NW depending on the exact launch and season.

Kite sizes

4567891011121314151617

metres · typical quiver highlighted

The quiver, in words

For a 75-85 kg freerider two kites cover most of spring and autumn: 12 m for the 15-18 kt thermal, 9-10 m once it is 20-25 kt. A front pushing 25-30 kt calls for 7-8 m, and the 40 mph days that Hatteras is known for need 5-7 m.Foil and wing riders take 1-3 m off the twin-tip size. Sizes here are derived from weight-to-wind charts against the locally published 12-40 mph seasonal ranges, not from a shop quiver list.

Character

mixed

When it fills in: see above ↑

Average strength

Typical strength

About 10-22 kt on many rideable days; local shop season guidance gives 12-40 mph in March-April, 12-30 mph in mid-April to mid-May, and 12-25 mph June-September.

Generally steady in clean SW or NE flow, with gustier frontal or storm-influenced days.

Wind seasons

Spring and autumn are the wind seasons on Hatteras Island and they are what the kite and windsurf crowd plans around. The Cape Hatteras Airport record gives an 8 kt annual mean from observations through July 31, 2026, which averages in every calm summer night and is not what a rideable spring afternoon feels like.

Summer and hurricanes

Summer still works on the thermal southwest, with more beach traffic and less certainty. Hurricane season runs June 1-November 30 here and peaks from late August into September, so the storm outlook is part of the planning.

Forecast

Live forecast

Windguru Windfinder Windy

Month by month

riding season from the spot record · the wind series here holds no strength figure

No month-by-month share of windy days is held for this spot. The months riders and schools name are Mar, Apr, May, Sep, Oct, Nov, and whatever the series does hold is in the table below.

Measured at Cape Hatteras Airport (Frisco), ~16 km from the spot (2006-2026).

Every figure, month by monthWind from · Air

Month	Wind from	Air
Jan	WNW	9 °C
Feb	WNW	10 °C
Mar	W	14 °C
Apr	SSW	18 °C
May	S	22 °C
Jun	SW	26 °C
Jul	SSW	28 °C
Aug	S	27 °C
Sep	ENE	25 °C
Oct	NNE	21 °C
Nov	NNW	16 °C
Dec	W	13 °C

How this was measuredmeasured · 2006-2026

What was recorded here is in the table above, but it holds no wind-strength figure for any month, so no season is drawn from it. The season is the one the spot record names.

A station this far away — often inland or at an airport — can understate accelerated local wind. The direction is a column of the table above, month by month. Highlighted months are the riding season from the spot record.

Cape Hatteras Airport (Frisco) · Windfinder · 2006-2026

The water

Type

flat

Standing depth

Ankle to knee deep right at the shoreline - the sound averages one to two feet near the beach - then waist deep for several hundred yards out.It rarely goes over your head unless you are more than about a quarter mile offshore.That makes almost the whole riding area walkable, and it is also why long foil masts need a chosen line rather than a random launch.

Tides

Low astronomical tide range on the Pamlico Sound; NOAA station 8654467 reports a mean range of 0.47 ft, while local tide guidance notes sustained wind can move sound water levels beyond the predicted tide.

Temperature

27 °C summer · 14 °C winter

Wetsuit

Usually no wetsuit in summer; spring and fall are wetsuit-dependent, and winter requires full cold-water neoprene. Local season guidance recommends a 4/3 in March-April, 3/2 or shorty from mid-April to mid-May, and no wetsuit June-September.

Currents

No strong tidal current at the launch; water level changes are mainly tide and wind-level effects in the shallow Pamlico Sound.

Conditions

Pamlico Sound gives flat to lightly choppy water rather than surf. In high wind, expect chop or small 1-2 ft wind waves rather than breaking waves at the sound launch.

Your level

BeginnerIntermediateAdvanced

Shallow flat sound water and schools up and down the island make this a workable place to learn, and Kite Point is also where the experienced riders go. Beginners still need instruction and a disciplined launch, because NC-12 and its overhead power lines are directly behind the beach.

The scene

What riders come here for

freestylebig airflat waterfreeridefoilingsunset sessions

Who it suitsbeginner

An old East Coast wind-sports crowd: visiting kiters, windsurfers, school vans, local riders and families, all of it visible from NC-12 the moment it blows. Outside the wind windows the beach empties.

Launch and rules

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

With a school or a boat

9 schools name this spot

See who they are

On your own

Room to launch: huge

Read the access rules

Somewhere else

4 spots nearby

All 4 spots within 40 km are under Nearby

Rescue

There is no dedicated kite rescue and no lifeguard at either launch. The shallow sound is the safety net: over most of the riding area you can stand and walk your gear in, which is the practical self-rescue plan.

Beyond that, plan a downwind exit before you launch, because the Pamlico is wide and a sustained wind can push water levels and a drifting rider a long way.

Schools in Avon, Waves and Rodanthe run boats for their own lessons rather than as a public service. Cape Hatteras National Seashore takes calls on 252-473-2111 for conditions and closures; emergencies go through 911.

Launch

Haulover, the Canadian Hole day-use area, is an NPS soundside site with a paved lot for roughly 50-60 vehicles open year-round, a bathhouse with restrooms, changing rooms and showers plus a bottle-filling station open spring through late autumn, a small-boat and kayak launch, wheelchair access, a paved path to the sound beach and a sandy path across NC-12 to the ocean.Kite PointKite Point is the informal kite launch on the same soundside stretch, reached from NC-12 roadside parking or the 4WD ramp, with open sand for rigging and no facilities of any kind - the nearest restroom is Haulover's.

Hazards riders report 14 reported

Wind

Never launch or ride in offshore wind - wind must be coming side-on to shore
Weather/storms can build quickly on the Outer Banks - check the forecast before rigging
Do not launch into offshore or cross-off wind without a reliable downwind plan; the Pamlico Sound is large and can carry riders far from shore.
Fast weather changes, thunderstorms, frontal gusts and tropical systems are part of the Outer Banks weather pattern.

Crowds and zones

Popular launch, can get crowded with schools and locals
Crowding with kiteboarders, windsurfers, swimmers, paddlers and families is common on windy spring/fall days and summer afternoons.
Roadside parking at Kite Point can be soft sand and close to 55 mph NC-12 traffic; obey no-parking signs and keep clear of the bike lane.

Bottom

Sound water is shallow and can hide sandbars; foilers need enough depth and should verify the channel/line before riding.
The sound bottom is shelly and rocky in patches - booties or water shoes save feet on the long wade out.
Seaweed washes into the soundside beach in some weather patterns and fouls lines and fins.

Waves and currents

Wind-driven water can push the sound level well away from the predicted tide, changing depth and drift over a session.

Protected areas and rules

Overhead power lines run along NC-12 close to Haulover and Kite Point; NPS prohibits all kite flying, including kiteboarding, within 150 ft of overhead power lines in 2026.

Other

A kite in the NC-12 power lines has taken out power across the whole island before, so give the lines a wide berth rather than a legal minimum.
Crossing NC-12 on foot between the sound and the ocean beach means crossing a 55 mph road with gear in your hands.

Rules & access

1 min read

2026 Cape Hatteras National Seashore rules: kiteboarding is permitted at four designated sites - Haulover (Canadian Hole) and Kite Point on Hatteras Island, Salvo Soundside Beach Access, and Springer's Point on Ocracoke; windsurfing is designated at Haulover, Salvo Soundside and any Ocracoke soundside access.

Prohibited areas

Kite flying and kiteboarding are prohibited within 150 ft of any overhead power lines, including at Haulover and Kite Point, and kites are prohibited in or above any resource closure and on beaches adjacent to designated park airstrips.

Vehicle and access rules

2026 access rule: vehicles need an NPS ORV permit to drive on designated seashore beach and soundside routes; no permit is needed to park in the paved Haulover day-use lot. Both areas are day use - no overnight camping at Kite Point or the other soundside beaches. Seashore information line: 252-473-2111.

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

Schools that ride here

Rider tips

In spring, do not waste the morning at the launch; the southwest thermal fills in during the early afternoon.
Park in the paved Haulover lot for restrooms and showers, and remember the bathhouse only opens spring through late autumn. Kite Point has nothing.
Wear booties. The wade out is long and the bottom turns shelly and rocky in patches.
Keep 150 ft clear of the NC-12 power lines and check the current closure list before you rig.
At Kite Point, park fully off NC-12 and out of the bike lane, and stay off the soft sand.
Aim for October, November, March or April; those are the most reliable wind months here.

Getting there

Airport

Norfolk International Airport (ORF) is the closest major commercial airport commonly recommended for the Outer Banks.

Route

Fly into ORF, rent a car and drive south down the Outer Banks onto NC-12, then out to Hatteras Island between Avon and Buxton. You want the car anyway: the gear does not travel any other way and half the game here is driving to the launch that is working.

Transfer

176 min

Cost level

mid

Staying

Rental houses and cottages are what most people book, in Avon, Buxton, Frisco, Hatteras, Rodanthe, Salvo, Waves. Hotels, motels, inns, campgrounds, watersports lodging: all of that exists too.

No-wind days

Cape Hatteras Lighthouse, the ocean beaches across NC-12, kayaking or SUP on the sound, surfing the Atlantic side, fishing, birding, the museums, and day trips down through Cape Hatteras National Seashore.

FAQ

When is the best time to kite at Canadian Hole & Kite Point?

Spring (March-May) and fall (September-November) are the core seasons, with typical wind around 10-22 knots and SW or NE as common directions.

Is Canadian Hole & Kite Point suitable for beginners?

Yes, the shallow, flat Pamlico Sound water and nearby schools support learning, though beginners should still use instruction and stay clear of the highway and power lines.

What is the water like here?

Canadian Hole is commonly waist-deep or shallower, and Kite Point is ankle-to-knee near shore before becoming mostly waist-deep for several hundred yards, giving flat to lightly choppy water.

Are there rules or restricted zones at Canadian Hole & Kite Point?

As of 2026, kiting is prohibited within 150 ft of overhead power lines along NC-12, and vehicles need an NPS permit to drive on designated beach routes, though none is required to park in the Haulover lot.

Are there kite schools nearby?

Yes, including Kite Club Hatteras in Avon and REAL Watersports in Waves.

The bigger pictureEverything about Cape Hatteras / Outer Banks, North Carolina

Last updated: August 2026