Map›Dominican Republic›Cayos Siete HermanosDominican Republic
Cayos Siete Hermanos
Monte Cristi Province · Uninhabited cays ~10 km northwest of Monte Cristi Bay, reached by boat
also known as Los Siete Hermanos, 7 Hermanos, Seven Brothers Cays, Seven Brother Islands
Riding essentials
Season
Dec–Sep
Months riders and schools name
How windy
14 to 21 kt
Character: mixed
Room to launch
variable
access rules on record, below
Water
mixed
27 °C in summerCoral-sand cays with reef, shallow water, sandy bottom, rocky outcrops and open-water crossings between them
Hazards
12
Reported by riders
Level
Intermediate to advanced
With a caveat: see Your level
Crowds
low crowds · busy Jun Jul Aug
Schools
2
named at this spot
From the airport
45 min
When it fills in
Trade-wind flow rather than a clean daily thermal, and the mainland accounts disagree. One has the wind filling in only in the afternoon and then building hard; another advertises early starts, on the grounds that the coast bends and accelerates the flow before it reaches the beach. Nothing is recorded for the cays themselves, and boat trips are timed around sea state as much as around wind.
Cayos Siete Hermanos has no other spot on this map within 40 km of it. straight-line distance
Backup spotsWhere riders go when the wind doesn't work here.
- Buen Hombre
- Cayo Arenano page yet
- Playa Popano page yet
- Laguna Saladillano page yet
- Monte Cristino page yet
The spot
Getting there
Conditions and terrain
Who should ride
Wildlife and permits
The wind
locals call it trade winds with Monte Cristi coast acceleration
Direction
Direction to shore
No cay-by-cay report exists. The chain runs broadly east-west, from Cayo Arenas in the west to Monte Chico in the east, and the trades arrive at 60-75 degrees, so the flow is side-shore along most of the sand with sheltered lee water behind each cay.Cayo Muerto has a light lagoon on one side and noticeably stronger wind once you cross upwind to the other. Read off the chain's alignment, not from a local measurement.
Dominant direction
E to ENE regionally, but the spot-specific cay wind direction is unconfirmed
Kite sizes
metres · typical quiver highlighted
The quiver, in words
Kite sizingRegional guidance from the Buen Hombre mainland, with nothing measured on the cays: a 75-85 kg rider is on 8-10 m most of the year and 7-9 m through the strong stretch in February and March and again in July and August.Smaller sizes make more sense here than the same wind would suggest elsewhere, because the flat water behind the cays gets you planing on less. If you carry one kite onto the boat, carry the small one. Wind changes noticeably from cay to cay, so expect to be a size out on some crossings.
Character
Thermal or synoptic
synoptic
Typical strength
There is no sensor on the cays. Modelled for the cay position: daily peaks average 14 to 21 kt, and clear 12 kt on 58-96% of days depending on the month. July is the strongest, with peaks averaging about 21 kt and 96% of days over 12 kt; February and March are close behind. September and October are the weak spell, October down to 58% of days. The mainland kite coast is reckoned at around 15 kt on average, roughly 6-10 kt more than Cabarete.
Forecast
Live forecast
Month by month
- Jan, riders' month97
- Feb, riders' month95
- Mar, riders' month98
- Apr, riders' month91
- May, riders' month80
- Jun, riders' month90
- Jul, riders' month100
- Aug, riders' month98
- Sep, riders' month87
- Oct68
- Nov84
- Dec, riders' month97
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, Sep, Dec.
- 19 ktJan27°
- 20 ktFeb27°
- 20 ktMar27°
- 19 ktApr27°
- 15 ktMay29°
- 17 ktJun30°
- 23 ktJul29°
- 20 ktAug30°
- 17 ktSep31°
- 14 ktOct31°
- 18 ktNov29°
- 19 ktDec28°
avg knots per month · water °C below · season highlighted
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.
Every figure, month by monthForce 4+ · Knots · Wind from · Air · Water
| Month | Force 4+ | Knots | Wind from | Air | Water |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 97% | 19 kt | E | 25.3 °C | 27.4 °C |
| Feb | 95% | 20.1 kt | ENE | 25 °C | 26.8 °C |
| Mar | 98% | 19.9 kt | ENE | 25.4 °C | 26.9 °C |
| Apr | 91% | 18.8 kt | ENE | 25.7 °C | 27.4 °C |
| May | 80% | 15.4 kt | ENE | 27 °C | 29.1 °C |
| Jun | 90% | 16.9 kt | ENE | 28.2 °C | 30 °C |
| Jul | 100% | 22.9 kt | ENE | 28.4 °C | 29.3 °C |
| Aug | 98% | 19.9 kt | ENE | 28.5 °C | 29.7 °C |
| Sep | 87% | 16.9 kt | E | 28.6 °C | 30.6 °C |
| Oct | 68% | 14.2 kt | ENE | 28.2 °C | 30.8 °C |
| Nov | 84% | 17.8 kt | E | 27.2 °C | 29.2 °C |
| Dec | 97% | 19.2 kt | ENE | 25.9 °C | 28 °C |
How this is modelledmodelled · 2022-2024
A weather model's cell over this place, not a station on it. Good for comparing places, weaker for one beach.
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
Cayo Ratas has a large flat-water area that riders treat as the main one, and Cayo Muerto has a shallow lagoon on its sheltered side.No depth figure is published for either, and the crossings between cays are open water over reef. Coral-sand shallows you can stand in do exist; which ones, and at what state of tide, is unconfirmed.
Tides
Small tide.Predictions for the Massacre river entrance, the nearest reference point southwest of Monte Cristi, give a typical daily swing of about 0.7 m, near 0.5 m on the quietest days and up to about 1.2 m at the extremes, normally two highs and two lows with one pair much weaker than the other.Indicative for the cays; nothing is measured on them.
Temperature
27 °C summer · 24 °C winter
Modelled monthly average: 27–31 °C
Wetsuit
No wetsuit normally needed; booties are prudent around coral sand and reef.
Conditions
Your level
not for beginners here
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
2 schools name this spot
On your own
Room to launch: variable
Somewhere else
No neighbour on record
No other spot in the atlas sits within reach of this one.
Rescue
Launch
Riders set up on one of the larger cays and launch off its sand, then cross island to island, with sea state and wind both changing a lot between them.Trips run either from Buen Hombre, 30-45 minutes each way, or from the marina dock at Montecristi below El Morro.There is no fixed public launch and no marked area: route and landing choices change with sea conditions, wind, visibility and where the birds are nesting.
Rules & access
1 min read
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
- Go with Kite Buen Hombre or Friendly Kite and their boat; there is no rescue on the cays except the boat that brought you.
- Check swell and visibility as carefully as wind; the crossing is 30-45 minutes of open water each way and the route changes with the sea.
- From late May to early September keep off the nesting beaches and away from the seabirds; peak nesting is May-August.
- No anchoring on coral, no standing on it, no shells or coral taken home, all rubbish back to Buen Hombre.
- Booties on the boat: the beaches are coral sand and the shallows are reef.
- Cayo Ratas has the big flat-water area most people ride. Cayo Muerto has a lagoon on one side and stronger wind on the other, so cross upwind if you want the power.
- Take the small kite if you only take one. Flat water behind the cays gets you going on less than the same wind would at home.
- July is the strongest month by a clear margin; September and October are the weak spell and the boat trip may not be worth the crossing.
Getting there
Route
By boat with a local guide. Kite Buen Hombre runs 7 Cayos excursions from Buen Hombre, about 30-45 minutes each way depending on route and sea state.The island-to-island kite excursion more often starts from the marina dock at Montecristi, under El Morro, with kites and boards loaded aboard there. Local fishermen will also run the trip if you ask them directly.
Transfer
45 min
Cost level
medium
Staying
No accommodation on the cays; stay in Buen Hombre, Monte Cristi, or another north-coast base and visit by boat.
No-wind days
snorkeling · swimming · birdwatching · wildlife observation · photography · Monte Cristi coast excursions
FAQ
Is Cayos Siete Hermanos suitable for beginners?
No, it is an offshore, boat-supported destination with reef, wildlife constraints and no fixed rescue infrastructure.
How do you reach the cays?
Trips run by boat from Buen Hombre, with Kite Buen Hombre's 7 Cayos excursions taking about 30-45 minutes each way depending on route and sea conditions.
Are there rules or protections?
The cays sit within the Siete Hermanos Wildlife Refuge under Law 202-04, so operators advise against collecting coral or shells, disturbing nesting birds or anchoring on coral.
What is the best time to go?
No cay-specific wind data was verified, so the Buen Hombre season, December through September, is used as the closest proxy.
Last updated: August 2026