MapUSAMarathon, Florida KeysCurry HammockMarathon, Florida Keys

Curry Hammock

Florida Keys - Marathon · Monroe County

also known as Long Point Key, Curry Hammock State Park

Part of Marathon, Florida Keys →

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec

flat waterbeginner-friendlymedium crowds

On this page

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

Riding essentials

Season

Oct–May

Months riders and schools name

How windy

11 knots

Character: mixed

Room to launch

good

access rules on record, below

Water

flat

29 °C in summer

Hazards

Reported by riders

Level

Beginner to advanced

With a caveat: see Your level

BeginnerIntermediateAdvanced

Crowds

medium crowds · busy Dec Jan Feb Mar

Schools

named at this spot

From the airport

Florida Keys Marathon International Airport is in Marathon but mostly limited and general aviation

Transfer times under Getting there

When it fills in

Trade and frontal wind, not thermal, so it can be on at any hour and often blows through the night. The gate sets the window instead: the day-use area is open 8 a.m. to sundown, 365 days a year, and an early arrival buys both the empty flats and a space in the small lot.

Nearbystraight-line distance

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

Sombrero Beachno page yet
Veterans Parkno page yet
Islamoradano page yet
Long Keyno page yet

The spot

Curry Hammock is a launch inside Curry Hammock State Park near Marathon, in the Middle Keys, and one of the easier Keys spots to reach with a car. You rig on grass and launch from a small dedicated beach in the day-use area instead of drifting in from a boat.

Water conditions

The water out front is shallow and mostly flat, ankle to waist deep depending on tide, with marked boat channels deep enough to foil.

Season and wind

The season is the Keys winter into spring, roughly October through May, and a clean easterly trade day is the one to book; too much north in the direction turns it gusty.

Park rules and bottom

Park rules matter here: launch and land only from the day-use area, and get 300 feet off the shoreline once you are flying. Entrance is $5.00 per vehicle (2026) for 2-8 people, and the lot is small enough that a strong forecast fills it early. Guides disagree on the exact best directions and on how much the tide really matters, so read the water when you arrive. Pack booties for the urchins, the coralline algae and the submerged rock.

The wind

locals call it Florida Keys easterly trade winds and cold-front wind

Direction

cross-on

Direction to shore

easterly wind is generally side-shore/side-on across the bay-side flats; too much north is reported gusty

Dominant direction

E through SW is the reliable range in the prime season, with roughly 70 degrees (east-northeast) as the practical minimum to get going; too much north in the direction turns gusty and less enjoyable, and SE/SSE/S setups also work.

Kite sizes

7891011121314151617

metres · typical quiver highlighted

The quiver, in words

No local measurement to size from.Indicative for a 75-85 kg rider: a 12 m covers an ordinary easterly trade day, a 9 m suits the stronger post-front northerlies from December to March, and a 15 m or a light-wind foil setup earns its place from June to September, when most days do not deliver.Bring the big kite: the regional average is modest.

Character

mixed

When it fills in: see above ↑

Typical strength

Nothing is measured at the launch. The nearest long-running station, on the reef a few miles off Marathon, averages 11 knots from the east across the year with gusts near 13 over a 2010-2026 record; treat that as a regional indication, not a reading from the flats. The season is decided by fronts and trade-wind spells rather than by a daily average, so the forecast matters more here than any mean.

steady on clean easterly trade-wind days; gustier with too much north in the direction

Prime Keys season is winter into spring, roughly October through May; summer is light except storm fronts, with more north and easterly winds during the prime season.

Forecast

Live forecast

Windguru Windfinder Windy

Month by month

Jan, riders' month91
Feb, riders' month87
Mar, riders' month92
Apr, riders' month89
May, riders' month73
Jun71
Jul69
Aug74
Sep53
Oct, riders' month85
Nov, riders' month86
Dec, riders' month89

per cent of the month at force 4 or more

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

16 ktJan24°
16 ktFeb25°
17 ktMar26°
17 ktApr27°
13 ktMay29°
14 ktJun30°
13 ktJul32°
14 ktAug32°
13 ktSep31°
16 ktOct29°
17 ktNov27°
18 ktDec25°

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	91%	16.4 kt	ESE	22.3 °C	24.4 °C
Feb	87%	16.1 kt	E	22.8 °C	24.6 °C
Mar	92%	16.5 kt	SE	24.3 °C	26.2 °C
Apr	89%	16.5 kt	E	24.9 °C	26.6 °C
May	73%	13.4 kt	E	26.6 °C	29.3 °C
Jun	71%	13.5 kt	E	27.8 °C	30.4 °C
Jul	69%	12.9 kt	ESE	29.2 °C	31.6 °C
Aug	74%	13.7 kt	E	29.2 °C	31.5 °C
Sep	53%	13.1 kt	ESE	28.8 °C	31.2 °C
Oct	85%	15.9 kt	ENE	26.8 °C	29 °C
Nov	86%	16.5 kt	E	25.7 °C	27.4 °C
Dec	89%	17.5 kt	NE	23 °C	25.3 °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

flat

Standing depth

ankle to waist deep in front of the launch depending on tide, with shallow flats and sandbar areas nearby

Tides

The swing is small. Mean range at the Marathon tide station is about 0.22 m, with roughly 0.30 m between the higher high and the lower low.On flats that run ankle to waist deep that is still enough to change the session: high water makes the launch choppier, low water can leave the near-shore flats too thin to ride, and riding further out in deeper water is much less tide-sensitive.

Temperature

29 °C summer · 21 °C winter

Modelled monthly average: 24–32 °C

Wetsuit

boardshorts most of the year; shorty can be useful during winter cold fronts

Conditions

The main riding area is shallow, flat to lightly choppy and forgiving, with boat channels deep enough for kitefoil or wing foil.

Your level

BeginnerIntermediateAdvanced

The main riding area is flat and forgiving enough for a first week, though it is marked intermediate with expert appeal elsewhere. Beginners should still take instruction, because the park has boat channels, shallow hazards and access rules to learn.

The scene

What riders come here for

flat waterbeginners with instructionfreeridekitefoilwing foilcamp-and-kite

Who it suitsbeginner

A convenient state-park launch with a small parking lot that caps how many people get on the water.

Launch and rules

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

With a school or a boat

5 schools name this spot

See who they are

On your own

Room to launch: good

Read the access rules

Somewhere else

5 spots nearby

All 5 spots within 40 km are under Nearby

Rescue

No lifeguard and no kite rescue. The standing recovery is self-rescue and a walk back, because the flats in front of the park are shallow enough to stand and wade in, which turns most failed upwind sessions into a walk rather than a swim. Booties make that walk survivable.

Emergencies go to 911.

Launch

Launch and land only from the Curry Hammock State Park day-use area: grass to rig and stage on, plus a small beach kept for launching and landing.

Hazards riders report 12 reported

Crowds and zones

boat channels
limited parking on windy days
limited parking when the forecast is strong

Bottom

submerged rocks
slippery marl/mud at the water edge
sea grass bottom with shells

Waves and currents

State park rules apply: check current access and parking rules before you go.
low tide can become too shallow

Protected areas and rules

urchins and coralline algae; foot protection recommended for beginners
wildlife and state park users including swimmers and kayakers

Other

Portuguese man o' war
golf carts and vehicles crossing kite lines in the day-use area

Rules & access

1 min read

Hours and rules

2026: the park is open 8 a.m. to sundown, 365 days a year. All kites must be launched and landed from the day-use area only, and once launched, riding should take place 300 feet from the shoreline. Riders keep the same 300 feet off the campground-side shoreline, never fly over the campground or the swimming beach, roll their lines when kites are not flying, and give other beachgoers priority.

Fees and camping

Entrance in 2026: $5.00 per vehicle (2-8 people), $4.00 for a motorcycle or single-occupant vehicle, $2.00 per pedestrian or bicyclist, plus a $0.50 per-person Monroe County surcharge. Camping is $36.00 a night in 2026 plus tax, with water and electric hookups.

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

Get there early when the forecast is strong; the parking lot is small and it fills.
Rig and launch only in the day-use area, and wind your lines up when the kite is not flying.
Bring booties if you are learning or walking through the shallows.
Skip the north-heavy days if you want clean wind; a clean easterly is what works here.
Watch the tide: low water leaves the near-shore flats too shallow to ride, high water makes the launch choppier.
Book the campground far ahead or plan on a room in Marathon, because the sites go early.
The gate opens at 8 a.m. and closes at sundown, so a dawn session is the quiet one.
If you cannot get back upwind, plan on self-rescuing and wading in rather than being picked up.

Getting there

Airport

Florida Keys Marathon International Airport is in Marathon but mostly limited and general aviation. Most people fly into Key West International or Miami International and drive down.

Route

Curry Hammock State Park straddles US-1 around mile marker 56.2 on Crawl Key and Long Point Key. The facilities entrance is on the ocean side of US-1.

Transfer (minutes)

10-15 from central Marathon by car; about 60 from Key West International; about 120-150 from Miami International depending on traffic

Cost level

medium-high

Staying

Park camping, which books far ahead, or hotels and vacation rentals in Marathon.

No-wind days

kayaking · camping · beach time · fishing · Florida Keys wildlife and scenic drives

Photos

FAQ

When is the best time to kite at Curry Hammock?

The prime Keys season runs roughly October through May, with the best evidence pointing to clean easterly trade-wind days.

Is Curry Hammock suitable for beginners?

The main riding area is relatively flat and beginner-friendly, though instruction is recommended because of nearby channels and shallow hazards.

What are the launch rules at Curry Hammock?

As of 2026, Florida State Parks requires kites to be launched and landed only from the day-use area, with riding taking place at least 300 feet from shore.

What is the water like at Curry Hammock?

The main area is shallow, ankle-to-waist deep depending on tide, and flat to lightly choppy, with deeper boat channels suited to kitefoil or wing foil.

Are there kite schools near Curry Hammock?

Yes, including Otherside Boardsports and Florida Keys Kiteboarding.

The bigger pictureEverything about Florida Keys - Marathon

Last updated: August 2026