MapVenezuelaEl Yaque, Isla MargaritaEl YaqueEl Yaque, Isla Margarita

El Yaque

Nueva Esparta State · El Yaque, Isla Margarita · Municipio Díaz · El Yaque; nearest larger city Porlamar

also known as Playa El Yaque, Isla Margarita / El Yaque, Kitebeach El Yaque

Part of El Yaque, Isla Margarita →

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec

beginner-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–Jul

Months riders and schools name

How windy

15-30 kt

Character: trade · cross-shore

Room to launch

tight

access rules on record, below

Water

mixed

28 °C in summerMain El Yaque is flat to choppy rather than pure butter-flat

Hazards

Reported by riders

Level

Beginner to advanced

With a caveat: see Your level

BeginnerIntermediateAdvanced

Crowds

medium crowds · busy Feb Mar Apr May

Schools

named at this spot

From the airport

Porlamar (PMV)

Transfer times under Getting there

On the clock

18:00 · 18:45

Light in the morning, building from around midday, strongest through mid-afternoon, then easing towards a sunset that falls around 18:00-18:45 local time. Mornings are the learning and family window; the marked kite, windsurf and swimming zones are in force roughly from mid-morning to mid-afternoon.

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.

Nearbystraight-line distance

Isla de Coche10 km

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

Arayano page yet
La Restingano page yet
Kitebeach El Yaquealso a name for this spot
Isla de Coche / Playa La Punta
Isla Cubaguano page yet
Macanao / Funeral Pointno page yet

The spot

Location and basics

El Yaque is a windsurf and kite village on the south coast of Isla Margarita, a few minutes from PMV airport. Warm water, easterly trade wind, schools on the sand, and shallow ground where progression is realistic as long as you respect the zones.

Water and layout

Do not come expecting an empty lagoon. The main beach runs flat to choppy, the sand strip and the dedicated kite launch are tight, and the cleanest flat water is upwind at Kitebeach by boat shuttle or across at Coche.

Wind patterns

Mornings are light, the wind builds from midday, and the afternoon is the powered session, gustier the closer you are to the beach.

Seasons

February to May or June is the strong season, with useful wind often running into July and coming back from October or December depending on which account you take.

Learning and progression

Beginners do learn here with schools and boat support, but riding independently means taking the launch, the zoning and the afternoon gusts seriously.

Current conditions

The place is cheaper and less internationally crowded than at its peak, though weekends and holidays still fill the beach.

The wind

locals call it trade winds

Direction

cross-shoreE to ENE

Kite sizes

567891011121314

metres · typical quiver highlighted

The quiver, in words

For a 75-85 kg rider the 9 m is the everyday afternoon kite from February to May, with a 7 m for the strongest afternoons in that window. A 12 m covers mornings year-round and most of the lighter August-to-November stretch, where a foil buys extra sessions. Unconfirmed against a local rider survey.

Character

trade

When it fills in: see above ↑

Average strength

About 12 kt as a year-round mean, from roughly 13.4 kt in April down to about 8.9 kt in September; the midday-to-evening mean runs about 1 kt higher again, and gusts to 35 kt occur in peak season.

Typical strength

15-30 kt in peak season, with afternoons usually in the 18-25 kt band and stronger gusts on top. In the measured hourly record 66-70% of March, April and May hours reach 12 kt or more and about 25-28% reach 15 kt; in August and September that falls to 15-18% and under 4%.

Generally reliable easterly trades, but wind is gustier close to shore, with stronger/gustier afternoons from February to May.

February to May is the core, with roughly 66-70% of hours at 12 kt or more in March, April and May and wind on nearly every day. December and January build back toward it, around 42-50%.

July tails off, and August and September are the quiet months at 15-18% of hours over 12 kt, with tropical depressions interrupting what is left; October and November sit in between. The dry, sunny high season from December to April or May is what the village runs on, and February to June is the windiest stretch of it.

Forecast

Live forecast

Windguru Windfinder Windy

Month by month

13 ktJan25°
13 ktFeb24°
13 ktMar24°
13 ktApr25°
12 ktMay26°
12 ktJun26°
11 ktJul27°
10 ktAug27°
10 ktSep28°
10 ktOct28°
11 ktNov27°
12 ktDec26°

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

Modelled monthly averages. Highlighted: the months riders and schools name (Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Jun, Oct, Nov, Dec, Jan, Jul).

Modelled from weather reanalysis on a 10–25 km grid (1980-2016 (satellite-era reanalysis climatology)), not a ground station: reliable for trade and synoptic winds, understates thermal sea breezes and valley winds.

Every figure, month by monthKnots · Wind from · Air · Water

Month	Knots	Wind from	Air	Water
Jan	12.7 kt	E	26.1 °C	25 °C
Feb	13.2 kt	E	26.1 °C	24.4 °C
Mar	13.1 kt	E	26.7 °C	24.4 °C
Apr	12.6 kt	E	27.2 °C	25 °C
May	12.1 kt	E	27.8 °C	26.1 °C
Jun	11.7 kt	E	27.8 °C	26.1 °C
Jul	10.8 kt	E	27.8 °C	26.7 °C
Aug	9.7 kt	E	28.3 °C	27.2 °C
Sep	9.6 kt	E	28.3 °C	27.8 °C
Oct	9.9 kt	E	28.3 °C	27.8 °C
Nov	10.9 kt	E	27.8 °C	27.2 °C
Dec	12.1 kt	E	26.7 °C	26.1 °C

How this is modelledmodelled · 1980-2016 (satellite-era reanalysis climatology)

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.

Porlamar, Isla Margarita, Venezuela · Weatherspark (NASA MERRA-2 reanalysis) · 1980-2016 (satellite-era reanalysis climatology)

The water

Type

mixed

Standing depth

Waist- to chest-deep water carries a long way out from the village beach over clean sand with no coral, with some accounts putting the shallow band at roughly 300 m offshore; the shallowest and flattest ground is upwind at Kitebeach, which is reachable only by boat.Depth is not uniform.Parts of the El Yaque frontage run 1-2 m and deeper, and further out the chop builds and waves can reach around 1.5 m.

Tides

Tide independent in practice. How much the tide moves the bay in 2026 is unconfirmed, and no local detail on it exists.

Temperature

28 °C summer · 28 °C winter

Modelled monthly average: 24–28 °C

Wetsuit

Shorts/boardshorts or rashguard normally; some riders use a shorty in early/late winter sessions.

Currents

No strong set is documented at the main bay. The side-shore trade wind makes the return to the beach straightforward, which is much of why the spot forgives beginners; the caution local operators give is about how far offshore you go in strong wind, not about a stream carrying you away.Downwind optionsThe real committing move is downwind: La Punta is about 2 km, Manglillo about 3 km and Punta Carnero about 4.5 km, and the way back is a boat or a road ride rather than a fight against current. Behaviour on spring tides is unconfirmed.

Conditions

Main El Yaque is flat to choppy rather than pure butter-flat. The upwind Kitebeach option is flatter, boat-accessible, and suitable for downwinders back to El Yaque. The bottom is sandy at El Yaque; the downwind lagoon has seaweed and possible jellyfish.

Upwind 'waves' can produce small waves when swell periods/heights line up.

Your level

BeginnerIntermediateAdvanced

Shallow water, schools on the beach and lighter morning wind make this a workable place to learn, but the kite area and the launch are narrow and beginners need supervision. Intermediates and advanced riders get the stronger afternoon, the freeride and freestyle water, the Kitebeach shuttle and downwinders, Coche and Cubagua trips, and the occasional small-wave section.

The scene

What riders come here for

freestyleflat waterfreerideprogressionshallow-water lessonswindsurf crossoverdownwinders

Who it suitsbeginner

Long-running windsurf/kite village with beach bars, schools, simple hotels, and a rider scene. International rider traffic appears lower than El Yaque's historic peak, but weekends and holidays can still pack the beach while the water remains relatively spacious.

Launch and rules

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

With a school or a boat

4 schools name this spot

See who they are

On your own

Room to launch: tight

Read the access rules

Somewhere else

1 spot nearby

Isla de Coche10 km

The one spot within 40 km is under Nearby

Rescue

Water safety

No fixed public lifeguard service.

Water safety is carried by the kite and windsurf schools and their own support boats: the IKO centre in the village puts a private assistance boat and instructor on every course, recovers boards from the boat, and sells supervision by boat to independent riders who want cover.

Boats round the downwind points constantly and can be waved down for a lift back with your gear for a few dollars.

There is no shore-based public rescue to fall back on, so ride within your own range or pay for the boat.

Launch

A sandy beach in front of the village, the hotels, the bars and the schools. The dedicated launch and landing area is very tiny, with the kite zones upwind of the windsurfers and marked by buoys, and the sand strip is narrow rather than wide.

Hazards riders report 16 reported

Wind

afternoon gusts
Gusty wind close to the beach, especially stronger afternoons

Crowds and zones

Shared water with windsurfers, swimmers, schools, and beach users; respect kite, windsurf, and swimming zones
Downwind runs commit you to a boat or a road ride home: La Punta about 2 km, Manglillo about 3 km, Punta Carnero about 4.5 km

Bottom

shell-covered bottom in places nearby (e.g. La Restinga) - watch footing when rigging
Rocks, trees, and bystanders are listed as beach hazards.
Rocks, trees and bystanders close behind a narrow beach
Sea grass on the bottom at Manglillo that can sting

Waves and currents

Chop and waves of around 1.5 m build well offshore even when the inshore water looks flat

Protected areas and rules

Downwind lagoon reports mention seaweed and possible jellyfish
Seaweed and possible jellyfish in the downwind lagoon

Other

shared launch area with many schools in peak season
Very limited launch/landing space at the dedicated kite area
Strong sun and dehydration risk
Personal security and unattended valuables require care.
Narrow sand strip with little natural shade; the shade comes from the beach bars

Rules & access

1 min read

2026: no municipal kite permit or ordinance was found.

Operational zoning separates kite, windsurf and swimming areas with buoys and is in force roughly from mid-morning to mid-afternoon, when the schools are running; all-day kite launching and landing is legal only at the windward kite-centre area, while the windsurf and hotel frontage allows kiting only before 09:30 and after 17:30 under club-agreed safety rules.

If you are not sailing, stay inside the marked swimming zone.

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

Use the morning for lighter-wind practice and the afternoon for powered riding, and expect the gusts to be worst close to shore.
Book the first sessions with a school if you are not fully independent; the launch and the zones are constrained.
Ask before launching from the windsurf or hotel frontage. Away from the kite-centre area it is only legal before 09:30 and after 17:30.
For flatter water, take the boat shuttle upwind to Kitebeach or the 20-30 minute crossing to Isla de Coche rather than assuming the main bay is glassy.
Araya is a 1.5-2 hour boat trip for flat water and dolphin sightings in February-March; La Restinga is the local wave option for surfboard-style riding.
If a downwinder ends at La Punta or Manglillo, wave down one of the boats rounding the point; a few dollars gets you and your gear back to the village.
Carry small US dollar notes. Cash dollars are what people use and prices move quickly.
Take a rashguard, high-SPF sunscreen, hat, sunglasses, water and water shoes; the sand strip is narrow and the only shade is the beach bars.
Avoid August and September if wind is the point of the trip. They are the two weakest months of the year here.

Getting there

Airport

Santiago Mariño Caribbean International Airport / Porlamar (PMV)

Route

Fly into PMV on Isla Margarita, or arrive by ferry at Punta de Piedras, then take a taxi or a hotel or school transfer to El Yaque. International routings often go via Caracas and a domestic flight to PMV; confirm current routes before booking.

Transfer

5-10 minutes from PMV by taxi; about 25-30 minutes by car from Porlamar; about 30 minutes by taxi from Punta de Piedras ferry dock.

Cost level

low to medium; 2026 local guidance and MargaritaKite quote restaurant dinners from about US$7 and rooms roughly US$30-60, but prices are volatile and commonly cash-dollar based.

Staying

Beachfront and village posadas, apartments, boutique hotels and kite-friendly stays, about 20 places to stay in the village in 2026, plus guesthouses, shops, restaurants and bars along the beach.

No-wind days

La Restinga National Park boat ride and beach, other Margarita beaches, hiking in the island mountains, Fortin La Galera sunset in Juan Griego, shopping/dining in Porlamar, and day trips to Coche or Los Roques where logistics allow.

Photos

FAQ

Is El Yaque suitable for beginners?

Yes, with a school: shallow water and lighter morning wind support beginners, though the dedicated launch is narrow and best used with supervision.

When is the best time?

February to May or June is the strongest core season, with a practical window often extending from October through July.

What is the wind like?

Easterly trade winds build from late morning and reach 15-30 kt in peak season, gustier close to shore, with a historical annual average around 13 kt.

Are there rules?

As of 2026, kite, windsurf and swim zones are separated by buoys; all-day kite launching is allowed only at the windward kite-center area, while the hotel frontage permits kiting only before 09:30 and after 17:30.

How do you get there?

Santiago Mariño Caribbean International Airport (PMV) is just 5-10 minutes away by taxi.

The bigger pictureEverything about El Yaque, Isla Margarita

Last updated: August 2026