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Gulf Coast (TX/LA) · Jefferson Parish, Louisiana · Jefferson Parish · Grand Isle

Elmer's Island

also known as Elmer's Island Lagoon, Elmers Island, Elmer's Island Wildlife Refuge

lagoonbeginner-friendlylow crowds

On this page

Wind
- Month by month
Forecast
Water
Level
The scene
Launch
- Rescue
Hazards
Rules & access
Schools
Tips
Getting there
FAQ

Nearby Grand Isle 10 km · straight-line distance

Seasonno season namedthe months riders and schools name How windy13-20 ktmixed LaunchA large open refuge lagoon and beach, though the exact rigging boundaries and the vehicle and parking controls shift with refuge management.access rules on record, below Waterlagoon and Gulf beach30°C in summer · 13 things riders flag LevelBeginner to advancedwith a caveat, in the Level section Schools2named at this spot From the airport120 minInternational Airport (MSY)

On the clock

04:00 · 14:00

There is no afternoon build to wait for. Modelled odds of 12 kt or more sit near 37% at 04:00 and near 38% at 14:00, so a day either has wind from the start or it does not, and the sea breeze is not what carries this coast. The clock that matters is the gate: 30 minutes before official sunrise to 30 minutes after official sunset.

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.

Elmer's Island is south Louisiana's lagoon spot, inside a state wildlife refuge just west of Grand Isle. The lagoon is the reason to come: big, flat, waist deep, 3-5 feet throughout, soft mud bottom, and rideable on almost any wind direction.

Walk about 100 yards and you are on the Gulf beach with waves, which is a different session on the same afternoon. Everything around it is salt marsh, dune, tidal flat and back bay.

The refuge sets the timetable rather than the wind: you can be there from 30 minutes before official sunrise to 30 minutes after official sunset and no longer, no camping, and the whole place can close for storms or habitat work. Submerged crab traps are the hazard riders actually hit.

Nobody has published a wind average or a best-month list for the lagoon, so check what Grand Isle is forecast to do and drive out with a fallback.

The wind

Direction

Kite sizes

7891011121314151617

metres · typical quiver highlighted

Character

mixed

fills in: There is no afternoon build to wait for. Modelled odds of 12 kt or more sit near 37% at 04:00 and near 38% at 14:00, so a day either has wind from the start or it does not, and the sea breeze is not what carries this coast. The clock that matters is the gate: 30 minutes before official sunrise to 30 minutes after official sunset.

Typical strength

No station at the lagoon. Modelled daylight hours reach 12 kt or more about half the time from October through April, and roughly one hour in seven in July and August. On a day that works the range is around 13-20 kt, more on the leading edge of a front. Indicative, from modelling rather than a local record.

Flat water is the documented strength. Wind reliability and gustiness are unquantified.

October to April is the season. Modelled daylight hours make 12 kt or more roughly 45-50% of the time across those months, against 12-14% in July and August, so summer here is light-wind and foil territory. Winter wind arrives with cold fronts rather than with the afternoon, and comes with the coldest water of the year.

Indicative, no local measurement.

Thermal or synoptic

synoptic/frontal and sea-breeze winds

The quiver, in words

Nobody has published what riders here use, so this comes off the modelled wind range. For 75-85 kg on flat, waist-deep water: 12 m for the common 13-17 kt days, 9-10 m when a winter front pushes past 20 kt, 15 m or a foil through July and August when most afternoons stay under 12 kt. Indicative.

Direction to shore

Changes with where you stand on the lagoon. The Gulf beach side takes southerly Gulf wind head on, though that is unconfirmed as a preferred kite direction.

Dominant direction

Rideable in almost any direction, which is the point of a lagoon. The modelled year runs NNE and NE from November through January behind fronts, SE and ESE from March to May off the Gulf, SW and W through July and August, and E to ENE in the autumn. No local wind rose has been published.

Forecast

Month by month

Jan96
Feb82
Mar88
Apr93
May89
Jun76
Jul48
Aug63
Sep62
Oct72
Nov91
Dec86

per cent of the month at force 4 or more

18Jan15°
16Feb16°
16Mar21°
17Apr23°
15May27°
14Jun30°
11Jul32°
12Aug32°
13Sep30°
15Oct26°
17Nov22°
16Dec18°

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

Month	Force 4+	Knots	From	Air	Water
Jan	96%	17.7 kt	NE	14.2°C	15.3°C
Feb	82%	16.1 kt	SE	16.1°C	16.2°C
Mar	88%	16.4 kt	SE	19°C	20.5°C
Apr	93%	17.1 kt	SE	21.9°C	22.9°C
May	89%	15 kt	SE	25.8°C	27.4°C
Jun	76%	13.9 kt	SW	28.4°C	30°C
Jul	48%	11.1 kt	SW	28.9°C	31.7°C
Aug	63%	12.2 kt	SW	29.3°C	32.4°C
Sep	62%	13.1 kt	ESE	27.6°C	29.9°C
Oct	72%	14.8 kt	ENE	23.3°C	25.5°C
Nov	91%	17.1 kt	NE	20°C	22°C
Dec	86%	15.7 kt	NE	16.2°C	17.7°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 and Gulf beach

Standing depth

Waist deep for most riders, 3-5 feet throughout, over soft mud.

Tides

The refuge takes in tidal zone, dunes, open water, mangrove, back bay and salt marsh. The closest published water-level station is at Grand Isle.

Temperature

30°C summer · 18°C winter

Wetsuit

No spot-specific wetsuit guidance is confirmed. Grand Isle water runs hot in summer and cool to cold in winter, which is the closest thing you have to a guide.

Currents

No current has been described inside the lagoon. The Gulf beach and the Caminada Pass water off Grand Isle are a separate problem and should be treated as one.

15–32°C water

The kite feature is a big flatwater lagoon, with the Gulf beach and its waves about a 100-yard walk away. The rest of the refuge is saltwater marsh, coastal dune, beach, tidal zone and back bay.

Your level

beginnerintermediateadvanced

Flat, waist deep, forgiving: a good place to learn, with a school working out of it. The Gulf beach a short walk away has waves for riders who already know what they are doing. Beginners still want instruction here, because the refuge is remote and there are obstructions in the water.

The scene

What riders come here for

schoolingflat waterfreeridewavesfoiling

A remote spot for Louisiana locals and one school, built around flatwater learning, with Grand Isle fishing and beach life next door.

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: A large open refuge lagoon and beach, though the exact rigging boundaries and the vehicle and parking controls shift with refuge management.

access rules on record

Somewhere else

Grand Isle, 10 km

Grand Isle

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

Rescue

No kite rescue, no lifeguard, nobody watching the water. A school operates out of here but its cover does not extend to independent riders.

The nearest organised water rescue is the Coast Guard station at the eastern end of Grand Isle, and the way to raise anyone is 911. Ride with someone on the beach, and remember that after the gate hour nobody is left to notice.

Launch

Rig and launch around the lagoon and the parking area inside Elmer's Island Wildlife Refuge, inside the posted access hours and around any temporary closure. The Gulf beach is a short walk over the sand.

Space

A large open refuge lagoon and beach, though the exact rigging boundaries and the vehicle and parking controls shift with refuge management.

Hazards riders report 13

submerged crab traps or similar obstructions
night gate closure
soft mud bottom
remote refuge access
gate/access closure outside permitted hours
no overnight use
no glass containers
temporary LDWF closures after storms or for refuge protection
Gulf beach waves and possible currents outside the lagoon
hurricanes and coastal storm damage
Areas signed as restricted are closed to people and vehicles, and vehicles are held to 5 mph inside the refuge.
July and August are the light months: most afternoons never reach 12 kt, so a long drive can end in a fishing session.
Nobody is watching the water and the nearest help is back on Grand Isle.

Rules & access

2026: use of the refuge and of its land access routes is permitted only from 30 minutes before official sunrise to 30 minutes after official sunset, and no person or vehicle may remain there outside those hours. No glass bottles or other glass containers. No firearms, bows or crossbows. No commercial fishing, no guiding service, and no hunting or disturbing wildlife beyond the legal recreational harvest. Areas signed as restricted are closed to people and vehicles, vehicle speed is capped at 5 mph, and the department may restrict access to all or part of the refuge to protect the refuge or the public. The instrument is Louisiana Administrative Code title 76 section III-337, promulgated June 2010 and amended 1 June 2022; it carries no kite-specific clause either way.

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

Rider tips

Check refuge status before you drive; storms and management work shut the access with no notice.
Be off the water and out through the gate inside the 30 minutes after sunset.
Keep looking for submerged crab traps, including in the middle of the lagoon.
Learn in the lagoon and treat the Gulf side over the dunes as a separate session with its own waves and hazards.
Pack a rod. Fishing is the standard fallback out here when the wind dies.
Plan the trip for October to April. Summer is warm, flat and mostly windless.
Do not wait for an afternoon thermal: the wind here does not build on a daily cycle, so read the forecast and go early if it is there.
Use Faa Road for the entrance. Phone navigation sends people to the wrong turn.

Getting there

Airport

Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport (MSY)

Route

Drive south from the New Orleans area toward Grand Isle on LA-1. iPhone navigation sends people to the wrong turn; use Faa Road for the Elmer's entrance.

Transfer

120 min

Cost level

medium

Staying

Grand Isle is the closest bed and the closest rental. Wider hotel choice is back north through Galliano and Houma toward New Orleans.

No-wind days

Fishing, kayaking, paddling, birding inside the refuge, wildlife watching, and the Grand Isle beaches.

FAQ

Is Elmer's Island good for beginners?

Yes: the flatwater lagoon is described as great for learning, generally waist deep to 3-5 feet with a soft mud bottom, while the adjacent Gulf beach offers waves for more experienced riders.

What is the water like at Elmer's Island?

The main feature is a large flatwater lagoon rideable in almost any wind direction, separated from the open Gulf beach by a roughly 100-yard walk.

Are there rules or access hours at Elmer's Island?

As of 2026, Louisiana rules permit use of the wildlife refuge only from 30 minutes before sunrise to 30 minutes after sunset, with no overnight activity, no camping and no glass containers, and the state can close parts of the refuge for public safety or habitat protection.

What are the hazards at Elmer's Island?

Submerged crab traps or similar obstructions, soft mud bottom, remote refuge access, and the strict gate closure outside permitted hours are the main documented hazards.

Last updated: August 2026