Nearby Skyway Beach 8 km · Pass-a-Grille Beach 9 km · Lassing Park 18 km · Picnic Island Park 31 km · Lido Beach / Big Pass 37 km · straight-line distance
When it fills in
Frontal wind has no daily onset. It arrives with the system, holds for a day or more and can blow overnight, which is what the four-to-seven-day cycle means in practice. No fill-in or drop-off time is documented for the lighter sea-breeze days, and the gate hours bite before the wind does: the park closes at sunset.
The wind
locals call it Florida cold fronts and sea breeze
Direction
Kite sizes
metres · typical quiver highlighted
Character
mixed
fills in: Frontal wind has no daily onset. It arrives with the system, holds for a day or more and can blow overnight, which is what the four-to-seven-day cycle means in practice. No fill-in or drop-off time is documented for the lighter sea-breeze days, and the gate hours bite before the wind does: the park closes at sunset.
Typical strength
Cold fronts through the October-to-May window come on a four-to-seven-day cycle and bring the strong days, called locally at 25-35 knots at the peak and easing over the days after. Spring and autumn sea breeze sits around 10-15 knots and summer is often below that. Figures are for the St. Petersburg area; no station average is published for the park itself.
Also on record
15-30 on fronts, 10-15 on summer sea breeze
The quiver, in words
7-12m
Direction to shore
East Beach works NE, E, SE, S and SSW; North Beach is reported best on SW and NW.
Forecast
Month by month
- Jan, riders' month94
- Feb, riders' month88
- Mar, riders' month86
- Apr, riders' month96
- May91
- Jun83
- Jul65
- Aug81
- Sep84
- Oct, riders' month89
- Nov, riders' month87
- Dec, riders' month90
per cent of the month at force 4 or more
Ringed months are the ones riders and schools name: Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, Oct, Nov, Dec.
- 17Jan17°
- 16Feb19°
- 17Mar23°
- 17Apr25°
- 16May28°
- 15Jun30°
- 12Jul32°
- 14Aug32°
- 16Sep30°
- 17Oct26°
- 16Nov23°
- 16Dec19°
avg knots per month · water °C below · season highlighted
| Month | Force 4+ | Knots | From | Air | Water |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 94% | 17.2 kt | N | 16.5°C | 17.3°C |
| Feb | 88% | 15.9 kt | NNE | 17.7°C | 19°C |
| Mar | 86% | 16.9 kt | S | 20.9°C | 22.9°C |
| Apr | 96% | 17.3 kt | E | 22.7°C | 24.8°C |
| May | 91% | 15.6 kt | WNW | 25.4°C | 28°C |
| Jun | 83% | 14.9 kt | WSW | 27.2°C | 30°C |
| Jul | 65% | 12.2 kt | SE | 28.5°C | 32°C |
| Aug | 81% | 14.4 kt | E | 28.5°C | 31.7°C |
| Sep | 84% | 15.7 kt | ENE | 27.3°C | 30.4°C |
| Oct | 89% | 16.9 kt | NE | 24°C | 26.2°C |
| Nov | 87% | 16.4 kt | NNE | 21.7°C | 23.2°C |
| Dec | 90% | 16.3 kt | NE | 17.8°C | 19.1°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
mixed
Standing depth
East Beach flats run knee-to-waist deep out to a sandbar about 1,400 ft offshore, averaging around 3 ft from the launch east toward the Skyway channel and 2-4 ft inside the bar on a higher tide.On a very low tide the main riding area can be an inch or two deep and the standable pools sit close to the bar. North Beach has shallow flats near the inlet, with sections too shallow to fall in.
Tides
East Beach is less tide-driven than most launches in the area. With any east in the wind the Skyway Bridge shelters the water and it stays flat even on a high tide; a south wind on a high tide makes it choppy. A handful of extra-low tides a year leave almost no water on the flats.North Beach shape and inlet current turn with the tide.
Temperature
30°C summer · 19°C winter
Wetsuit
Usually boardshorts; a shorty can be useful during colder winter weeks.
Currents
Light at East Beach, which is part of why it jumps and rides upwind so well. Stronger inlet and lagoon currents around North Beach and Bunces Pass.
Your level
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
3 schools name this spot
On your own
Room to launch: East Beach has abundant grassy setup space but can still crowd on strong forecasts; North Beach has a medium sandy beach and a longer walk.
Somewhere else
Skyway Beach, 8 km
Every spot within 40 km is on the map at the top of this page, with its distance under it.
Rescue
Launch
East Beach: drive the park road past the East Beach sign to where it ends and opens out, park along the roadside and rig on the grass; the usual line-up starts about 50 yards before the lone tree and stone bench. Park uniformly along the road so others have space.North Beach: park in the last lot, cross the pedestrian bridge and walk to the north end toward Bunces Pass, rigging outside the swim zone and outside the no-boating buoys.
Space
East Beach has abundant grassy setup space but can still crowd on strong forecasts; North Beach has a medium sandy beach and a longer walk.
Rules & access
Access rules drift faster than anything else we hold — check locally, and propose an edit if this has changed.
Rider tips
- Choose the launch off the wind first: East Beach for NE, E, SE, S and SSW, North Beach only on SW or NW and only with inlet experience.
- Check the tide before you drive. East Beach goes too shallow on a very low tide, and the inlet current at North Beach turns with it.
- Wear shoes at both beaches. Shells, oysters, mucky bottom in the bay, fire ants in the grass where you rig.
- Walk around the mangroves downwind of East Beach, never through them with the kite up.
- Pack up before sunset when the park closes, and bring $6 for parking (2026).
- Wrong direction for both beaches: the Skyway North Fishing Pier nearby works in most wind directions.
- New at North Beach: body-drag out past the swim area before you waterstart. That is the local expectation, not a suggestion.
- Park uniformly along the East Beach roadside. Space to rig is the thing that runs out on a strong forecast, not water.
- In stone crab season keep off the trap buoys. A line around one can relaunch a kite you have just put down.
Getting there
Airport
Tampa International Airport (TPA) or St. Pete-Clearwater International Airport (PIE)
Route
Drive south through Tierra Verde on Pinellas Bayway South to the end; there is a toll booth on the Bayway before the park entrance, then the park parking fee. Inside the park, turn left at the first intersection and head east for East Beach, following the road to where it opens out past the restrooms and pavilions.North Beach is the last parking lot, then over the pedestrian bridge on foot.
Transfer
45 min
Cost level
medium
Staying
Fort De Soto has a 236-site family campground; wider hotel and rental options are in St. Petersburg, St. Pete Beach and Tierra Verde.
No-wind days
Historic fort, beaches, fishing piers, campground, paved recreation trail, canoe trail, kayak and bicycle rentals, ferry service to Egmont Key and Shell Key.
FAQ
Is Fort De Soto Park good for beginners?
East Beach is repeatedly described as beginner friendly, with shallow flat Tampa Bay water protected by sandbars, while North Beach is expert-only because of inlet current and boat traffic.
What is the wind like at Fort De Soto Park?
Winter cold fronts bring the strongest wind, roughly 15-30 knots, spring and fall sea breeze runs about 10-15 knots, and summer is usually light.
When is the best time to kite Fort De Soto Park?
October through April is the best window, spanning both the winter frontal season and the spring/fall sea-breeze periods.
Are there rules at Fort De Soto Park?
As of 2026 the park is open 7 a.m. to sunset with a $6 parking fee, and riders must stay out of swim zones and avoid the North Beach lagoon/no-boating-buoy area.
Last updated: August 2026