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Gulf Coast (TX/LA) · Jefferson Parish, Louisiana · Jefferson Parish
Grand Isle
also known as Grand Isle Beach
Nearby Elmer's Island 10 km · straight-line distance
When it fills in
No daily rhythm to plan a session around. Frontal wind blows through the night, and across the stronger half of the year the share of hours over 12 kt is highest before dawn and lowest in mid-afternoon. Indicative; whether a summer sea breeze builds on the Gulf side in the usual afternoon pattern is unconfirmed here.
The wind
Direction
Kite sizes
metres · typical quiver highlighted
Character
mixed
fills in: No daily rhythm to plan a session around. Frontal wind blows through the night, and across the stronger half of the year the share of hours over 12 kt is highest before dawn and lowest in mid-afternoon. Indicative; whether a summer sea breeze builds on the Gulf side in the usual afternoon pattern is unconfirmed here.
Typical strength
Windier in winter than in summer, which is the opposite of most holiday assumptions. A 2019-2024 reanalysis for the island gives November-April means of 12-13 kt with about half of all hours at 12 kt or more, and July-August means of 8-9 kt with only 15-17%; the annual mean is close to 11 kt. Indicative - the short local station record and this model grid are all there is, and neither sits on the kite stretch.
Thermal or synoptic
synoptic/frontal and sea-breeze winds
Also on record
12
The quiver, in words
Nothing published by riders here. With most working days between 12 and 18 kt, a 75-85 kg rider lands on 10-12 m for the frontal days and 13-14 m through the summer, dropping to 8-9 m behind a strong front. Indicative, read off the wind distribution.
Direction to shore
The Gulf beach faces about south-southeast, with the shoreline running roughly 058-238 degrees. South and southeast blow straight in, southwest and east come across the sand, and the north to northeast behind a winter front is offshore - on that side of a front you are riding away from the island. Read off shoreline orientation.
Dominant direction
SE on the annual average at the Grand Isle Blocks station. Which directions ride best here is unconfirmed.
Forecast
Month by month
- Jan97
- Feb88
- Mar91
- Apr97
- May90
- Jun77
- Jul54
- Aug70
- Sep58
- Oct82
- Nov96
- Dec90
per cent of the month at force 4 or more
- 19Jan16°
- 17Feb17°
- 17Mar21°
- 18Apr23°
- 15May27°
- 14Jun30°
- 11Jul32°
- 13Aug32°
- 14Sep30°
- 16Oct26°
- 18Nov23°
- 17Dec18°
avg knots per month · water °C below · season highlighted
| Month | Force 4+ | Knots | From | Air | Water |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 97% | 18.9 kt | NE | 14.9°C | 15.8°C |
| Feb | 88% | 17 kt | SSE | 16.1°C | 16.5°C |
| Mar | 91% | 17 kt | SE | 18.9°C | 20.6°C |
| Apr | 97% | 17.5 kt | SE | 21.7°C | 22.8°C |
| May | 90% | 15.1 kt | SE | 25.5°C | 27.2°C |
| Jun | 77% | 14.2 kt | SW | 28.1°C | 29.7°C |
| Jul | 54% | 11.3 kt | SW | 28.9°C | 31.5°C |
| Aug | 70% | 12.5 kt | SW | 29.3°C | 32.3°C |
| Sep | 58% | 13.5 kt | ENE | 27.7°C | 30°C |
| Oct | 82% | 15.7 kt | NE | 23.6°C | 25.8°C |
| Nov | 96% | 18.1 kt | ENE | 20.5°C | 22.5°C |
| Dec | 90% | 16.8 kt | NE | 16.8°C | 18.3°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
gulf barrier-island beach
Tides
Small and diurnal. The mean range at the Grand Isle gauge is about 1.0 ft, near 0.3 m, on the 2012-2016 datum epoch, so the tide moves the sandbars and the wading depth more than it moves the session.
Temperature
31°C summer · 16°C winter
Wetsuit
Warm-water gear through summer. Behind a winter cold front a full suit earns its place, with water around 12-20 C and January averaging about 15.9 C.
Currents
Longshore current runs on the Gulf side. No measured range for the kite stretch is confirmed.
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: long public beach with variable space around access points, beach users and fishing setups
Somewhere else
Elmer's Island, 10 km
Every spot within 40 km is on the map at the top of this page, with its distance under it.
Rescue
Launch
Use the public crossovers and access points along the island. The mid-island stretch by the Sureway Supermarket is the one riders name, where intermittent rock jetties throw up waves on one side and leave flatter, protected water on the other.
Space
long public beach with variable space around access points, beach users and fishing setups
Rules & access
Access rules drift faster than anything else we hold — check locally, and propose an edit if this has changed.
Rider tips
- Ride the mid-island stretch by the Sureway Supermarket; the jetties there give you small waves on one side and flatter water on the other.
- Call a Louisiana school or a local rider for current access before you drive down.
- Rig well clear of fishing lines and crab lines. Both are strung off the beach and neither is easy to see.
- Stay off the rock jetties unless you are confident in the wind, the current and the swell.
- Check road status and evacuation orders before committing to a trip in hurricane season.
- Park at the beach crossovers, never on a driveway or a private lot.
- Come for the cold half of the year. November to April is when the fronts run and roughly half the hours reach 12 kt; July and August are the dead months.
- There are no lifeguards anywhere on the island's beaches. The state park hangs life rings, and that is the extent of it.
- Behind a front the wind swings north and blows offshore; that is the moment to be on the bay side or on the beach.
Getting there
Airport
Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport (MSY)
Route
Drive from New Orleans area via US-90 / LA-1 through Golden Meadow and Port Fourchon to Grand Isle.
Transfer
120 min
Cost level
medium
Staying
Grand Isle State Park camping and local island rentals/hotels are available; no kite-specific lodging.
No-wind days
Surf fishing, pier fishing, crabbing, beach walks, birding, Grand Isle State Park trails and nature areas, and Louisiana coastal food stops.
FAQ
Where do you launch at Grand Isle?
Riders use public beach crossovers along the seven-mile island, with the mid-island Sureway Supermarket area highlighted for its intermittent rock jetties.
Are there rules at Grand Isle?
As of 2026, Grand Isle State Park charges $3 admission with gate hours 7 a.m. to 9 p.m., and permitted beach carts and UTVs may drive from 30 minutes before sunrise to 30 minutes after sundown at 10 mph or less.
What are the hazards at Grand Isle?
Fishing and crab lines, rock jetties, longshore current on the Gulf side, and hurricane-season closures or evacuations are the documented hazards.
Last updated: August 2026