Lac Bay / Sorobon

Lac Bay is a 700-hectare shallow lagoon on Bonaire's windward SE coast, ringed by one of the Caribbean's best-preserved mangrove forests and closed off from the open Caribbean Sea by a barrier reef. That reef tames the swell entering the bay while nearly constant easterly trade winds blow straight across it, making Sorobon (the bay's kite/windsurf corner) one of the world's great flat-water freestyle and learning venues - five of the world's top-ten ranked freestyle windsurfers have come from Bonaire.

beginnerflat waterfreestylefoil

coast at Lac Bai (Bonaire), the exact bay — Paul Arps from The Netherlands / CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons

road sign to Jibe City, the windsurf/kite hub at Lac Bay — Paul Arps from The Netherlands / CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons

surfer paradise Bonaire, water sport scenery — Dronepicr / CC BY 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons

Wind

best months	Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul
season notes	Bonaire sits in the steady NE-E trade-wind belt with wind on most days of the year; strongest and most consistent in the winter/spring trade-wind season.
avg knots	12-20
wind name	NE-E trade winds
direction to shore	cross/cross-onshore (bay is on the windward side of the island)
quality	steady
typical kite sizes	9-12m

Water

type	lagoon
temp summer c	28
temp winter c	26
wetsuit	boardshorts/bikini year-round for most riders
currents	Generally mild inside the reef-protected lagoon
standing depth	Large stand-up-depth flat-water area typical of the lagoon, with a barrier reef across the bay's mouth letting riders choose from flat water to small wind-swell

Levels

beginner	yes
intermediate	yes
advanced	yes
notes	The barrier reef across the mouth of the bay allows riders of all skill levels to pick the conditions they want, from glassy flat water to light chop; long recognized as one of the world's top freestyle-windsurfing training grounds

Launch & crowd

description	Sandy beach launch at Sorobon on the lagoon's edge
vibe	Long-standing windsurf/kite institution; historically home to the Jibe City windsurf center, described as an 'ultimate windsurfing hangout'

Hazards

shallow reef and coral at the bay mouth
protected mangrove ecosystem - riding restrictions to protect it are common at lagoon spots like this

Travel basics

airport	BON - Flamingo International Airport
no wind	Bonaire is also a world-class scuba diving destination for no-wind days

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · en.wikivoyage.org