Map › USA › Lakes Bay & North Brigantine › Lakes Bay
New Jersey · Atlantic City / Lakes Bay · Atlantic County · Pleasantville, New Jersey
Lakes Bay
also known as Lake's Bay, Lakes Bay Preserve, Lakes Bay / Bay Drive, Bayport Drive
Nearby North Brigantine 13 km · 25th Street LBI 38 km · straight-line distance
On the clock
08:00 · 15:00 · 16:00
Mornings are the quietest part of the day. Modelled hourly wind over the bay climbs from about 7 knots at 08:00 to a peak around 15:00-16:00, holds into the early evening and falls away after sunset — the sea-breeze and gradient pattern the summer months run on. Pre-frontal southwesterlies ignore all of that and can blow through the night. Reanalysis figures for the cell, not a beach sensor.
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.
The wind
locals call it New Jersey summer SW thermal and frontal winds
Direction
Kite sizes
metres · typical quiver highlighted
Character
mixed
fills in: Mornings are the quietest part of the day. Modelled hourly wind over the bay climbs from about 7 knots at 08:00 to a peak around 15:00-16:00, holds into the early evening and falls away after sunset — the sea-breeze and gradient pattern the summer months run on. Pre-frontal southwesterlies ignore all of that and can blow through the night. Reanalysis figures for the cell, not a beach sensor.
Typical strength
16-21 knots is the figure quoted for windsurfing at Lakes Bay; no kite-specific local wind-speed range is published.
The quiver, in words
No local size table exists. Indicative for a 75-85 kg rider, worked back from the 16-21 knot figure quoted for the bay and from modelled summer wind that sits well below that most days: a 12 m is the kite that actually gets used, covering the 12-16 knot afternoons that make up the majority of rideable days; a 9 or 10 m suits the 16-21 knot band; a 7 m is for the pre-frontal southwesterlies that overrun it.Flat shallow water and a small launch argue for going a size down rather than up.
Direction to shore
S to SW is onshore to side-onshore for the SSW-facing bay venue; exact angle depends on launch point.
Dominant direction
SW is best; S and W also work. The usable band runs ESE through WSW, and any north in the wind turns it too gusty.
Forecast
Month by month
- Jan27
- Feb26
- Mar27
- Apr22
- May, riders' month5
- Jun, riders' month23
- Jul, riders' month6
- Aug, riders' month11
- Sep, riders' month7
- Oct, riders' month10
- Nov23
- Dec18
windy days per month (3 h+ at 12 kn+)
Ringed months are the ones riders and schools name: May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct.
- 27%Jan6°
- 26%Feb6°
- 27%Mar8°
- 22%Apr12°
- 5%May16°
- 23%Jun20°
- 6%Jul24°
- 11%Aug23°
- 7%Sep23°
- 10%Oct19°
- 23%Nov14°
- 18%Dec8°
windy days per month (3 h+ at 12 kn+) · water °C below · season highlighted
| Month | Windy days | Force 4+ | 12 kn or more | Knots | From | Peaks at | Air | Water | Readings |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 27% | 48% | 42% | 11.7 kt | WNW | 14:00 | 3.5°C | 5.6°C | 62 |
| Feb | 26% | 39% | 33% | 11.1 kt | WNW | 13:00 | 4.7°C | 5.8°C | 57 |
| Mar | 27% | 58% | 47% | 12.5 kt | W | 14:00 | 7.7°C | 7.7°C | 62 |
| Apr | 22% | 50% | 37% | 11.8 kt | S | 15:00 | 12.1°C | 11.6°C | 60 |
| May | 5% | 45% | 29% | 10.8 kt | ENE | 14:00 | 15.8°C | 16°C | 62 |
| Jun | 23% | 57% | 45% | 11.8 kt | S | 15:00 | 21.5°C | 20.3°C | 60 |
| Jul | 6% | 35% | 26% | 10.2 kt | S | 15:00 | 25°C | 23.7°C | 62 |
| Aug | 11% | 39% | 24% | 10.4 kt | S | 15:00 | 24.1°C | 23.1°C | 62 |
| Sep | 7% | 40% | 20% | 10.4 kt | NE | 14:00 | 21°C | 23.2°C | 60 |
| Oct | 10% | 27% | 18% | 9.4 kt | W | 14:00 | 15.5°C | 18.6°C | 62 |
| Nov | 23% | 42% | 32% | 10.6 kt | NW | 13:00 | 10.4°C | 13.6°C | 60 |
| Dec | 18% | 44% | 35% | 11 kt | W | 13:00 | 5.2°C | 7.9°C | 62 |
modelled
A weather model's cell over this place, not a station on it. Good for comparing places, weaker for one beach.
Modelled from the operational forecast archive at 1.5–7 km (2023-2024), daylight hours only, not a ground station: it resolves thermal, lake and valley winds far better than coarse reanalysis but still tends to understate a strong local thermal. A windy day has at least three consecutive daylight hours at 12 knots or more. 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.
High-resolution weather model (modelled) · Open-Meteo historical forecast archive — best-match operational model (ICON-D2 / AROME / ICON-EU / GFS by region), not a ground station · 2023-2024
The water
Type
bay
Standing depth
Shallow flat water is described; riding about 1/2 mile upwind toward the marsh reaches waist-deep dead-flat water.
Tides
Two highs and two lows a day, with a mean range just over 1.2 m and around 1.5 m on the bigger swings. The bay runs late against the ocean-front tables: high water at Lakes Bay lands about an hour after Atlantic City and low water about an hour and a half after, at close to the same heights.Low water is the one to ride. At high water the launch and landing beach is close to gone.
Temperature
25°C summer · 4°C winter
Wetsuit
Shorts June through August, a shorty in mid-spring and autumn. Regional coastal water temperatures are cold in winter and warm in late summer.
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: small to tidal at the beach; more room nearby, but launch/landing can be almost gone at high tide
Somewhere else
North Brigantine, 13 km
Every spot within 40 km is on the map at the top of this page, with its distance under it.
Rescue
Launch
Lakes Bay Preserve is a non-motorized water-sports access on Bayport Drive, with parking, a port-a-potty and private launch access. The public can park outside the gate and walk in at any time.Vehicle access inside the site is limited to members, who may launch only hand-carried, LBRA-approved watercraft, with no trailer or mechanically assisted launches, and who have to relock the access gate after each use.
Space
small to tidal at the beach; more room nearby, but launch/landing can be almost gone at high tide
Rules & access
Access rules drift faster than anything else we hold — check locally, and propose an edit if this has changed.
Rider tips
- Aim for SW first, and skip anything with north in it unless a trusted local tells you it is working.
- Check the tide before you rig, because high water takes most of the beach away.
- Park outside the gate and walk in unless you hold current LBRA member vehicle access.
- Clear the launch area the moment you are up, and land somewhere out of the way.
- Ride upwind toward the marsh for the waist-deep flat sections, but keep enough margin to get back.
- Follow the LBRA rules to the letter, especially the leash and the 200-foot no-jumping buffer.
- Read the Lakes Bay tide table, not the ocean-front one. Low water here arrives about an hour and a half after Atlantic City.
- Turn up for the afternoon. The wind is at its best from mid-afternoon to early evening unless a front is doing the work.
Getting there
Airport
Atlantic City International Airport (ACY)
Route
From Route 9 / Route 322 in Pleasantville, head east on Black Horse Pike, then right onto Bayport Drive and park at the end of the road by the preserve entrance. The public can park outside the gate and walk in; members have controlled vehicle access.
Transfer
12 min
Cost level
medium
Staying
Stay in Pleasantville, West Atlantic City or Atlantic City. Shore hotels and casino-area lodging are close by, but no kite-specific accommodation is listed.
No-wind days
Atlantic City boardwalk and casinos, paddling/kayaking at Lakes Bay, birding at Lakes Bay Preserve, beaches, restaurants and shore tourism.
FAQ
When is the best time to kite Lakes Bay?
May through October is the main season, with SW wind considered best, though S and W also work; any north component in the wind is described as too gusty.
Is Lakes Bay suitable for beginners?
Yes, it's called very beginner friendly, with instruction offered on site, though beginners still need supervision because high tide can nearly erase the launch.
What is the wind like?
Directions from ESE through WSW are recommended, generally strong and steady for non-motorized water sports, but wind with north in it turns too gusty.
Are there rules for launching?
As of 2026, LBRA rules require a kite safety leash at all times, ban jumping within 200 feet of the beach, and give launching kiters right of way over incoming riders.
What hazards should riders know about?
High tide can leave little or no launch beach, and stakes, rocks and a muddy bottom are reported in and around the preserve.
Last updated: August 2026