Nearby Netarts Bay 35 km · straight-line distance
When it fills in
Afternoon is the reliable window.
The wind
Direction
Kite sizes
metres · typical quiver highlighted
Character
thermal
fills in: Afternoon is the reliable window.
Typical strength
13-22 on a normal summer afternoon, 25+ on the strong days; light days can sit down at 5-10
The quiver, in words
No published range for this beach. Derived from the 13-22 kt summer band rather than from measured sessions, a 75-85 kg rider is on 9-12 m most afternoons and 7-8 m once it reaches 25 kt and over. Local advice is to rig smaller than the rest of the Oregon coast forecast suggests, because this stretch overdelivers.Indicative.
Direction to shore
cross-on
Forecast
Month by month
- Jan35
- Feb25
- Mar23
- Apr, riders' month22
- May, riders' month19
- Jun, riders' month28
- Jul, riders' month19
- Aug, riders' month10
- Sep, riders' month5
- Oct13
- Nov18
- Dec19
windy days per month (3 h+ at 12 kn+)
Ringed months are the ones riders and schools name: Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep.
- 35%Jan10°
- 25%Feb10°
- 23%Mar10°
- 22%Apr10°
- 19%May11°
- 28%Jun11°
- 19%Jul11°
- 10%Aug12°
- 5%Sep13°
- 13%Oct13°
- 18%Nov12°
- 19%Dec10°
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 | 35% | 65% | 58% | 13.4 kt | ENE | 11:00 | 7.6°C | 10.2°C | 62 |
| Feb | 25% | 51% | 46% | 12.2 kt | ENE | 13:00 | 6.7°C | 10.1°C | 57 |
| Mar | 23% | 45% | 39% | 11.5 kt | ENE | 14:00 | 7.2°C | 9.5°C | 62 |
| Apr | 22% | 62% | 45% | 11.7 kt | SW | 15:00 | 8.2°C | 10.3°C | 60 |
| May | 19% | 55% | 34% | 10.9 kt | NNW | 16:00 | 11.6°C | 11.4°C | 62 |
| Jun | 28% | 60% | 55% | 11.9 kt | NNW | 16:00 | 13.5°C | 11°C | 60 |
| Jul | 19% | 47% | 37% | 10.7 kt | NNW | 16:00 | 16.1°C | 10.9°C | 62 |
| Aug | 10% | 34% | 27% | 9.9 kt | N | 16:00 | 16.9°C | 12.3°C | 62 |
| Sep | 5% | 27% | 10% | 9.4 kt | NNW | 15:00 | 15.3°C | 12.9°C | 60 |
| Oct | 13% | 26% | 23% | 9.5 kt | ENE | 12:00 | 12.8°C | 12.7°C | 62 |
| Nov | 18% | 40% | 35% | 11.5 kt | ENE | 11:00 | 8.3°C | 11.8°C | 60 |
| Dec | 19% | 48% | 44% | 12.8 kt | ENE | 09:00 | 8.1°C | 10.4°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
waves
Standing depth
A long shallow shelf. The sand dries wide and firm at low water with shallow pools left in it, so you walk a good way before it gets deep, and that shallowness is exactly why winging here is awkward.Inside the break you can stand across much of the tide, but the shorebreak and the longshore current mean nobody uses it as a standing-depth training area. No measured depth for this beach.
Tides
Large Pacific semidiurnal tide. At the tide gauge 17 km south in Garibaldi the great diurnal range is 8.32 ft (2.54 m) and the mean range 6.24 ft, so the beach width and the position of the break change a lot across the day.
Temperature
14°C summer · 9°C winter
Wetsuit
5/3 full suit with boots year-round. August peaks around 16 C, February bottoms near 9 C.
Currents
A strong current runs along the beach. It is the reason nobody here treats sitting downwind of the launch as a casual mistake.
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
No school names this spot
Nobody has been recorded teaching or running a boat here.
On your own
Room to launch: huge
Somewhere else
Netarts Bay, 35 km
Every spot within 40 km is on the map at the top of this page, with its distance under it.
Rescue
Launch
Drive through the centre of town until the road hits the beach; parking is at the western end of Laneda Avenue and the walk to the sand is short. The beach is wide, soft and long, with plenty of room to lay out a kite.The south part of the beach, down by the houses, is the section most riders prefer for launching. The dry sand south of the Nehalem Bay State Park day-use access is off-limits in the nesting season.
Space
huge
Rules & access
- 2026: the Snowy Plover Management Area on the Nehalem spit is closed again from March 15 to September 15. It starts at the Nehalem Bay State Park day-use beach access trail and runs south to the north jetty, the boundary is signed, and inside it kites (drones included), dogs, motorized and non-motorized vehicles and bicycles are prohibited, with foot traffic confined to wet sand.
- 2025: the Oregon Parks and Recreation Commission adopted a rule at the City of Manzanita's request under Resolution 25-01 banning vehicles from the ocean shore between Oswald West and Nehalem Bay state parks; the window it replaced allowed driving October 1 to April 30 from 7 a.m. to noon, and at any time for boat launching. Permits remain for boat launching and for visitors with disabilities. Overnight camping on the ocean shore inside city limits is prohibited.
Access rules drift faster than anything else we hold — check locally, and propose an edit if this has changed.
Rider tips
- Rig smaller than the forecast for the rest of the coast suggests. This stretch routinely overdelivers.
- NW is the direction to wait for. If the forecast has east in it, expect holes.
- Launch at the south end near the houses rather than straight off the main town access.
- Know where the Nehalem Bay plover boundary starts before you ride downwind: kites are banned in that zone from March 15 to September 15.
- Check the Columbia River Bar buoy (NDBC 46029) and the Manzanita webcam before you drive out from Portland.
- Do not plan on driving on the sand. Vehicles are banned from this stretch of ocean shore.
- Nobody patrols this beach. An incident on the water is a 911 call and a wait, so ride with someone.
- Keep clear of the boulder field at the north end under Neahkahnie Mountain.
Getting there
Airport
PDX (Portland International)
Route
Car. About 1.5 hours west from Portland via US-26 and US-101, then straight through town to the beach.
Transfer
90 min
Cost level
mid
Staying
Vacation rentals and small lodgings in Manzanita itself; camping at Nehalem Bay State Park just south.
No-wind days
Surfing and hiking at Oswald West State Park just north, the Neahkahnie Mountain trails, and kayaking, crabbing, fishing and clamming on Nehalem Bay, plus a 1.8-mile forested bike path in Nehalem Bay State Park.
Photos
FAQ
Is Manzanita suitable for beginners?
No, it is rated advanced only.
When is the best time to kite?
North wind is most reliable from April through September.
What are the hazards?
Hazards include onshore wind, shorebreak, cold water and beach users.
Last updated: August 2026