Matanzas Inlet has no other spot on this map within 40 km of it. straight-line distance
When it fills in
Not a clock spot. The sessions worth driving for come with cold fronts, and a front arrives when it arrives; the strong northerly behind it can hold a day or two and then ease, so you plan off the front rather than off the hour. Spring and summer run on the sea breeze instead, filling in through the afternoon and softening in the evening. What actually sets your start time is the tide: about two hours after high until an hour after low. No local onset hour is published.
The wind
Direction
Kite sizes
metres · typical quiver highlighted
Character
mixed
fills in: Not a clock spot. The sessions worth driving for come with cold fronts, and a front arrives when it arrives; the strong northerly behind it can hold a day or two and then ease, so you plan off the front rather than off the hour. Spring and summer run on the sea breeze instead, filling in through the afternoon and softening in the evening. What actually sets your start time is the tide: about two hours after high until an hour after low. No local onset hour is published.
Typical strength
15-30 kt on a winter cold-front session.
Thermal or synoptic
frontal and sea breeze
Also on record
6 kt average from ENE at the nearest station, from observations 2008-2026. That is a station average across every hour of the year, not what you ride in.
The quiver, in words
No local quiver is published. Indicative for a 75-85 kg rider on the 15-30 kt front sessions: 9-10 m at 15-18 kt, 7-8 m at 20-25 kt, 5-6 m once it tops 30. Size down a step when the ebb runs against the wind, because 3-4 kt of current adds apparent wind on every tack into it, which is exactly the effect people come here for.
Direction to shore
NE and E arrive onshore to side-on on the Atlantic side. What that means on the water changes with the side you launch from and with where the sand has moved to.
Dominant direction
N, NNE, NE, SE, SSE, S, with W also listed as a usual direction
Forecast
Month by month
- Jan, riders' month44
- Feb, riders' month45
- Mar, riders' month47
- Apr, riders' month50
- May, riders' month38
- Jun33
- Jul2
- Aug16
- Sep28
- Oct, riders' month40
- Nov, riders' month47
- Dec, riders' month40
per cent of the month at force 4 or more
Ringed months are the ones riders and schools name: Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Oct, Nov, Dec.
- 11Jan17°
- 11Feb18°
- 11Mar20°
- 12Apr22°
- 11May26°
- 10Jun28°
- 9Jul29°
- 9Aug29°
- 10Sep29°
- 11Oct26°
- 11Nov23°
- 11Dec19°
avg knots per month · water °C below · season highlighted
| Month | Force 4+ | Knots | From | Air | Water |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 44% | 10.9 kt | NNW | 15.1°C | 16.9°C |
| Feb | 45% | 11 kt | N | 16.9°C | 17.6°C |
| Mar | 47% | 11.1 kt | N | 19.4°C | 19.9°C |
| Apr | 50% | 11.6 kt | SE | 21.3°C | 22.2°C |
| May | 38% | 10.7 kt | SE | 24.3°C | 25.5°C |
| Jun | 33% | 10.3 kt | E | 26.6°C | 28°C |
| Jul | 2% | 8.7 kt | SSE | 27.5°C | 29.4°C |
| Aug | 16% | 9.3 kt | S | 27.4°C | 29.2°C |
| Sep | 28% | 10.4 kt | NNE | 26°C | 29°C |
| Oct | 40% | 10.7 kt | NNE | 22.8°C | 25.6°C |
| Nov | 47% | 11.2 kt | NNE | 20.2°C | 22.6°C |
| Dec | 40% | 10.7 kt | N | 16.3°C | 18.9°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
ocean and inlet
Standing depth
Shallow, but no consistent standing-depth area is confirmed, because the sand in a natural inlet does not stay put.
Tides
Low water and the outgoing tide are the whole game here. The ebb runs 3-4 kt, and the usual window is from about two hours after high tide until about one hour after low tide.
Temperature
28°C summer · 18°C winter
Wetsuit
Boardshorts/rash vest in warm months; a full wetsuit is necessary in winter when water can be in the low 60s F.
Currents
The ebb runs 3-4 kt through the inlet channels and will carry a kite or a board out to sea. There is longshore flow along the beach as well.
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: variable shifting sand; south-side launch is small and rock-bordered
Somewhere else
No neighbour on record
No other spot in the atlas sits within reach of this one.
Rescue
VHF 16
Launch
The north side is reached by driving on the beach, when St. Johns County has driving open and the tide and conditions allow it. The south side has a small parking area and a small launch hemmed in by large rocks.
Space
variable shifting sand; south-side launch is small and rock-bordered
Rules & access
- 2026: no kite-specific rule applies at Matanzas Inlet on either the federal or the county side. The Fort Matanzas National Monument superintendent's compendium of January 2026 opens park areas other than the visitor centre from 6:00 to midnight, bans alcohol and glass containers on beaches, boardwalks and trails, permits only contained cooking fires on the sand, and requires superintendent approval to launch, land or operate a drone; kites and kiteboards are not named. The beach south of the Fort Matanzas ramp is National Park Service ground and closed to motor vehicles.
- 2026: the Fort Matanzas beach ramp itself is closed to vehicles, pedestrians and cyclists from 17 November 2025 to May 2026 for resiliency work.
- 2026: on county-managed beaches, driving gates open at 8:00 and close at 19:30 from 1 May to 31 October, the sea turtle nesting season, and stay open the rest of the year unless severe weather or a tidal event closes them; pedestrian access is 24 hours.
- 2026: during nesting season, fires and grills are banned on the beach between 19:30 and 8:00. Ramps are graded 2WD, 4WD recommended or 4WD only, and taking an all-wheel-drive car onto a 4WD-only ramp risks a citation.
Access rules drift faster than anything else we hold — check locally, and propose an edit if this has changed.
Rider tips
- Ride the outgoing: roughly two hours after high tide until about one hour after low tide.
- Leave the south side alone unless you are advanced. It is a small launch with big rocks around it.
- Be able to body-drag upwind before you take on the inlet, not after.
- If the current has you mid-inlet, go with it and pick a landing point downstream instead of fighting it.
- Check St. Johns County beach driving and gate status before you count on getting a vehicle onto the north side.
- Wear flotation on the north side when the waves are working.
- Check the Fort Matanzas ramp before you drive down: it has been closed to vehicles and to foot traffic from November 2025 into May 2026, and beach services on (904) 209-0331 will tell you what is open.
- Size down when the ebb opposes the wind. Three to four knots of current under you is worth a metre of kite.
Getting there
Airport
Jacksonville International Airport (JAX); Daytona Beach International Airport (DAB) and Orlando International Airport (MCO) are alternatives.
Route
Drive A1A south from St. Augustine toward Fort Matanzas and Summer Haven. The Fort Matanzas beach ramp is shut to vehicles, pedestrians and cyclists from November 2025 into May 2026 for resiliency work, so confirm what has reopened before you count on it; other county ramps are graded 2WD, 4WD recommended or 4WD only, with gates on 8:00 to 19:30 hours through turtle season and 24-hour pedestrian access. The south side has a small parking area near the inlet.
Transfer
About 50 minutes from JAX to St. Augustine, plus the drive south to the inlet. DAB sits about 50 minutes south of St. Augustine.
Cost level
medium
Staying
Stay in St. Augustine, St. Augustine Beach, Crescent Beach or the vacation rentals around them. No kite-specific lodging at Matanzas Inlet is confirmed.
No-wind days
Fort Matanzas National Monument, St. Augustine historic district, beaches, surfing, fishing, kayaking, nature viewing, restaurants and day trips along A1A.
FAQ
Is Matanzas Inlet suitable for beginners?
No, it is classed as intermediate to advanced because of a 3-4 knot outgoing current, and only advanced riders should launch from the small rock-bordered south side.
When is the best time to kite?
November through May is the main season, with the classic setup being NE wind after a cold front opposed by outgoing tide.
What is the wind like?
Wind is a mix of frontal and sea-breeze flow, with 15-30 knots common during winter cold-front sessions.
Are there rules or access notes?
As of 2026, the inlet is open daily from sunrise to sundown, and beach-driving gates close at 7:30 pm during the May-October sea turtle nesting season.
What are the hazards?
Hazards include a 3-4 knot outgoing current that can sweep a kite or board seaward, rocks on the south launch, and shifting sandbars.
Last updated: August 2026