MapSaint Vincent and the GrenadinesUnion Island / GrenadinesMopion IslandUnion Island / Grenadines

Mopion Island

Grenadines, near Petit St Vincent · Clifton, Union Island

also known as Morpion, Morpion Island

Part of Union Island / Grenadines →

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec

flat waternot for beginnerslow crowds

On this page

The spot
Wind
Forecast
Month by month
Water
Level
The scene
Launch
Schools
Tips
Getting there
Photos
FAQ

Riding essentials

Season

Nov–Jun

Months riders and schools name

How windy

15-25

Character: trade

Room to launch

tight

access rules on record, below

Water

flat

28 °C in summerTiny sand cay with shallow, clear flat water and some chop around a protective reef

Hazards

Reported by riders

Level

Intermediate to advanced

With a caveat: see Your level

BeginnerIntermediateAdvanced

Crowds

low crowds · busy Dec Jan Feb Mar

Schools

named at this spot

From the airport

17 min

When it fills in

Not thermal; the best window runs late morning to early afternoon, though the trade wind can blow day and night in season.

Nearbystraight-line distance

Backup spotsWhere riders go when the wind doesn't work here.

The spot

Terrain and conditions

Mopion is a tiny sand cay in the southern Grenadines, off Petit St Vincent, reached by boat from Union Island and by nothing else. The water is shallow, clear and flat with some chop, ringed by a coral reef with a small lagoon inside it. That lagoon is expert terrain: shallow reef, no margin, best at high tide. Intermediates ride outside the reef and launch off the catamaran instead.

Practicalities

There is no shade beyond one small umbrella and no facilities at all, so carry water and sun cover for the whole day. The trade wind is at its most reliable from roughly December through June, 15-25 knots, and the water is warm enough that nobody wears a wetsuit. Treat Mopion as a stop on a kite safari or the start of a downwinder rather than somewhere to spend a session.

The wind

locals call it Caribbean trade wind

Direction

cross-onENE to E

Direction to shore

Cross-onshore. The shore here is a tiny sand cay, so check the angle from the boat before you launch.

Kite sizes

567891011121314151617

metres · typical quiver highlighted

The quiver, in words

Indicative, read off the 15-25 knot trade range rather than any measured or published Mopion recommendation: a 75-85 kg rider covers the ordinary 18-22 knot day on 9 m, takes 12 m when it eases to 15-17, and wants 7 m for the 25 knot end of the December-to-March period.Bring the size you can relaunch in chop beside reef, since you are rigging off a boat with coral downwind.

Character

trade

When it fills in: see above ↑

Thermal or synoptic

synoptic (NE-E trade winds)

Average strength

Typical strength

15-25

Reliable trade wind in season. The spot is remote and reef-bound, not a forgiving beach launch.

Wind frequency by month

Days over 15 knots by month run 98 percent in January, 95 in December, February and June, 90 in March, 80 in April and May, 70 in July, 65 in November, and 20-40 from August to October.

Seasonal patterns

Mid-November to the end of July is the working season, December to June the dependable part, with the strongest wind between Christmas and March. Best-month ranges published for Mopion itself disagree, one version giving January to June plus November and December, another marking all twelve months, and both are broader than the seasonal statistics.

Forecast

Live forecast

Windguru Windfinder Windy

Month by month

Jan, riders' month100
Feb, riders' month100
Mar, riders' month95
Apr, riders' month99
May, riders' month100
Jun, riders' month100
Jul98
Aug96
Sep79
Oct86
Nov, riders' month100
Dec, riders' month90

per cent of the month at force 4 or more

Ringed months are the ones riders and schools name: Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Jun, Nov, Dec.

18 ktJan28°
18 ktFeb27°
18 ktMar28°
17 ktApr28°
17 ktMay29°
19 ktJun29°
19 ktJul29°
15 ktAug30°
13 ktSep31°
15 ktOct30°
17 ktNov29°
17 ktDec28°

avg knots per month · water °C below · season highlighted

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.

Every figure, month by monthForce 4+ · Knots · Wind from · Air · Water

Month	Force 4+	Knots	Wind from	Air	Water
Jan	100%	18 kt	ENE	26.2 °C	27.5 °C
Feb	100%	17.9 kt	ENE	26.2 °C	27.2 °C
Mar	95%	17.7 kt	ENE	26.3 °C	27.6 °C
Apr	99%	17.3 kt	E	26.8 °C	27.9 °C
May	100%	17.4 kt	E	27.7 °C	28.6 °C
Jun	100%	18.6 kt	E	27.7 °C	29 °C
Jul	98%	18.5 kt	E	27.7 °C	29.2 °C
Aug	96%	15.2 kt	E	28.1 °C	30 °C
Sep	79%	13.4 kt	E	28.6 °C	30.6 °C
Oct	86%	15.2 kt	E	28.5 °C	30.4 °C
Nov	100%	17 kt	E	27.7 °C	29.2 °C
Dec	90%	16.6 kt	ENE	27.1 °C	28.3 °C

How this is modelledmodelled · 2022-2024

A weather model's cell over this place, not a station on it. Good for comparing places, weaker for one beach.

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

flat

Standing depth

Shallow throughout, with a small lagoon inside the surrounding coral reef.

Tides

High tide is reported as best. The exact tide window and the depth over the coral are not published.

Temperature

28 °C summer · 28 °C winter

Modelled monthly average: 27–31 °C

Wetsuit

No wetsuit normally needed; the water sits around 28 °C.

Conditions

Tiny sand cay with shallow, clear flat water and some chop around a protective reef. The lagoon inside the reef is expert riding; intermediates can stay outside the reef and launch from a catamaran.

Your level

BeginnerIntermediateAdvanced

not for beginners here

Intermediate and expert. Inside the lagoon is expert riding, while intermediates launch from the catamaran and stay outside the reef. Mopion is also called experts-only outright because of the shallow reefs.

The scene

What riders come here for

freerideflat waterboat tripdownwindersnorkeling

Remote kite-safari and sailing stop rather than a resident beach scene; visitors are usually on day boats, catamarans or private yachts.

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

See who they are

On your own

Room to launch: tight

Read the access rules

Somewhere else

3 spots nearby

All 3 spots within 40 km are under Nearby

Rescue

Nothing on the cay.

It is a sandbar with one umbrella, no facilities and no protected anchorage to leave a boat in.

Cover comes from whatever you arrived on: the Union Island day tours run a private safety boat, and the Grenadines kite cruises include surveillance and rescue in the week.

Off a private yacht, your own tender is the rescue, and there is no second option downwind.

Launch

Boat-access sand islet with no facilities, reached by kite day tour or private sailboat. There is no public transport.

Rules & access

1 min read

No kitesurfing rule specific to Mopion has been published as of 2026, and the cay has no protected anchorage, so boats stop there only in settled conditions.

The zones you cross on the same trip do carry rules (2026): the Tobago Cays Marine Park charges EC$15 per person per day, launching from Baradal is not allowed and only Jamesby or Petit Tabac are open, and riding between anchored sailboats is forbidden; at Mayreau the flat water in front of the moored boats is no longer open to kites.

Access rules drift faster than anything else we hold — check locally, and propose an edit if this has changed.

Schools that ride here

Rider tips

Go with boat support and local guidance unless you already know the reef gaps and the tide window.
Ride the inside lagoon at high tide only; high tide is identified as the best tide here.
Keep intermediates outside the reef with the boat close; inside the reef is expert terrain.
Carry water and sun cover, because the islet has one umbrella and no services.
Before booking a kite safari, ask whether Mopion is an actual launch stop or only a scenic marker on the downwinder.

Getting there

Airport

Union Island Airport is the practical kite base; international arrivals usually connect through Barbados or Saint Vincent.

Route

Fly to Union Island from Barbados or Saint Vincent, then continue to Mopion by kite day tour, water taxi, catamaran or private sailboat. Union Island operators run it as a day-tour stop, and Grenadines catamaran itineraries include it.

Transfer

17 min

Cost level

high

Staying

No accommodation on Mopion; stay on Union Island, Petit St Vincent, a yacht/catamaran, or another southern Grenadines island.

No-wind days

Snorkeling the surrounding reef, beach stop on the sand cay, Petit St Vincent lunch or sunset stop, Tobago Cays excursions, diving and Union Island beaches.

Photos

FAQ

When is the best time to kite Mopion Island?

The regional Grenadines season runs roughly mid-November to July, with December-June the most reliable window.

Is Mopion Island suitable for beginners?

No, the inside lagoon is expert-only because of shallow reef, while intermediates can ride outside the reef from a catamaran with support.

How do you get there?

Reach Union Island by inter-island flight, then continue to Mopion by kite day tour, water taxi, catamaran or private sailboat; there is no accommodation on the islet.

What are the main hazards?

Shallow reef and coral, no facilities or shade beyond a small umbrella, and boat-only access.

Does tide matter?

High tide is identified as the best tide for riding around the reef.

The bigger pictureEverything about Union Island / Grenadines

Last updated: August 2026