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USA Mainland, Canada, Mexico & Caribbean · Gulf Coast Florida (St. Petersburg / Tampa Bay) · Sarasota County

Nokomis Beach

flat waterbeginner-friendly

Nearby Lido Beach / Big Pass 24 km · straight-line distance

Seasonno season namedthe months riders and schools nameHow windyno knot figure publishedLaunchroom to launch not ratedno access rules on recordWaterflat29°C in summer · 2 things riders flagLevelBeginner to intermediatewith a caveat, in the Level section
Schoolsnone named here
From the airportno transfer time publishedSRQ (Sarasota-Bradenton)

When it fills in

No onset time is published for this spot.

Nokomis Beach is a Gulf-front beach in the Sarasota area, and it is a light-wind spot before it is anything else. Local kiteboarders have used it for years, but the traffic on the water now leans wing-foil and windsurf rather than powered twin-tip. That tells you what to bring: a foil, or your biggest kite and some patience.
The water is flat and warm, around 29 C in summer and 18 C in winter, so boardshorts cover most of the year and a shorty covers the rest. Winter cold fronts carry the stronger wind on this coast; the summer sea breeze is lighter and less reliable.
You share the sand and the water with swimmers and other beach users who are not here for wind. Whether riders actually call this stretch Nokomis Beach is unconfirmed. Forward Motion Sports is the watersports shop here.

The wind

locals call it Gulf sea breeze / cold front

Direction

A light-wind spot. Winter cold fronts bring the stronger wind on this stretch of the Gulf coast, and the summer sea breeze is lighter.

Strength

No knot figure is published for this spot.

Forecast

Month by month

  1. Jan54
  2. Feb44
  3. Mar59
  4. Apr43
  5. May32
  6. Jun27
  7. Jul8
  8. Aug16
  9. Sep11
  10. Oct33
  11. Nov39
  12. Dec34

per cent of the month at force 4 or more

  1. 11Jan19°
  2. 11Feb20°
  3. 12Mar23°
  4. 12Apr25°
  5. 11May28°
  6. 10Jun30°
  7. 8Jul32°
  8. 9Aug32°
  9. 10Sep31°
  10. 11Oct27°
  11. 10Nov24°
  12. 11Dec20°

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

MonthForce 4+KnotsFromAirWater
Jan54%11.4 ktNNW17.1°C18.6°C
Feb44%10.8 ktSSE18.6°C19.7°C
Mar59%11.8 ktS21.6°C23.2°C
Apr43%11.6 ktENE23.1°C25.1°C
May32%10.5 ktNW25.8°C28.2°C
Jun27%9.9 ktW27.1°C30°C
Jul8%8.2 ktE28.3°C32°C
Aug16%9.3 ktENE28°C31.8°C
Sep11%9.8 ktENE26.7°C30.6°C
Oct33%10.6 ktNE23.9°C27°C
Nov39%10.4 ktNE21.9°C24°C
Dec34%10.6 ktNE18.1°C20.2°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

flat

Temperature

29°C summer · 18°C winter

Wetsuit

boardshorts most of the year, shorty in winter

19–32°C water

Your level

beginnerintermediatenot for advanceds here
The light wind suits foiling, kite or wing, and windsurfing better than powered twin-tip riding.

The scene

What riders come here for

foilfreeride
A small local watersports crowd, more wing-foil and windsurf than kite these days.

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 is not rated

no access rules on record

Somewhere else

Lido Beach / Big Pass, 24 km

Every spot within 40 km is on the map at the top of this page, with its distance under it.

Hazards riders report 2

  • swimmers and other beach users
  • light/inconsistent wind windows
Rules & access

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

    Rider tips

    • Fly into SRQ and take a car from Sarasota; there is no other way in.
    • Bring a foil or your biggest kite. This is not a powered twin-tip beach.
    • Pack a shorty for winter sessions, when the water sits near 18 C.
    • Rig and launch clear of swimmers, away from the busiest sand.
    • If the Gulf is flat calm, look at Fort Desoto Park instead.

    Getting there

    Airport

    SRQ (Sarasota-Bradenton)

    Route

    Car from Sarasota.

    Cost level

    mid

    Photos

    Sunset at Nokomis beach
    Dripen / CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons
    Nokomis Beach Pavilion
    Upstateherd / CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons
    Nokomis Beach Pavilion, second view
    Upstateherd / CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons

    FAQ

    Is Nokomis Beach suitable for beginners?

    Yes, its light-wind character suits beginners and intermediate riders, especially on foil boards.

    What is the wind like?

    It is a light-wind spot, with stronger wind typical of winter cold fronts and lighter breeze in summer.

    What are the hazards?

    Hazards include swimmers and other beach users, plus inconsistent light-wind windows.

    More in FloridaFort Desoto ParkTigertail BeachLido Beach / Big PassMatanzas InletHuguenot Memorial Parkall →
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    Last updated: August 2026