Progreso Beach has no other spot on this map within 40 km of it. straight-line distance
thermal sea breeze and Norte
10:00 · 12:00 · 14:00 · 15:00 · 17:00
A midday-to-afternoon spot. The thermal can start to switch on from about 10:00 and is normally in by 12:00-14:00, then holds to sunset; an indicative daily curve puts the strongest hours around 15:00-17:00. Mornings are light unless a Norte is already blowing, in which case it can be on at any hour.
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 thermal sea breeze / Norte
Direction
Kite sizes
metres · typical quiver highlighted
Character
mixed
fills in: A midday-to-afternoon spot. The thermal can start to switch on from about 10:00 and is normally in by 12:00-14:00, then holds to sunset; an indicative daily curve puts the strongest hours around 15:00-17:00. Mornings are light unless a Norte is already blowing, in which case it can be on at any hour.
Typical strength
12-25
Also on record
15-25
The quiver, in words
For 75-85 kg, 9, 10 and 12 m cover the ordinary 15-25 knot thermal and Norte days, and the 12 m is the one that comes out most. Add a 7-8 m for the hard front days and a 13 m if you want the light early-afternoon slots. Schools stop riding above about 30 knots.
Direction to shore
mostly side-onshore to onshore on N-NE winds; SE/SW can be side-offshore from the north-facing beach
Dominant direction
NE, N, NNE, SE, SW
Forecast
Month by month
- Jan, riders' month15
- Feb, riders' month23
- Mar, riders' month48
- Apr, riders' month57
- May, riders' month45
- Jun, riders' month18
- Jul15
- Aug2
- Sep2
- Oct26
- Nov, riders' month22
- Dec, riders' month29
windy days per month (3 h+ at 12 kn+)
Ringed months are the ones riders and schools name: Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Jun, Nov, Dec.
- 15%Jan25°
- 23%Feb25°
- 48%Mar27°
- 57%Apr28°
- 45%May30°
- 18%Jun31°
- 15%Jul31°
- 2%Aug32°
- 2%Sep31°
- 26%Oct29°
- 22%Nov28°
- 29%Dec26°
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 | 15% | 47% | 31% | 11 kt | NE | 15:00 | 23.9°C | 25°C | 62 |
| Feb | 23% | 61% | 47% | 12 kt | NE | 16:00 | 24.1°C | 24.9°C | 57 |
| Mar | 48% | 85% | 68% | 12.7 kt | NE | 15:00 | 26.4°C | 27°C | 62 |
| Apr | 57% | 82% | 77% | 12.9 kt | NE | 15:00 | 27.5°C | 27.6°C | 60 |
| May | 45% | 76% | 60% | 12.5 kt | NE | 15:00 | 28.9°C | 29.5°C | 62 |
| Jun | 18% | 62% | 45% | 11.7 kt | NE | 16:00 | 28.2°C | 30.5°C | 60 |
| Jul | 15% | 66% | 35% | 11.8 kt | NE | 16:00 | 28.3°C | 30.6°C | 62 |
| Aug | 2% | 23% | 8% | 9.6 kt | NE | 15:00 | 28.1°C | 31.5°C | 62 |
| Sep | 2% | 12% | 7% | 9.2 kt | NNE | 15:00 | 27.9°C | 31.4°C | 60 |
| Oct | 26% | 40% | 32% | 11.2 kt | NE | 15:00 | 26.8°C | 29.1°C | 62 |
| Nov | 22% | 43% | 33% | 10.7 kt | NE | 15:00 | 25.9°C | 27.5°C | 60 |
| Dec | 29% | 48% | 42% | 11.2 kt | NE | 15:00 | 24.1°C | 25.6°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
shallow sandy Gulf beach with flat water, chop, small shorebreak and occasional small waves
Standing depth
Sand bottom, no reef and no rock. You can stand roughly 100 m out at the Playon school zone, about waist deep, and the water at the main launch sits under a metre. Sandbars keep it shallow in patches farther out before it drops away.
Tides
Minor: Progreso is close to microtidal, with a typical tidal range of roughly 0.4-0.7 m between high and low water.
Temperature
28°C summer · 24°C winter
Wetsuit
usually no wetsuit; a shorty or top can be useful on cooler Norte days
Currents
No significant current is reported along the Progreso beaches.
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
5 schools name this spot
On your own
Room to launch: wide open sandy beach with plenty of launch and landing space, though shells occur in places
Somewhere else
No neighbour on record
No other spot in the atlas sits within reach of this one.
Rescue
Launch
Wide, long sandy launch at the main kite beach downwind/west of Progreso pier, with additional riding reported upwind of the pier.
Space
wide open sandy beach with plenty of launch and landing space, though shells occur in places
Rules & access
Access rules drift faster than anything else we hold — check locally, and propose an edit if this has changed.
Rider tips
- Set up at Playon, west and downwind of the pier: that is where the schools are and where the launch space is.
- Ask locally before riding an SE or SW. On this north-facing beach it comes off the land.
- Book a room with air conditioning from May to July. The heat and the humidity are the problem, not the wind.
- Watch the sky inland in summer. Turbonada outflows arrive fast, blow hard, then shut off.
- Give the pier and the port traffic a wide berth, and expect shells in the sand where you land.
Getting there
Airport
Merida International Airport (MID); Cancun International Airport (CUN) is a longer alternative
Route
Progreso is about 30 km north of Merida, 30-40 minutes by car. Buses from Merida run often and take longer.
Transfer
40 min
Cost level
medium
Staying
Beachfront houses, villas and condos, small hotels, school-linked camping, or a room in Merida and the drive out each day.
No-wind days
Merida city, Progreso malecon and restaurants, El Corchito mangrove reserve, Mayan ruins and Yucatán cenotes
Photos
FAQ
Is Progreso Beach suitable for beginners?
Yes. The shallow, sandy Playon area supports lessons and progression in normal side-onshore thermal wind.
When is the best time to kitesurf at Progreso?
February to June is the best-supported core season, combining thermal sea breeze with winter Norte fronts from November to February.
What is the wind like at Progreso?
Wind typically runs 15-25 knots, building from around midday with the local thermal breeze.
What are the main hazards at Progreso?
Hazards include shipping traffic near the pier, gusty summer storm outflows, and side-offshore wind on southeast to southwest days.
Last updated: August 2026