Riding essentials
Season
Dec–Jul
Months riders and schools name
How windy
10-20 kt
Character: trade
Room to launch
small
access rules on record, below
Water
chop|small waves
27 °C in summerClear blue water, chop and small waves with flatter water between them, coral and reef close in
Hazards
7
Reported by riders
Level
Intermediate to advanced
With a caveat: see Your level
Crowds
medium crowds · busy Dec Jan Feb Jun
Schools
3
named at this spot
From the airport
20 min
International Airport (ADZ)
When it fills in
Trade wind, so nothing switches on: it can blow through the day and overnight, and a session is planned around your own schedule rather than a filling-in hour. On this coast the water is at its flattest early in the morning and the chop builds through the day, which is the practical guide to when the breeze is up. No onset hour measured at San Luis.
San Andrés (San Luis) has no other spot on this map within 40 km of it. straight-line distance
Backup spotsWhere riders go when the wind doesn't work here.
- Rocky Cayno page yet
- Chamey's Nauticano page yet
- San Andrés Downtown Beach / Spratt Bightno page yet
- Johnny Cayno page yet
- Haynes Cay and Acuariono page yet
- Marazul Beachno page yet
The spot
Location and wind
Lessons and risks
Water and other spots
The wind
locals call it Caribbean trade winds
Direction
Direction to shore
onshore to side-onshore on the east side
Dominant direction
NE, ENE, E
Kite sizes
metres · typical quiver highlighted
The quiver, in words
Nobody publishes kite sizes for San Luis. Set against the 10-20 kt trade band, a 75-85 kg rider covers almost the whole season on two kites: 12 m for the 12-16 kt days that make up most of December to July, 9 m for the 18-22 kt that comes with the December-February and June-July windows.A 7 m only earns its place if the season reaches the top of the reported 10-35 kt range.Indicative, derived from the wind range rather than from measured local sessions on this beach.
Character
Thermal or synoptic
synoptic (Caribbean trade winds)
Average strength
10-20
Typical strength
10-20 kt is the usual figure; 10-35 kt depending on season is also reported.
Forecast
Live forecast
Month by month
- Jan, riders' month98
- Feb, riders' month98
- Mar, riders' month91
- Apr, riders' month88
- May, riders' month82
- Jun, riders' month72
- Jul, riders' month98
- Aug84
- Sep71
- Oct56
- Nov74
- Dec, riders' month97
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, Jul, Dec.
- 18 ktJan28°
- 18 ktFeb28°
- 15 ktMar28°
- 15 ktApr29°
- 14 ktMay30°
- 14 ktJun30°
- 19 ktJul29°
- 15 ktAug30°
- 12 ktSep30°
- 12 ktOct31°
- 14 ktNov30°
- 18 ktDec29°
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 | 98% | 17.6 kt | ENE | 26.7 °C | 28.1 °C |
| Feb | 98% | 18.2 kt | ENE | 26.3 °C | 27.5 °C |
| Mar | 91% | 15.4 kt | ENE | 26.7 °C | 27.9 °C |
| Apr | 88% | 14.8 kt | ENE | 27 °C | 28.5 °C |
| May | 82% | 14 kt | ENE | 27.6 °C | 29.5 °C |
| Jun | 72% | 14.2 kt | E | 27.4 °C | 29.9 °C |
| Jul | 98% | 18.7 kt | ENE | 27.7 °C | 29.2 °C |
| Aug | 84% | 15.1 kt | ENE | 27.8 °C | 29.6 °C |
| Sep | 71% | 12.4 kt | ENE | 28 °C | 30.2 °C |
| Oct | 56% | 12.4 kt | NE | 27.8 °C | 30.6 °C |
| Nov | 74% | 14.4 kt | ENE | 27.4 °C | 29.7 °C |
| Dec | 97% | 18.2 kt | ENE | 27.3 °C | 28.8 °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
chop|small waves
Standing depth
Not measured at El Paraiso. The teaching water used elsewhere on the island runs to about 1.5 m, but San Luis is not a standing lagoon: the reef sits close in and no depth figure has been confirmed for this beach, so plan on swimming depth once you are past the inside.
Tides
Semidiurnal but tiny. High water runs about 0.21-0.28 m against lows of 0.01-0.04 m, so the range is roughly 20-27 cm. Nothing about the launch or the reef changes with the tide; there is no low-water window that puts more water over the coral.
Temperature
27 °C summer · 26 °C winter
Modelled monthly average: 28–31 °C
Wetsuit
No wetsuit; shorts and a rash vest all year.
Conditions
Your level
not for beginners here
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: small
Somewhere else
No neighbour on record
No other spot in the atlas sits within reach of this one.
Rescue
Launch
Small sandy launch at San Luis/El Paraíso on the east side of San Andrés; park by El Paraíso restaurant on the main road and walk a short distance.
Rules & access
1 min read
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
- Do not book first lessons at San Luis; onshore wind and a narrow beach leave no margin. Ask the school which beach it actually teaches on.
- Park by the El Paraíso restaurant on the main road and walk down; the launch is small, so rig away from the trees and the people.
- Look at the reef before you go out; the coral sits close in and it is what you hit when you crash.
- Downtown has its own rules (2025): the end of the beach near the airport runway is off-limits and you stay out of the swimming zone.
- Skip Johnny Cay and the city beach on weekends and holidays; boats and swimmers own them.
- The tide moves only 20-30 cm here. There is no low-water window that gives you more water over the coral, so what you see on arrival is what you get all day.
- Mornings give the flattest water on this side of the island; the chop builds as the day goes on.
- The island schools work from Spratt Bight in town and from Rocky Cay, not from San Luis. If you want boat cover, you are booking a lesson somewhere else.
Getting there
Airport
Gustavo Rojas Pinilla International Airport (ADZ), San Andrés
Route
Fly direct to San Andrés from the main Colombian cities, then a taxi, a booked transfer, a rented cart or mule, or the local bus to San Luis on the east side. Budget for the tourist entry tax, about 125,000 COP, unconfirmed for 2026.
Transfer
20 min
Cost level
medium to high for Colombia
Staying
Hotels and guesthouses across the island: downtown, San Luis and the beach zones. Prices sit closer to Cartagena than to a mainland budget town.
No-wind days
Snorkeling/diving, Johnny Cay, Haynes Cay and El Acuario trips, Rocky Cay, Spratt Bight/city beach, island loop by cart, beaches in San Luis, nightlife in the hotel/downtown area.
Photos
FAQ
When is the best time to kite at San Luis?
Wind is fairly constant at 10-20 knots from December to July, with December-February and June-July the best windows.
Is San Luis suitable for beginners?
No, the onshore wind and narrow beach are repeatedly flagged as unsuitable or dangerous for beginners; other San Andrés beaches may be better for lessons.
What is the wind like at San Luis?
Northeast to east trade wind is onshore to side-onshore, typically 10-20 knots.
What hazards should riders know about?
Onshore wind with little margin for error, a narrow launch, and coral or reef hazards in the water are reported.
Are there kite schools nearby?
Yes, including Kitesurf San Andres School and Kitesurf Rocky Cay elsewhere on the island.
Last updated: August 2026