MapIndonesiaSanur, BaliSanur (Mertasari Beach)Sanur, Bali

Sanur (Mertasari Beach)

Bali - Sanur

also known as Sanur Beach, Kite Beach, Pura Mertasari, Pantai Mertasari

Part of Sanur, Bali →

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec

beginner-friendlymedium 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

May–Oct

Months riders and schools name

How windy

10-20

Character: trade

Room to launch

access rules on record, below

Water

mixed

26 °C in summerA coral reef holds the inside of Sanur flat, with wave options out on the outer reefs

Hazards

Reported by riders

Level

Beginner to advanced

With a caveat: see Your level

BeginnerIntermediateAdvanced

Crowds

medium crowds · busy Jun Jul Aug

Schools

named at this spot

From the airport

Rai International Airport (DPS)

Transfer times under Getting there

On the clock

11:00

Late morning into the afternoon. The kite wind usually builds after 11:00 and holds through the afternoon.

The mark is the clock time the record names, laid on a 24-hour day. The fade after it is not an end time, and not a promise of wind.

Nearbystraight-line distance

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

Nusa Dua
Canggu
Turtle Island / Serangan channelno page yet
Sanur Beach Hotel / Prama launchno page yet
Baby Reefno page yet
Hyatt Reef / Oka Pointno page yet

The spot

Sanur's kite beach is Mertasari, at the south end of the strip, and the water inside the reef is flat and shallow enough to stand up in across much of the lagoon.

Winds and seasons

The wind is the dry-season easterly to southeast trade, roughly May to September, with June-August the windy core. It is light by kite-trip standards: a lot of 10-20 knot days, big kites, and better odds once the breeze builds in the afternoon.

Launch and skill levels

Mertasari and Kite Beach have the better low-tide access of the Sanur launches, but the whole coast is tide-sensitive and the reef flat goes shallow fast.

Beginners belong with a school here, because the wind is onshore to cross-onshore, the bottom is coral, and the boat is how you get back.

Confident riders work the outer reefs for waves and jumps at Hyatt Reef and Oka Point, where the current is strong and the water stops behaving like a lagoon.

Festivals and timing

The thing nobody warns you about is the sky: in late July and late August traditional kite festivals take Mertasari for days at a time and the beach is handed to the event. May and June give you the trade wind without those weeks.

The wind

locals call it easterly / southeast trade winds

Direction

cross-onE to SE / ESE

Direction to shore

cross-on

Kite sizes

11121314151617

metres · typical quiver highlighted

The quiver, in words

Big kites. A 75 kg twin-tip rider is on a 14 m on an ordinary day and 16 m or bigger when it is soft, and larger than 13 m is the usual advice for twin-tip riders here.

Character

trade

When it fills in: see above ↑

Average strength

about 14-15

Typical strength

10-20

Generally steady in the dry-season trade wind, but light by dedicated kite-trip standards; wet-season westerlies can be stronger and gustier.

The dry season, May-September, is the kite season, and June-August is the windy core. The easterly trades are consistent rather than strong: June-August often brings 10-20 knots. Wet-season westerlies from December to February or March can be stronger, but they are unreliable and gusty, so they are not a window to book a trip around.

Forecast

Live forecast

Windguru Windfinder Windy

Month by month

6 ktJan29°
5 ktFeb29°
5 ktMar29°
5 ktApr29°
7 ktMay28°
7 ktJun27°
8 ktJul27°
8 ktAug26°
7 ktSep27°
7 ktOct27°
6 ktNov28°
5 ktDec29°

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

Monthly averages. Highlighted: the months riders and schools name (May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct).

Measured at Denpasar, ~7 km from the spot (~1980-2016 (MERRA-2 reanalysis)).

Every figure, month by monthKnots · Wind from · Air · Water

Month	Knots	Wind from	Air	Water
Jan	5.6 kt	W	27.8 °C	28.9 °C
Feb	5.2 kt	W	27.8 °C	28.9 °C
Mar	4.6 kt	E	27.8 °C	28.9 °C
Apr	5.3 kt	E	27.8 °C	28.9 °C
May	6.6 kt	E	27.2 °C	28.3 °C
Jun	7.3 kt	E	26.7 °C	27.2 °C
Jul	7.8 kt	E	26.1 °C	26.7 °C
Aug	7.9 kt	S	26.1 °C	26.1 °C
Sep	7.3 kt	S	26.7 °C	26.7 °C
Oct	6.5 kt	S	27.8 °C	27.2 °C
Nov	5.6 kt	S	27.8 °C	28.3 °C
Dec	5.2 kt	S	27.8 °C	28.9 °C

How this was measuredmeasured · ~1980-2016 (MERRA-2 reanalysis)

A ground station recorded this, at the distance the page names.

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.

Denpasar · WeatherSpark · ~1980-2016 (MERRA-2 reanalysis)

The water

Type

mixed

Standing depth

Shallow lagoon with standing-depth sections. You can stand in many parts of it, and the lagoon runs waist-deep at low tide, though depth changes with the launch and the state of the tide.

Tides

Tide-sensitive reef lagoon. Pura Mertasari and Kite Beach work from low to high tide and have better low-tide access than the hotel-strip launch.The rest of Sanur is disputed: kiteable only at high tide and a few hours either side by one account, medium-low to high with a deeper channel rideable at any tide by another.Which fits your exact launch is unconfirmed.

Temperature

26 °C summer · 29 °C winter

Modelled monthly average: 26–29 °C

Wetsuit

No wetsuit needed. Tropical water, around 25–32 °C, and about 26 °C in August.

Currents

Strong currents on the outer reefs, worst at Hyatt Reef and Oka Point. Nobody has published a figure for normal current inside the lagoon.

Conditions

A coral reef holds the inside of Sanur flat, with wave options out on the outer reefs. Water goes from flat to chop to medium waves depending on where you sit and what the tide is doing. Reef, stones and very shallow water are what limit the riding.

Your level

BeginnerIntermediateAdvanced

Reef-protected flat water, shallow enough to stand in over much of the lagoon, and a row of schools on the sand: a reasonable place for a first course, with instruction and boat support.

Intermediates use it for freeride, foil work and progression.

The outer reef gives waves, jumps and downwinders to advanced riders and turns expert-only in bigger conditions, because of exposed reef, wave size and current.

The scene

What riders come here for

flat waterfreerideintermediatebeginner lessonsfoillight-wind cruisingreef waves for experienced riders

Who it suitsbeginner

Active school and lesson beach during the dry-season kite window, with local warungs, hotel-strip access nearby and traditional kite-flying activity around Mertasari in July-August. It is calmer than Bali's west-coast nightlife beaches but can be busy with learners, instructors and beach users.

Launch and rules

three ways on to the water, and what each one asks of you

With a school or a boat

6 schools name this spot

See who they are

On your own

Room to launch: ok

Read the access rules

Somewhere else

2 spots nearby

All 2 spots within 40 km are under Nearby

Rescue

Boat cover comes from the schools, not from any public service. A boat rescue or a boat taxi back to the beach runs about IDR 100,000 per trip in 2026 at the Mertasari schools, and beginner courses are built around boat assistance rather than sold as an extra. Gear is generally only rented out under supervision and to riders who can already ride. Whether a school will launch its boat for someone who is not their customer, and what that costs, is unconfirmed. Indonesia's integrated emergency line is 112 and national search and rescue is 115.

Launch

The kite launch is Kite Beach at Pura Mertasari, by the temple on Pantai Mertasari, about 400 m after the Mercure Hotel. The beach there is very wide, with parking and warungs behind it.The Sanur Beach launch is medium-sized and the sand is not deep, so which launch you pick matters more than the map suggests.Hotel-strip launches sit near Sanur Beach Hotel, Prama and Rip Curl, with facility charges reported.

Hazards riders report 9 reported

Wind

Light wind can leave riders unable to get back from the reef without boat support
Onshore to cross-onshore wind on parts of Sanur increases beginner risk without supervised boat support

Crowds and zones

Traditional kite festivals and recreational kite flying add beach and sky traffic in peak dry-season months

Bottom

coral reef beneath shallow water
Scattered stones/rocks reported at Kite Beach

Waves and currents

kiting not advisable at low tide
Coral reef and very shallow reef flat at low tide
Outer reef waves can become large and hollow
Strong currents reported at Hyatt Reef/Oka Point

Rules & access

1 min read

Rip Curl School of Surf runs an IKO-accredited kiting arena on the beach; check tides/forecast with a local school before rigging
2022, in force from 1 March 2023: the Sanur foreshore is managed by two customary villages under Denpasar mayoral regulation No. 51 of 2022 — Desa Adat Sanur from Matahari Terbit to Bali Beach, Desa Adat Intaran from Pura Segara Aji to Muntig Siokan, which is the stretch containing Mertasari.The sand is zoned into public areas, small-business areas and sacred ground; permanent commercial structures on the beach are prohibited, and any operator trading on the beach needs permission from the customary village.
2023-2026: there is no private beach at Sanur. Public access to the sand is treated as a right, and hotels cannot fence off or clear their frontage.
2026: no kite-specific permit, launch-zone map, insurance requirement or seasonal kite ban is published by Denpasar city or by the customary villages that manage the Mertasari foreshore.
July-August 2026: traditional kite festivals take over Mertasari for days at a time — the Rare Angon festival on 23-26 July 2026 and the tenth Denpasar Kite Festival on 29-30 August 2026, the latter with about 1,300 entries over two days. The beach and the air above it are given to the event; plan around those dates.

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

Check the tide with a local school before rigging; how much of Sanur works at low tide depends on the exact launch and on whether you use the deeper channel.
Rig big. A 75 kg twin-tip rider is on a 14 m most days here, 16 m or more when it is soft, and anything under 13 m stays in the bag.
Leave the wetsuit at home. The sea is coolest in the July-August wind season at about 26 C and warmest near 29 C in December-February, the reverse of the northern-hemisphere pattern.
Do not ride the outer reefs alone: strong currents are reported at some Sanur reef breaks and there is no public rescue.
Budget IDR 100,000 in 2026 for a boat pickup if you get dropped downwind, and agree with a school beforehand whether they will come for you at all.
Check the festival calendar before booking late July or late August; Mertasari hosts multi-day traditional kite events on those dates.

Getting there

Airport

I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport (DPS)

Route

Taxi, private transfer, ride-hailing car or scooter from the Sanur side of Denpasar. Mertasari and Kite Beach have road access, parking and warungs behind the sand.

Transfer

25-35 minutes to Sanur in normal traffic; also reported as 30-45 minutes depending on traffic and exact beach/hotel.

Cost level

medium

Staying

Sanur has beachfront resorts and hotels near the launch area, including the Mercure/Prama hotel strip, plus guesthouses and family-oriented accommodation in town.

No-wind days

SUP and surfing lessons · foiling or wakeboarding with local schools · cycling or walking the Sanur beachfront promenade · snorkeling · sunrise at Mertasari Beach · boat trips from Sanur toward Nusa Penida

Photos

FAQ

When is the best time to kite Sanur?

May to September, with June through August the windiest core of the dry-season easterly trade winds.

Is Sanur suitable for beginners?

Yes, the shallow flat lagoon and several boat-supported local schools make it one of Bali's better-established beginner bases.

What is the wind like at Sanur?

Easterly to southeast trades typically run 10-20 knots and usually build through late morning into the afternoon.

Is the tide important at Sanur?

Yes, Kite Beach/Pura Mertasari has the better low-tide access, while the hotel-strip stretch mainly works around high tide.

Is there rescue support at Sanur?

Local schools offer boat support and rescue, priced around IDR 100,000 per trip in 2026.

The bigger pictureEverything about Bali - Sanur

Last updated: August 2026