Riding essentials
Season
May–Sep
Months riders and schools name
How windy
6 kt
Character: mixed
Room to launch
small
access rules on record, below
Water
flat/chop
22 °C in summerThis is the bay side of the barrier peninsula, not the Atlantic beach
Hazards
11
Reported by riders
Level
Intermediate to advanced
With a caveat: see Your level
Crowds
medium crowds · busy Jun Jul Aug
Schools
3
named at this spot
From the airport
International Airport (PHL)
no transfer time published
When it fills in
The summer SW is a thermal that needs the day's heating, so the usable window sits in the afternoon rather than the morning. No measured fill-in or shut-down hour exists for this part of the bay.
Nearbystraight-line distance
Backup spotsWhere riders go when the wind doesn't work here.
- Kite Islandno page yet
- Long Beach Island 25th Streetno page yet
- Long Beach Island Ocean Sideno page yet
- Lakes Bay
- Sandy Hookno page yet
- Island Beach State Parkno page yet
The spot
Launch
Wind and logistics
The wind
locals call it New Jersey summer SW thermal and frontal winds
Direction
Direction to shore
SW is the recommended direction; S, SW and W are also listed as usable.
Dominant direction
SW, with NE also reported, and S/SW/W also reported.
Character
Typical strength
A 6 kt annual average from W with 10 kt gusts, from historical observations. Indicative only, not a rideable-wind figure.
Forecast
Live forecast
Month by month
- Jan68
- Feb67
- Mar68
- Apr55
- May, riders' month55
- Jun, riders' month58
- Jul, riders' month53
- Aug, riders' month55
- Sep, riders' month68
- Oct58
- Nov73
- Dec65
windy days per month (3 h+ at 12 kn+)
Ringed months are the ones riders and schools name: May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep.
- 68%Jan7°
- 67%Feb6°
- 68%Mar7°
- 55%Apr10°
- 55%May14°
- 58%Jun19°
- 53%Jul22°
- 55%Aug22°
- 68%Sep22°
- 58%Oct18°
- 73%Nov14°
- 65%Dec9°
windy days per month (3 h+ at 12 kn+) · water °C below · season highlighted
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.
Every figure, month by monthWindy days · Force 4+ · 12 kn or more · Knots · Wind from · Peaks at · Air · Water · Readings
| Month | Windy days | Force 4+ | 12 kn or more | Knots | Wind from | Peaks at | Air | Water | Readings |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 68% | 92% | 85% | 18.4 kt | NW | 13:00 | 2.7 °C | 6.5 °C | 62 |
| Feb | 67% | 93% | 86% | 18.4 kt | WNW | 10:00 | 3.9 °C | 5.8 °C | 57 |
| Mar | 68% | 97% | 94% | 19.3 kt | WNW | 11:00 | 7.1 °C | 7 °C | 62 |
| Apr | 55% | 93% | 85% | 17.1 kt | S | 15:00 | 11.6 °C | 10.2 °C | 60 |
| May | 55% | 84% | 81% | 16.2 kt | S | 13:00 | 16 °C | 14.3 °C | 62 |
| Jun | 58% | 92% | 88% | 16.7 kt | S | 16:00 | 21.6 °C | 18.5 °C | 60 |
| Jul | 53% | 87% | 84% | 16 kt | S | 16:00 | 25.4 °C | 21.6 °C | 62 |
| Aug | 55% | 92% | 82% | 16 kt | SSE | 14:00 | 24.1 °C | 21.9 °C | 62 |
| Sep | 68% | 87% | 82% | 18 kt | NE | 12:00 | 20.6 °C | 22.1 °C | 60 |
| Oct | 58% | 77% | 74% | 15.8 kt | S | 11:00 | 14.9 °C | 18.3 °C | 62 |
| Nov | 73% | 95% | 93% | 18.4 kt | NW | 10:00 | 9.7 °C | 13.6 °C | 60 |
| Dec | 65% | 87% | 84% | 18.2 kt | W | 12:00 | 4.5 °C | 8.5 °C | 62 |
How this is modelledmodelled · 2023-2024
A weather model's cell over this place, not a station on it. Good for comparing places, weaker for one beach.
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
flat/chop
Standing depth
A big shallow area runs along the beach with flat-to-choppy water; most of Barnegat Bay is waist deep.
Tides
Kite conditions at Seaside Park Bayside do not depend on tide.
Temperature
22 °C summer · 6 °C winter
Modelled monthly average: 6–22 °C
Wetsuit
Shorts in summer, a wetsuit or shorty from autumn through spring. Bay water is warm in summer and cold in winter.
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
1 spot nearby
Rescue
Launch
Riders rig in the parking lot, coil the lines, walk to the water and drift launch. Small sandy beach, tight launch, moored boats directly downwind near the pier, and shifty wind off the wind shadow. Expert-only launch conditions.
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
- Treat the launch as the limiting factor, not the bay water.
- Rig in the parking lot, coil the lines, then walk down and drift launch.
- Never rig on the Island Beach State Park marsh area; riders get fined for it.
- Keep clear of the moored boats downwind of the pier, and of the boat traffic under the bridge.
- Read the wind on the water rather than at the lot, the shadow makes the launch shifty.
- Ask locally whether the working launch is 21st Ave or 23rd Ave before you drive down.
- The 23rd Ave entry in the spot databases runs to the Atlantic side of the peninsula, not to this bay launch; the two names get mixed up.
- Come in the afternoon in summer: the SW is thermal and needs the heat of the day.
Getting there
Airport
Philadelphia International Airport (PHL) and New York JFK are nearby major airports; PHL is about 130 km and JFK about 110 km from the spot.
Route
Take Route 37 toward Seaside Heights, continue south to Seaside Park and get to 21st Ave. The launch is on the Barnegat Bay side of the borough.
Staying
Seaside Park and neighbouring Seaside Heights have shore lodging and vacation rentals. Nothing kite-specific is confirmed.
No-wind days
Seaside Park beach, the boardwalk and shore tourism in Seaside Heights, fishing and Barnegat Bay boating. No specific operator is confirmed.
FAQ
Is Seaside Park Bayside suitable for beginners?
No. The bay water is shallow and flat, but riders drift launch from a small, tight space with moored boats downwind and shifty wind, rated expert by local guidance.
What is the wind like?
Southwest is the main summer direction, with south and west also usable; fall and spring bring northeast winds from cold fronts, and the best months run May through September.
Are there rules or restricted zones?
As of 2026, rigging on the nearby Island Beach State Park marsh is prohibited and can be fined, kiteboarding is not allowed in any New Jersey lifeguarded area, and Seaside Park Borough meters run April 1 to October 31 at $2-3 per hour.
What hazards should riders know about?
The launch is tight with moored boats directly downwind near the pier, shifty wind from a wind shadow, and boat traffic on Barnegat Bay to watch for.
Last updated: August 2026