Nearby Oval Beach 29 km · Tiscornia Beach 36 km · straight-line distance
When it fills in
There is no fill-in hour to wait for. The wind is frontal rather than thermal, so the usable hours follow the passage of a system and not the clock, and no local onset time is published.
The wind
Direction
Kite sizes
metres · typical quiver highlighted
Character
synoptic
fills in: There is no fill-in hour to wait for. The wind is frontal rather than thermal, so the usable hours follow the passage of a system and not the clock, and no local onset time is published.
Typical strength
No reliable seasonal figure; a long-term regional station shows an annual average around 11 kt with gusts to 13 kt, skewed by calmer non-season months.
The quiver, in words
No local size table exists, so this is indicative for a 75-85 kg rider rather than measured here: 10-12 m in the light 12-16 kt end, 8-9 m around 18-22 kt, 5-7 m when a strong autumn northwesterly is running past 25 kt.Rig one size down from what the average suggests, because the gust spread inside a lake squall is wide.
Direction to shore
North Beach faces due west, so west is onshore. North and northwest come in cross to side-on given the shoreline orientation, by map inference, and those are the two directions named locally as best.
Dominant direction
N, NW. West is the other working direction and it is the one that stacks the waves.
Forecast
Month by month
- Jan35
- Feb46
- Mar47
- Apr, riders' month48
- May, riders' month19
- Jun, riders' month25
- Jul, riders' month6
- Aug, riders' month18
- Sep, riders' month13
- Oct, riders' month42
- Nov, riders' month55
- Dec39
windy days per month (3 h+ at 12 kn+)
Ringed months are the ones riders and schools name: Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct, Nov.
- 35%Jan
- 46%Feb
- 47%Mar
- 48%Apr
- 19%May
- 25%Jun
- 6%Jul
- 18%Aug
- 13%Sep
- 42%Oct
- 55%Nov
- 39%Dec
windy days per month (3 h+ at 12 kn+) · season highlighted
| Month | Windy days | Force 4+ | 12 kn or more | Knots | From | Peaks at | Air | Readings |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 35% | 56% | 52% | 12.9 kt | SW | 13:00 | -2.3°C | 62 |
| Feb | 46% | 74% | 67% | 14.3 kt | SW | 14:00 | -0.2°C | 57 |
| Mar | 47% | 66% | 58% | 14.4 kt | NW | 14:00 | 3.4°C | 62 |
| Apr | 48% | 73% | 68% | 14.4 kt | SW | 14:00 | 8.5°C | 60 |
| May | 19% | 58% | 47% | 11.9 kt | NNW | 14:00 | 15.5°C | 62 |
| Jun | 25% | 57% | 47% | 11.9 kt | NNW | 14:00 | 20.1°C | 60 |
| Jul | 6% | 37% | 27% | 10.4 kt | SW | 14:00 | 21.7°C | 62 |
| Aug | 18% | 40% | 32% | 11 kt | NNW | 15:00 | 21.4°C | 62 |
| Sep | 13% | 20% | 18% | 9.6 kt | NW | 14:00 | 18.9°C | 60 |
| Oct | 42% | 66% | 56% | 13.1 kt | NW | 14:00 | 12.4°C | 62 |
| Nov | 55% | 72% | 70% | 14.5 kt | SSW | 14:00 | 6.4°C | 60 |
| Dec | 39% | 60% | 55% | 13.6 kt | SW | 13:00 | 1.5°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
lake
Standing depth
Sandy bottom with gradual slope reported at North Beach, but no exact standing-depth distance on record.
Tides
Tide independent on Lake Michigan.
Temperature
20°C summer · 4°C winter
Wetsuit
Full wetsuit required except midsummer; 5/3 suits are reported for spring/fall and shorties in summer.
Currents
Longshore and rip currents are possible in strong west winds; channel jetties can create dangerous current zones.
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
2 schools name this spot
On your own
Room to launch: medium
Somewhere else
Oval Beach, 29 km
Every spot within 40 km is on the map at the top of this page, with its distance under it.
Rescue
Launch
A small public launch on the south side of the channel and a large public beach on the north side. North Beach is at 45 Lakeshore Drive, with paid parking and public amenities.
Space
medium
Rules & access
Access rules drift faster than anything else we hold — check locally, and propose an edit if this has changed.
Rider tips
- In June, July and August, judge North Beach by how packed the sand is before you unpack a kite.
- Park at 45 Lakeshore Drive for North Beach; the lot is paid and the amenities are there.
- Give the channel jetties and the boat traffic a wide berth.
- Watch the sky, not only the forecast: fronts here build in minutes.
- Bring a 5/3 outside July and August. A shorty only covers midsummer.
- Learn what a shelf cloud looks like. A squall off this lake can add 20 mph over the wind you rigged for, and it does it in about two minutes.
- There is no daily fill-in here. Pick the system, not the time of day.
- Above the high water line the sand can be private property on the stretches either side of the public beaches.
Getting there
Airport
Chicago O'Hare International Airport (ORD)
Route
From Kalamazoo take M-43; from I-196 follow the signs into town.
Cost level
medium
Staying
South Haven has hotels, inns, resorts, cottages, condos, vacation homes, bed and breakfasts, camping, and cabins.
No-wind days
South Haven lighthouse · North Beach · South Beach · fishing · restaurants · shopping · arts and culture · breweries and wineries
Photos
FAQ
Is South Haven suitable for beginners?
No. Waves, channel jetties, boat traffic and cold water make North Beach unsuitable as an independent beginner spot; it is rated intermediate to advanced.
What is the wind like?
North and northwest are the best directions, with strong fall northwesterly systems capable of producing overhead wave conditions; the season runs roughly April through November.
What hazards should riders know about?
Hazards include the pier and channel jetties, boat traffic, longshore and rip currents, cold freshwater, and fast-building lake-effect storms with lightning.
Are there kite schools?
Yes, Stoke Riders and MACkite Boardsports Center are local schools near South Haven.
Last updated: August 2026