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Squamish Spit
The Squamish Spit is a man-made sandbar in the Squamish River estuary at the head of Howe Sound, run as a members-only site by the non-profit Squamish Windsports Society (1,000+ members). Strong, funneled summer inlet wind beneath the Stawamus Chief has made it one of western Canada's top kiteboarding and windsurfing locations.
freeridefreestyleintermediate
Wind
| best months |
|
|---|---|
| season notes | Operating season runs May 15 to September 15, with predictable wind on warm, sunny summer days, typically strongest through the afternoon. |
| wind name | Squamish thermal/inlet outflow wind |
| quality | thermal |
Water
| type | flat/chop |
|---|---|
| temp summer c | 22 |
| tides | Significant tidal swings affect the estuary and sandbar; the Society posts tide/sandbar info for riders |
Levels
| beginner | yes |
|---|---|
| intermediate | yes |
| advanced | yes |
| notes | A managed, membership-based site with shuttle and safety services provided by the Society |
Launch & crowd
| description | Launch from the Spit at Pepahímṳ island on the outskirts of the Squamish estuary; shuttle service provided by the Society between 11am and 7:30pm on windy days |
|---|---|
| rescue | Safety/shuttle services provided by the Squamish Windsports Society |
| busy months |
|
| vibe | Community, membership-run site (1,000+ members) rather than a commercial beach |
Monthly wind statistics
Station: Squamish Airport, BC (weatherspark modeled climatology, ~3 km from the Spit) (Weatherspark (Cedar Lake Ventures, MERRA-2 reanalysis-modeled climatology), ~3 km) — Windfinder's Squamish Airport windstatistics page states 'no statistic data available' (annual summary only: SE, 4 kn avg, 11 kn gusts). Used Weatherspark's Squamish Airport climatology instead, ~3 km from the Spit itself. IMPORTANT CAVEAT: these are 24-hour (day+night) averages and show summer as the CALMEST period (2.4-3.2 kn Jun-Sep) -- this is misleading for the Spit, which is a thermally-driven afternoon-only venue: the Squamish outflow/thermal wind reliably builds to 20-30+ kn on summer afternoons (the site's known_best_months May-Sep) but is completely absent outside a few hours a day, so it gets averaged away in this all-hours dataset. Do not use these average-speed numbers as a proxy for rideable strength at the Spit; use them only for the site's known May-Sep seasonal window and general temperature.
| Month | Wind ≥4 Bft | Avg kn | Dir | Air °C | Water °C |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | —% | 3.7 | N | 0 | — |
| Feb | —% | 3.6 | E | 1.7 | — |
| Mar | —% | 3.4 | E | 3.9 | — |
| Apr | —% | 3 | S | 7.2 | — |
| May | —% | 2.7 | S | 11.1 | — |
| Jun | —% | 2.8 | S | 14.4 | — |
| Jul | —% | 2.6 | S | 16.7 | — |
| Aug | —% | 2.4 | S | 16.7 | — |
| Sep | —% | 2.6 | S | 12.8 | — |
| Oct | —% | 3 | S | 7.8 | — |
| Nov | —% | 3.5 | N | 3.3 | — |
| Dec | —% | 3.8 | N | 0 | — |
Hazards
- sensitive wetland habitat adjacent to the launch area
- nearby commercial shipping lanes
Rules
- Site is run by the Squamish Windsports Society; members are asked to follow responsible-conduct guidelines near the wetland and shipping lanes
- Waivers/safety regulations required, available via the Society
Tips
- Live webcam and wind/tide/sandbar forecasts posted by the Squamish Windsports Society
Travel basics
| airport | YVR - Vancouver International Airport |
|---|---|
| getting there | About 1 hour north of Vancouver via the Sea-to-Sky Highway |
| no wind | Squamish is also a major rock-climbing and mountain-biking hub for no-wind days |
Sources: squamishwindsports.com · en.wikivoyage.org · en.wikipedia.org