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Squamish Spit

British Columbia · Squamish-Lillooet Regional District

also known as Pepahim Island, Spit Island, Pepahím̓ Island

Part of Squamish →

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec

flat waternot for beginnersoffshorehigh 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–Sep

Months riders and schools name

How windy

18-24 kt

Character: thermal · offshore

Room to launch

tight

access rules on record, below

Water

flat

14 °C in summerFlat/no-wave water at the Spit, with flat to choppy conditions across the broader Howe Sound riding area

Hazards

Reported by riders

Level

Intermediate to advanced

With a caveat: see Your level

BeginnerIntermediateAdvanced

Crowds

high crowds · busy Jun Jul Aug

Schools

named at this spot

From the airport

80 min

International Airport (YVR)

When it fills in

Usually midday to evening; the southerly/SW inflow often switches on around 10-11am or noon and peaks through the afternoon.

Squamish Spit has no other spot on this map within 40 km of it, and none other in Squamish. straight-line distance

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

Sp'akw'us Feather Park / Watersports Beach (wingfoiling and windsurfing only for 2024+ District rules)no page yet
Porteau Coveno page yet
Britannia Beachno page yet
Harrison Lakeno page yet

The spot

The location

Squamish Spit is the Howe Sound classic, now a boat-access launch on Pepahim/Spit Island after the estuary restoration took the road away. What you come for is the summer thermal: on clear warm days the SW/SSW inflow funnels up Howe Sound under the Coast Mountains and gives steady 18-24 kt from midday into the evening.

Flat water riding

The water at the Spit is flat, no ocean swell, which is why it fills with freestyle, freeride, big air and foil riders. It is also snowmelt-fed and cold, so a full wetsuit is normal even in summer.

Advanced requirements

This is not a walk-on beginner beach. The wind is offshore from the launch, the launch itself is tight and rocky, and you need to hold upwind and self-rescue in deep water before you get on the shuttle.

Access and operations

SWS runs the site through its May 15-September 15 season on membership or a day pass, with scheduled boat shuttles and retrieval support. Kiteboarding was permanently restricted from Sp'akw'us Feather Park/Watersports Beach by the District of Squamish in October 2024, so the island shuttle is the legitimate way in; check the SWS updates before you drive up.

The wind

locals call it Squamish thermal inflow

Direction

offshorewind blows away from land — rescue cover matters here

Dominant direction

SW to SSW inflow on classic summer days; north/outflow can occur in the morning and is the wrong direction for riding from the Spit.

Kite sizes

567891011

metres · typical quiver highlighted

The quiver, in words

9 m is the size most people rig at the Spit; 7-9 m covers the common windy days.

Character

thermal

When it fills in: see above ↑

Typical strength

18-24 kt on a typical day, with 20-25 kt normal for a summer session.

Reliable, funneled summer thermal wind in clear warm weather; forecasts can under-call the local thermal, and heat waves, rain, cloud patterns or delayed SW switch can weaken or roughen the wind.

SWS staffing/shuttle season is May 15 to September 15. The activity season is spring and summer, though riding outside staffed operations has been reported from May into October.

Forecast

Live forecast

Windguru Windfinder Windy

Month by month

riding season from the spot record · no wind series here is trusted enough to name a season

Jan8
Feb7
Mar0
Apr2
May, riders' month10
Jun, riders' month8
Jul, riders' month11
Aug, riders' month6
Sep, riders' month3
Oct5
Nov2
Dec2

windy days per month (3 h+ at 12 kn+)

Ringed months are the ones riders and schools name: May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep.

Our wind model misses this spot's wind

The model puts wind on only 11% of days, even in its best month, which does not match the season and the wind strength riders and schools report here. That is why the bars are hatched instead of coloured: go by the ringed months, the ones riders name.

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 · Readings

Month	Windy days	Force 4+	12 kn or more	Knots	Wind from	Peaks at	Air	Readings
Jan	8%	24%	16%	9.6 kt	ENE	11:00	0 °C	62
Feb	7%	35%	25%	10.1 kt	WSW	14:00	1.7 °C	57
Mar	0%	10%	8%	9 kt	SW	14:00	3.9 °C	62
Apr	2%	30%	15%	10.1 kt	WSW	14:00	7.2 °C	60
May	10%	34%	18%	10.5 kt	WSW	14:00	11.1 °C	62
Jun	8%	63%	35%	11.3 kt	WSW	15:00	14.4 °C	60
Jul	11%	69%	31%	11.4 kt	WSW	15:00	16.7 °C	62
Aug	6%	37%	23%	10.7 kt	WSW	15:00	16.7 °C	62
Sep	3%	38%	15%	10.3 kt	WSW	14:00	12.8 °C	60
Oct	5%	16%	10%	9.3 kt	ENE	13:00	7.8 °C	62
Nov	2%	15%	12%	8.9 kt	WSW	13:00	3.3 °C	60
Dec	2%	21%	11%	9.2 kt	ENE	11:00	0 °C	62

About these figuresriders' months · 2023-2024

Riders and schools name these months. The model reads lower here, and both are shown rather than averaged.

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

Standing depth

Not a standing-depth learner lagoon. Beginners have to be able to self-rescue in deep water, and the launch depends on the tide and the sandbar.

Tides

Howe Sound is tidal and the tide drives the logistics more than the riding.Shuttle landings are tide-permitting and can be shallow-water drop-offs, a sandbar starts showing below about 1.7 m, and at low tide it is possible to walk across to the island - membership is required either way.River flow through the channel runs faster at lower tides.

Temperature

14 °C summer

Wetsuit

A 4/3 or 5/3 full suit is the norm at the Spit. The water is mountain snowmelt and never really warms up.

Currents

River outflow and tidal state matter near the estuary. The Squamish River runs fast and high, and extremely cold, during the spring freshet, and the channel flows faster at lower tides.

Conditions

Flat/no-wave water at the Spit, with flat to choppy conditions across the broader Howe Sound riding area. The launch sits beside sensitive Squamish estuary habitat, so riders are expected to stay out of the wildlife-management area north of the windsports zone.

Your level

BeginnerIntermediateAdvanced

not for beginners here

A beginner riding here independently needs to hold upwind, ride among other people, self-rescue in deep water and wind up their own lines for retrieval. The launch is small and crowded, it is rocky, the wind is offshore and you get there by shuttle, so treat the Spit as intermediate to advanced unless you are taking boat-supported lessons.

The scene

What riders come here for

freeridefreestyleintermediatebig airfoilwindsports community

Membership-run, cooperative windsports scene with staff, shuttle logistics, events and many repeat local riders; weekdays are easier, while summer weekends can be busy at the launch even though the water has room.

Launch and rules

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

With a school or a boat

5 schools name this spot

See who they are

On your own

Room to launch: tight

Read the access rules

Somewhere else

No neighbour on record

No other spot in the atlas sits within reach of this one.

Rescue

Squamish Windsports Society staff run sea-doos with rescue sleds through the staffed 15 May - 15 September season, and retrieval is included with membership - but the society is explicit that nobody should count on it, because staff may be busy or may simply not see you.

Self-rescue

Deep-water self-rescue and board recovery are the baseline skills.

Shuttle schedule

Shuttles run only on windy staffed days, in fixed 2026 windows: 11:00-12:00, 12:30-13:30, 14:00-15:00, 15:30-16:30 and 17:00-18:00 out to the island, then 18:30-19:30 for returns only.

Wetsuits

Wetsuits are required on the shuttle because drop-offs may be in shallow water.

Launch

Launch/land on Pepahim/Spit Island at the Squamish River estuary where Howe Sound meets the river. Access is by SWS boat shuttle from the north end of Sp'akw'us Feather Park/oceanfront parking area; personal transportation cannot be parked at the Spit.

Hazards riders report 11 reported

Wind

Offshore wind from the Spit launch

Crowds and zones

Small, crowded launch/landing zone with rocks
Commercial boat traffic, freighters and tugs in/near Howe Sound shipping lanes

Waves and currents

River current and faster channel flow at some tides
Large tidal swings and sandbar/shallow-water shuttle constraints

Protected areas and rules

sensitive wetland habitat adjacent to the launch area
Sensitive estuary and wildlife-management habitat north of the windsports area
Downwind hazards and difficult onshore wind at Sp'akw'us Feather Park/Watersports Beach, where kiteboarding is banned

Other

nearby commercial shipping lanes
Deep cold snowmelt water and cold-water exposure
No SWS operations on windless days or outside staffed service windows

Rules & access

1 min read

Membership and access

2026: a Squamish Windsports Society membership is required to be on Pepahim/Spit Island at all - including walking across at low tide, not just arriving by shuttle.

2026 prices: Adult Membership $90 (one day pass included; covers the retrieval service but not shuttle transport), Youth Membership under 21 $45, Day Pass without membership $65 (shuttle and beach access, no membership), Day Pass with membership $40, Adult Season $400, Youth Season $200, Earlybird Single Season $350 sold until midnight on 14 May.

Shuttles and transportation

2026: shuttles leave from the north side of the Sp'akw'us Feather parking area and run only on windy staffed days; personal transportation may not be parked at the Spit.

Safety rules

2026 society safety rules: pump up in the rigging zone, keep walkways and the launch/land zone clear, launch promptly from a vacant spot, use hand signals, wrap lines immediately on landing and return the kite to the rigging zone, stay out of the launch/land zone unless launching or landing, give way to novices, kite-school boats, freighters and tugs, and shoulder-check before turning or jumping - unattended kites are deflated and wrapped by staff.

Protected areas

2026: the wildlife management area north of the windsports zone is off limits; ask staff or check the site map for the boundary.

2024 District of Squamish: kiteboarding is permanently prohibited from the Watersports Beach at Sp'akw'us Feather Park, decided after a park-use review that followed a fatal accident on 1 July 2024; wingfoiling and windsurfing remain permitted there.

2023 District estuary notice: no camping near the restored Training Berm/Spit Road area, pack out all garbage, and do not cross from Third Avenue over the CN Railway to the central estuary/Bozo Beach.

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 SWS live wind meter, the staff-on-duty status, the tide and sandbar page, the webcam and the shuttle schedule before you commit to the drive.
Bring enough wetsuit for a long swim or a late pickup: 4/3 or 5/3, and wear it on the shuttle, because drop-offs can be in shallow water.
Arrive with your lines organized and launch promptly from a vacant spot; unattended kites get deflated and wrapped by staff.
If the wind has not switched SW by late morning, treat the day as a gamble. A small SW reading on the forecast can still be a much stronger thermal at Squamish.
Stay clear of the estuary wildlife management area, the boat traffic and the kite-school boats.
Keep out of the launch and landing zone unless you are launching or landing, and give way to novices.
Ignore any old road-access or Nexen/Watersports Beach launch information for kiteboarding; it is out of date.

Getting there

Airport

Vancouver International Airport (YVR)

Route

Squamish sits on Highway 99 between Vancouver and Whistler, with daily services from Vancouver and YVR on the Squamish Connector, BC Connector and Skylynx.In town, park on the north side of the Sp'akw'us Feather Park oceanfront parking area and walk back towards Galbraith Ave - the shuttle pickup is on the corner by the parking area.Boat is the normal way onto the island; walking across is only possible at low tide.

Transfer

80 min

Cost level

medium-high

Staying

Off-grid campsites and hostels through motels, boutique rooms, vacation rentals and resorts. Staying in Squamish itself is the practical choice, because the shuttle windows decide your day.

No-wind days

Stawamus Chief hiking/climbing, Sea to Sky Gondola, mountain biking, paddling/kayaking, Britannia Mine Museum, Shannon Falls and local food/beer in Squamish.

Photos

FAQ

When is the best time to kite Squamish Spit?

The Squamish Windsports Society runs shuttle staffing from May 15 to September 15, with the SW thermal typically switching on around 10-11am and peaking through the afternoon.

Is Squamish Spit suitable for beginners?

Only with boat-supported lessons; independent riders need upwind ability and deep-water self-rescue skills because the wind blows offshore from the launch.

What is the wind like at Squamish Spit?

A reliable SW to SSW thermal inflow funnels up Howe Sound, typically delivering 18-24 knots on staffed days.

Are there rules or permits at Squamish Spit?

Yes; 2026 access requires an SWS day pass or membership, priced from about 40 to 90 CAD, and kiteboarding is permanently banned from nearby Sp'akw'us Feather Park.

What hazards are there at Squamish Spit?

The launch is small and rocky with offshore wind, the water is cold snowmelt, and riders must avoid the adjacent estuary wildlife-management area and shipping traffic.

The bigger pictureEverything about Squamish

Last updated: August 2026