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Red Sea & Arabian Gulf · Yanbu
Yanbu
also known as Yanbu al-Bahr, Yanbu Industrial City
Yanbu has no other spot on this map within 40 km of it. straight-line distance
On the clock
08:00 · 09:00 · 11:00 · 14:00 · 18:00
Nothing before late morning. The wind bottoms out around 08:00-09:00, starts building from about 11:00, holds full strength from roughly 14:00 to 18:00, then eases through the evening rather than switching off. In June and July enough survives the night that the small hours are breezier than the morning. Indicative, modelled rather than timed on the beach.
The marks are the clock times the record names, laid on a 24-hour day. The bar between the first and the last covers those hours; it is not a promise of wind.
The wind
locals call it Red Sea northerly
Direction
Kite sizes
metres · typical quiver highlighted
Character
mixed
fills in: Nothing before late morning. The wind bottoms out around 08:00-09:00, starts building from about 11:00, holds full strength from roughly 14:00 to 18:00, then eases through the evening rather than switching off. In June and July enough survives the night that the small hours are breezier than the morning. Indicative, modelled rather than timed on the beach.
Typical strength
The afternoon sea breeze is the whole story. June and July peak near 16 knots through the afternoon, with about a third of all hours in the month at 12 knots or more. March to May and September sit a few knots lighter, afternoons around 13-14. October to February is the quiet half, afternoons near 9-11 and only 7-15% of hours at 12 knots or over. Indicative: these numbers are modelled on a coarse grid off the coast, not read off a beach anemometer.
Also on record
10 knots annual average and 25 knots average gusts at Yanbu Airport's measured station; this is an all-year average, not a kiteable-days figure, and no local operator has published a kite-specific figure
The quiver, in words
In the June-July peak a 75-85 kg rider wants a 9 m for the middle of the afternoon and a 12 m to start and finish the session. Spring and September are 12 m days with the 9 m in the bag. October to February means a 12 m or larger, or a foil.Indicative, sized off modelled wind, with no published recommendation from a Yanbu operator.
Direction to shore
The coastline from the old town down to the industrial city faces broadly southwest, so the prevailing west to west-northwest arrives side-shore to side-onshore, running down the beach from your right as you look out to sea. Read off the mapped coastline rather than from a launch report, because the everyday launch has not been established.
Dominant direction
West to west-northwest, with northwest close behind. Northeast turns up in the winter mornings.
Forecast
Month by month
- Jan62
- Feb84
- Mar77
- Apr83
- May90
- Jun99
- Jul100
- Aug96
- Sep96
- Oct77
- Nov62
- Dec51
per cent of the month at force 4 or more
- 13Jan26°
- 15Feb25°
- 16Mar25°
- 14Apr26°
- 16May28°
- 18Jun29°
- 19Jul30°
- 16Aug32°
- 17Sep30°
- 13Oct30°
- 12Nov30°
- 12Dec28°
avg knots per month · water °C below · season highlighted
| Month | Force 4+ | Knots | From | Air | Water |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 62% | 12.8 kt | WNW | 21°C | 26.2°C |
| Feb | 84% | 14.9 kt | WNW | 21.4°C | 24.8°C |
| Mar | 77% | 15.5 kt | WNW | 24.5°C | 25.3°C |
| Apr | 83% | 14.3 kt | W | 28.1°C | 26.3°C |
| May | 90% | 16.1 kt | W | 30.9°C | 28°C |
| Jun | 99% | 18 kt | WNW | 34.9°C | 29.3°C |
| Jul | 100% | 18.6 kt | W | 34.4°C | 29.6°C |
| Aug | 96% | 16.2 kt | W | 34.4°C | 31.8°C |
| Sep | 96% | 17 kt | WNW | 34.6°C | 29.9°C |
| Oct | 77% | 13.3 kt | W | 30.6°C | 29.9°C |
| Nov | 62% | 12.2 kt | WNW | 26.9°C | 29.5°C |
| Dec | 51% | 11.6 kt | NW | 23°C | 27.9°C |
modelled
A weather model's cell over this place, not a station on it. Good for comparing places, weaker for one beach.
Modelled from weather reanalysis on a 10–25 km grid (2022-2024), not a ground station: reliable for trade and synoptic winds, understates thermal sea breezes and valley winds. 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.
ERA5 reanalysis grid point (modelled) · Open-Meteo historical weather API — ECMWF ERA5/ERA5-Land reanalysis, not a ground station · 2022-2024
The water
Type
flat
Tides
Barely a tide at all. The Red Sea away from its nodal point runs roughly 0.2-0.3 m between low and high, so the daily swing is not something to plan a session around.The seasonal shift is larger: mean sea level sits about 0.5 m higher in winter than in summer, and a strong northerly pushes more water onto the shallow coastal flats than the tide does. Regional figures, with no Yanbu gauge found.
Temperature
29.8°C summer · 25.8°C winter
Wetsuit
Boardshorts or a light sun top is the plausible call from warm Red Sea water temperatures. No Yanbu kite school has published a recommendation, so treat it as unconfirmed.
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 is not rated
Somewhere else
No neighbour on record
No other spot in the atlas sits within reach of this one.
Rescue
Launch
The everyday public launch is unconfirmed. Follow The Wind kiteboarding runs at Yanbu Industrial City.
Rules & access
Access rules drift faster than anything else we hold — check locally, and propose an edit if this has changed.
Rider tips
- Message Yanbu Sailing School or Water Sports Arabia before you book flights; the everyday launch and its operating schedule were not found.
- Do not read reef shelter as beginner-safe. Confirm depth, coral heads and who comes to get you before going out.
- Read the event notice board if you are riding a Saudi Sailing Federation regatta, and do not treat it as the everyday beach rule.
- Plan around the heat: the city has recorded about 51 C and the water sits near 29.8 C in summer, so bring sun cover and more water than you think.
- Assume no rescue outside organised events and ride with someone.
Getting there
Airport
Yanbu Airport
Route
Yanbu is a Red Sea city and industrial port. The road to the kite launch itself is unconfirmed.
Cost level
mid
Staying
City and waterfront accommodation in Yanbu. Nothing kite-specific is listed.
No-wind days
Scuba diving and snorkeling · Yanbu waterfront beaches · Marina and Red Sea boat activities
Photos
FAQ
Is Yanbu suitable for beginners?
Instruction is advertised locally: Water Sports Arabia offers kitesurfing lessons and Yanbu Sailing School lists kitesurfing among its programs, though launch-specific suitability by level is unverified.
What is the water like?
Yanbu sits on a natural harbour protected on both sides by wide coral reefs, though exact kiteable depth and bottom conditions are undocumented.
Are there kite schools nearby?
Yanbu Sailing School and Water Sports Arabia both operate in Yanbu.
What are the main hazards?
Shallow coral reef along much of the coast, and very high summer air temperatures, reported around 51°C in the city.
Last updated: August 2026