Best time to kitesurf Bodega Bay – Doran Beach

The best time to kitesurf at Bodega Bay – Doran Beach is March–September, with about 5 windy days a month (15+ knots) and water around 12°C.

Bodega Bay, California, United States

Sports: Kitesurfing, Surfing

Best time to go: March–September

Bodega Bay – Doran Beach wind & wave forecast

Doran Beach runs along the sandspit of Doran Regional Park, a Sonoma County park between Bodega Harbor and Bodega Bay, about 100 km north of San Francisco. The park has parking, a campground and a boat launch, and the beach faces south, so it is sheltered from the powerful waves and currents of the open north coast.

Surfers get a gentle beach break when south-west swells, or bigger north-west swells, wrap into the bay; it is cleanest with northerly offshore winds, and winter, especially February, is the most consistent. Kiters ride the beach in the north-westerly winds, and many prefer the flatter water inside Bodega Harbor behind the spit, which needs a tide of at least about 2 feet (60 cm) to clear the shallows.

This is great white shark country, and many local kiters stay inside the harbour for that reason; there are also rips and rocks. Do not ride alone, and keep clear of boats in the harbour channel. The water is cold all year, about 11 °C from April to June and 15 °C in September: a 5/4 with boots, gloves and hood for kiting, a 4/3 or 5/4 for surfing.

Month by month at Bodega Bay – Doran Beach

January: 3 windy days (15+ knots), average wind 6 knots, waves 1.7 m, water 13°C, air 14°C (nights 6°C), sun (6+ hours) on about 23 days, rain (1+ mm) on about 8; a day can have both
February: 5 windy days (15+ knots), average wind 7 knots, waves 1.6 m, water 13°C, air 14°C (nights 6°C), sun (6+ hours) on about 21 days, rain (1+ mm) on about 10; a day can have both
March: 5 windy days (15+ knots), average wind 8 knots, waves 1.4 m, water 12°C, air 14°C (nights 7°C), sun (6+ hours) on about 26 days, rain (1+ mm) on about 11; a day can have both
April: 7 windy days (15+ knots), average wind 9 knots, waves 1.2 m, water 12°C, air 15°C (nights 8°C), sun (6+ hours) on about 28 days, rain (1+ mm) on about 6; a day can have both
May: 7 windy days (15+ knots), average wind 9 knots, waves 1 m, water 11°C, air 17°C (nights 9°C), sun (6+ hours) on about 30 days, rain (1+ mm) on about 2; a day can have both
June: 8 windy days (15+ knots), average wind 9 knots, waves 0.7 m, water 12°C, air 19°C (nights 11°C), sun (6+ hours) on about 29 days, rain (1+ mm) on about 1; a day can have both
July: 3 windy days (15+ knots), average wind 8 knots, waves 0.6 m, water 13°C, air 20°C (nights 11°C), sun (6+ hours) on about 31 days, almost no rain
August: 3 windy days (15+ knots), average wind 8 knots, waves 0.6 m, water 13°C, air 20°C (nights 12°C), sun (6+ hours) on about 31 days, almost no rain
September: 2 windy days (15+ knots), average wind 7 knots, waves 0.7 m, water 15°C, air 20°C (nights 12°C), sun (6+ hours) on about 29 days, rain (1+ mm) on about 2; a day can have both
October: 1 windy day (15+ knots), average wind 6 knots, waves 0.8 m, water 15°C, air 19°C (nights 10°C), sun (6+ hours) on about 28 days, rain (1+ mm) on about 4; a day can have both
November: 2 windy days (15+ knots), average wind 6 knots, waves 1.3 m, water 13°C, air 16°C (nights 8°C), sun (6+ hours) on about 24 days, rain (1+ mm) on about 9; a day can have both
December: 2 windy days (15+ knots), average wind 6 knots, waves 1.5 m, water 13°C, air 14°C (nights 7°C), sun (6+ hours) on about 19 days, rain (1+ mm) on about 13; a day can have both