Best time to kitesurf Figari bay
The best time to kitesurf at Figari bay is April–September, the well-known local wind season, with water around 22°C.
Figari, Corsica, France
Sports: Kitesurfing, Wingfoiling, Windsurfing
Best time to go: April–September
Figari bay is a narrow inlet on the south-west coast of Corse-du-Sud, between Pianottoli-Caldarello and Figari, a few minutes from Figari airport and about 20 km north-west of Bonifacio. Follow the dirt track to the end, past the little port of Figari, to the big car park (the eastern car park has a height barrier, so campervans should look to the west). The Eole Figari centre rents and teaches here from early April to late November. Windsurfers launch by the centre; kiters walk about 15 minutes south to their launch area.
The bay runs south-west to north-east, so the westerly thermal blows straight along it, regularly around Force 4 and stronger, over flat water with broad standing-depth areas. At Figari airport, 4.6 km away, the wind blows from the west or south-west in most strong-wind hours, and 15 knots or more is recorded on about four days in ten through the year; the summer thermal is strongest from April to September. The wind is gusty, strongest in the middle of the bay and weaker near both shores. Easterly winds are very gusty here.
The flat, shallow water makes it one of the best places in Corsica to learn to kite or wing, but it gets crowded with beginners, boats and jet skis in summer, so follow the right-of-way rules and any marked zones. Four submerged rocks lie in the middle of the bay and are marked with buoys only in summer, and the bottom has sharp rocks near the shore: wear booties. The water is about 14 °C in February and 26 °C in August: a 4/3 in April, a 3/2 in May, June and October, a shorty or boardshorts in July and August.
Month by month at Figari bay
- January: 17 windy days (15+ knots), average wind 14 knots, waves 0.7 m, water 15°C, air 14°C (nights 7°C), sun (6+ hours) on about 22 days, rain (1+ mm) on about 14; a day can have both
- February: 13 windy days (15+ knots), average wind 13 knots, waves 0.7 m, water 14°C, air 15°C (nights 8°C), sun (6+ hours) on about 24 days, rain (1+ mm) on about 9; a day can have both
- March: 17 windy days (15+ knots), average wind 14 knots, waves 0.6 m, water 15°C, air 16°C (nights 9°C), sun (6+ hours) on about 28 days, rain (1+ mm) on about 14; a day can have both
- April: 14 windy days (15+ knots), average wind 13 knots, waves 0.6 m, water 16°C, air 19°C (nights 11°C), sun (6+ hours) on about 28 days, rain (1+ mm) on about 8; a day can have both
- May: 11 windy days (15+ knots), average wind 11 knots, waves 0.4 m, water 18°C, air 24°C (nights 15°C), sun (6+ hours) on about 30 days, rain (1+ mm) on about 12; a day can have both
- June: 10 windy days (15+ knots), average wind 11 knots, waves 0.4 m, water 23°C, air 30°C (nights 20°C), sun (6+ hours) on about 30 days, rain (1+ mm) on about 5; a day can have both
- July: 14 windy days (15+ knots), average wind 12 knots, waves 0.3 m, water 25°C, air 33°C (nights 22°C), sun (6+ hours) on about 31 days, rain (1+ mm) on about 1; a day can have both
- August: 11 windy days (15+ knots), average wind 11 knots, waves 0.3 m, water 26°C, air 33°C (nights 22°C), sun (6+ hours) on about 31 days, rain (1+ mm) on about 5; a day can have both
- September: 13 windy days (15+ knots), average wind 12 knots, waves 0.3 m, water 24°C, air 28°C (nights 19°C), sun (6+ hours) on about 28 days, rain (1+ mm) on about 7; a day can have both
- October: 12 windy days (15+ knots), average wind 12 knots, waves 0.4 m, water 22°C, air 24°C (nights 16°C), sun (6+ hours) on about 28 days, rain (1+ mm) on about 11; a day can have both
- November: 15 windy days (15+ knots), average wind 14 knots, waves 0.5 m, water 20°C, air 18°C (nights 11°C), sun (6+ hours) on about 26 days, rain (1+ mm) on about 10; a day can have both
- December: 14 windy days (15+ knots), average wind 12 knots, waves 0.6 m, water 17°C, air 15°C (nights 8°C), sun (6+ hours) on about 25 days, rain (1+ mm) on about 11; a day can have both
Kitesurfing in France: April, May, June, July, August, September
When is the best time to go kitesurfing, wingfoiling & windsurfing at Figari bay?
April–September, the well-known local wind season (weather models underestimate the local winds here).
How warm is the water at Figari bay?
14°C to 26°C over the year: boardshorts, no wetsuit needed in the warmest month, a 5/4 with boots in the coolest.
How windy is Figari bay?
About 161 days a year with at least 2 hours of 15+ knots in the daytime, most in January.
Figures from 5 years of weather data (Open-Meteo).
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- Porto Pollo (38 km)
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- Chia – Su Giudeu (287 km)
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