Best time to kitesurf Isla Blanca

The best time to kitesurf at Isla Blanca is January–May, November–December, the season of the local thermal wind, with water around 27°C.

Cancún, Quintana Roo, Mexico

Sports: Kitesurfing, Wingfoiling

Best time to go: January–May, November–December

Isla Blanca is not an island but a long, narrow and mostly undeveloped strip of sand that runs north from Punta Sam, north of Cancún, with the Caribbean on one side and the large, shallow Chacmuchuch lagoon on the other. Kiters ride in the lagoon, where the water is flat and often only waist deep over sand, which makes it one of the easiest places in the region to learn and a good place to practise freestyle.

From about November to April the 'nortes', winter cold fronts, bring north to north-east wind for two to four days at a time, from 10 knots up to 30 knots or more, with cooler air and water. From about April the wind turns east to south-east and blows more steadily, usually 12 to 25 knots. Different launches along the strip work for different wind directions, so the local schools move with the wind. The road is sandy in places: park where the locals do, as cars get stuck in the soft sand, and expect a small parking fee. On cool norte days a 3/2 mm wetsuit helps, in April a shorty is enough, and with the east wind most riders need no wetsuit. Weekends, especially Sundays, are the busiest days.

Month by month at Isla Blanca

January: windy season (local thermal wind), waves 1 m, water 26°C, air 27°C (nights 22°C), 29 sunny days, 14 rainy days
February: windy season (local thermal wind), waves 0.9 m, water 26°C, air 27°C (nights 22°C), 27 sunny days, 12 rainy days
March: windy season (local thermal wind), waves 0.9 m, water 27°C, air 28°C (nights 24°C), 31 sunny days, 10 rainy days
April: windy season (local thermal wind), waves 0.8 m, water 27°C, air 29°C (nights 24°C), 29 sunny days, 10 rainy days
May: windy season (local thermal wind), waves 0.6 m, water 28°C, air 31°C (nights 26°C), 30 sunny days, 9 rainy days
June: outside the windy season, waves 0.7 m, water 29°C, air 31°C (nights 26°C), 27 sunny days, 18 rainy days
July: outside the windy season, waves 0.6 m, water 30°C, air 31°C (nights 26°C), 31 sunny days, 16 rainy days
August: outside the windy season, waves 0.5 m, water 30°C, air 32°C (nights 26°C), 31 sunny days, 17 rainy days
September: outside the windy season, waves 0.5 m, water 30°C, air 31°C (nights 26°C), 28 sunny days, 19 rainy days
October: outside the windy season, waves 0.8 m, water 29°C, air 30°C (nights 25°C), 29 sunny days, 21 rainy days
November: windy season (local thermal wind), waves 0.9 m, water 28°C, air 29°C (nights 24°C), 29 sunny days, 18 rainy days
December: windy season (local thermal wind), waves 0.9 m, water 27°C, air 27°C (nights 23°C), 28 sunny days, 16 rainy days