This years windy season in Mexico will soon start once again, so the time is right to tell you all about the wind seasons in Isla Holbox.
Holbox is blessed with a long windy season which normally runs from November until the end of May.
Leon Lever sunset dark slide on Holbox
The Main season is made up of two overlapping but very different seasons, the winter season and the spring season. Both seasons show off the different characters of it’s beautiful kite spots.
The Winter Season is the season of the Norte and is just about to start on Isla Holbox.
During the winter season (November – February) we get winds ranging from 12-25 knots. Usually starting from the North, strong and fierce (20-25 knots) and then gradually veering and weakening through NE and then Easterly. The cycle usually lasts 4-5 days and then repeats. A 3mm wetsuit is recommended for all but the hardiest of riders during the Nortes. During the Norte the skies will turn grey, the wind will blow strong and you’ll find us riding at Kite beach during these storms enjoying the flat water in the lagoon.
Cathy flies high in Holbox Lagoon
As the Norte passes us and the winds veer more Easterly we’ll head off to Punta Mosquito by boat.
Spring Season (Mid February – End of April) This season sees water temperatures rise and the consistent NE – E winds kick in that usually blow from 12-20 knots. The Nortes of the winter continue to periodically blow, but much less often and usually finish late March. Nothing beats a good March Norte – Strong winds, flat and warm water.
In April the wind is predominantly from the East and sees near daily boat trips to Punta Mosquito…
…or you could stay behind on Main beach to enjoy some epic flat water kitefoil conditions with me.
Holbox is a kitefoil paradise
May is the last month of the traditional wind season and usually sees a alot of spring pattern winds for the first two weeks and then gradually transitioning to our thermal summer pattern with lighter but more Northerly winds. In June the rains often start.
Summer Time – There can be wind in the summer but it is much less predictable. If you are on Holbox during the summer and lucky enough to find wind, quickly grab your kites and enjoy a ride in empty waters. The usual spots will work but don’t expect the schools to be there as they usually shut down for the summer.
Check out next weeks article on the kite spots of Holbox.
The last two summers saw Cathy and I visiting Sri Lanka. I concentrated mainly on my Kite foilboarding both as a means of transport and just general freeride . If I could foil to my destination and there was still daylight, I’d skip the tuk-tuk or taxi to ride there and back. The coastline here lends itself to exploring with the foil. The winds in Sri Lanka are generally strong in the summer time, blowing mainly from the SW. At 100kg I spent nearly the whole summer on a 6/7m with a handful of days on a 10m. This summer there were only 2 days where I couldn’t foil… due only to unseasonal rain.
Pushing the tack to new heights.
The sea is quite choppy during the summer season with some foilable although not world class waves. The lagoons are flat and great for learning or training freeride manoeuvres. Just watch out for the varying depths and sometimes shallow water. There is something for all levels of foiling but you will have to decide on the conditions that you like best. The winter season has different strength and direction of winds of which I have no experience. This post only deals with the summer season from May until the end of September.
Kappalady Lagoon & Sea (Summer Season)
Wind strength 16-22 knots Smooth stable wind.
The wind in Kappalady is much smoother than Kalpitya or Puttalam Lagoon however the lagoon is much smaller…
Here’s a video of Kitefoil from Kappalady to give you an idea of the usable area.
Foiling in Kappalady lagoon is challenging but it is still one of my favourite flatwater spots. The area where foiling is realistic in the lagoon is maybe 100m by 100m. This means great conditions for practicing high numbers of turns, but not so great if what you want to practice is long runs.
Jonny Smith on Axis Kink, Kappalady Lagoon, Sri Lanka 2019
If you are going to foil in this lagoon, you will need to learn where the deep areas are. I use a 90 mast happily in the deep areas. The change from deep to shallow is very dramatic so watch out. The photo below shows in green the deeper area but please be aware that the lagoon changes from year to year. The great thing about the area is that you will normally have it to yourself as beginners tend to avoid going so far down the lagoon.
Foilable area in Kappalady Lagoon 2019
There are some good foilable waves that can be found straight out from the lagoon about maybe 500m to 1km from the shore. Be aware that the shore break can be pretty formidable when the wind is up. Best spot for entry this year was just downwind of the sea defense behind Ilfram’s cocounut shack. See green arrow on above photo.
Also be aware that there is a military practice range to the North between Donkey Point and Kappalady. Check with the guys at Kite House Café or Kite Kuda before entering this zone. If the area is being used it’s not allowed to enter. I’ve seen it when the area was live and some of the explosions in the sea are immense.
Kalpitya Lagoon (Summer Season)
Wind strength 16-22 knots – gusty
This lagoon is much bigger than Kappalady as is it’s foilable area. This lagoon is more suitable for learning the basics and for making nice long runs. However I would strongly recommend the use of a shorter mast 75cm or shorter. At most tide states you will be able to use a foil with strut/mast of this length. There are some shallower areas but if you check with any of the schools they should be able to point them out to you.
I used a 90cm mast and found the area out to the east of Rascals towards Sri Lanka Kite to be the most usable area. Don’t forget that the lagoons change over time so always check with the locals first.
The size of this lagoon is great for learning to foil and for general freeride foiling but watch out for the occasional fishing net and gusty wind. The Lagoon can also be quite be busy with beginner kiters so keep your eyes peeled. Due to the varying depths and number of beginners I don’t recommend Kalpitya Lagoon as a good place for high performance / race foil training.
Alankuda Beach
Wind Strength 16-22 knots – Smooth winds
Jonny Smith Kite Foil 360 at Alankuda beach showing typical conditions
For learning to foilboard this spot is not ideal unless the wind is light, better to go to Kalpitya. However for competent freeride foilers the area is very rideable and great fun but expect big chop and waves. Longer masts/struts of 90cm and longer are recommended . There are two lines of some very foilable waves just downwind from the Naval look out tower these seem to be at their best on spring tides especially if the wind shifts from on-shore to side shore. The prevailing wind direction in the photo below is from left to right or Southwesterly.
Showing waves downwind of Naval Tower.
The shore break on most of the North Western coastline can be pretty heavy if the wind is onshore so take care entering the water. At Alankuda beach the shore break is actually a bit lighter than most spots nearby.
The only useable kite launch areas are from Alankuda Kite School at Bar Reef Resort and Udekki Hotel however don’t expect there to be many other kiters to help you launch and land. Self launch and land is the order of the day.
Jonny playing in small wave on Kite Foil, Alankuda Beach
This area is a good start point for a downwinder to Kappalady lagoon or even Kalpitya Lagoon via Donkey Point if the military aren’t practicing. Take care of the depth around donkey point.
You’ll find big ridable wind swell between Talawila and Alankuda Beach just in front of the wind turbines on the way down to Kappalady.
Puttalam Lagoon
16-22 knots Smooth to Gusty
This area has a massive potential for foiling due to its size. Accessed most easily by boat from Kalpitya Harbour or from a kite trip to one of it’s islands (vella, Ipantivu etc). Talk to boat captains or trip organizers to find out deeper and shallower areas. The lagoon is huge and borders Wipattu national park on its Northwestern Shoreline. I have only experience of the Northern part of the lagoon from Kalpitya up and there is some serious space to explore. Last summer we did a huge 150km downwinder from Kalpitya through the Puttalam Lagoon to Mannar with Freeriders extreme Kite tours. If you get chance definitely worth doing. I intend to explore Puttalam lagoon more next year.
Vella Island
Always on the list of trips to do on a Srilankan kite holiday. It is best known to freestylers but is great for foiling too. Most of the freestylers will be tight up against the island giving you lots of space just downwind. Check the depths with boat captains or instructors first as sands are always shifting.
Over the last two seasons, Holbox has started to develop a small but growing foilboarding or kite hydorofoil scene. Currently there are 8 local foilers and an increasing number of visiting foilers on Holbox so you’re unlikely to be foiling alone. The conditions there are perfect for learning and progressing.
Foilboarding together 🙂 Cath learns to ride the kite hydrofoil.
Water conditions are flat to small chop and always deep enough for a full length mast once you are 50 metres past the lagoon.
There are opportunities to make huge upwinders or downwinders if that is your thing. With Punta mosquito as a target 4km upwind which gives access to 40km long Playa Ensenada. Take a look., this view is of main beach. The point on the left hand side is Punta mosquito and the beach going off into the clouds is Playa Ensenada.
Holbox Kiteboarding School offer foilboarding or kitefoil lessons and rentals. They are currently using moses and slingshot foils, axis and slingshot boards.
Rescue service is available and the lessons are taught from the boat if desired or necessary. Radio Helmets are also used to help speed up the learning progression.
The traditional kite season on Holbox runs from Nov until end of May however with a hydrofoil that season can extend into the summer months too.
Its a great alternative to La ventana for an extended winter season and the town in Holbox has great accommodation and restaurants. The island is very safe and family friendly.
Isla Holbox is a short 30 min flight from Cancun or a 2 hour Taxi ride.
If you’d like more information please get in touch via
