Kite Area guide
Santa Maria Beach / Kite Beach, Sal Island
Sal's main riding area and one of the most straightforward in the Atlantic: a long sandy beach, side-onshore wind, and a dedicated beginner zone with nothing in the water to hit.
When to kite
Best months: October, November, December, January, February, March, April, May, June.
About this Kite Area
Kite Beach runs some three kilometres along the coast a few minutes outside Santa Maria, and it is where most of Sal's kitesurfing happens. The wind is side-onshore from the left as you face the water, which means a dropped kite drifts back toward the beach rather than out to sea — the single most important thing about the spot.
The bottom is sand and shallow close in, giving a beginner zone with open space and no obstructions; further out the water picks up chop, and moderate waves form on the outside reef when Atlantic swell wraps around. Trades average 15 to 25 knots. The beach is divided into separate windsurfing and kitesurfing zones.
Conditions can turn gusty when the north-easterlies swing further to the north-east. The season runs from October to June and is at its most reliable between November and April, when air sits at 22 to 25°C and the sea at 21 to 23°C.