Diego Suarez, Madagascar
Dec · 60% rideableEmerald Sea
What it's actually like
The Emerald Sea, the Mer d’Émeraude, is a lagoon in the far north of Madagascar, near Diego Suarez. Babaomby Island Lodge describes it as 12 km long and 3 km wide, closed by a huge coral barrier and scattered with islets. It is reached by boat from Ramena, from Sakalava Bay or from Diego Suarez, and the lodges sit on the Babaomby peninsula beside it.
April to November is the season. In every one of those months at least eight days in ten clear 12 knots for three daylight hours or more, and August is the pick at 100 per cent, with July and September a point behind. The mean over those rideable hours sits between 17 and 22 knots, strongest from June to September. It blows all day: from July to September the wind is already over 12 knots at 8am on more than nine days in ten, and it holds to 6pm. Babaomby says the trade wind arrives in April and blows without a break until the end of November; spot guides call it the Varatraza, a south-easterly trade wind. From December to March the share drops to between three and six days in ten. In the peak months the lagoon is properly lit.
Nosy Toreky is the easier one, 1 to 2 m with the wind side-onshore from the right, and it works at low tide.
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Your month
When it's good
12 kt+ for 3+ daylight hours · kite
December · 60%. 19 rideable days in 31, 6.8 hours a day over 12 kt. Come.
Where else it blows in December
Not yet checked against a weather station or an independent model, so treat these figures as a guide.
At a glance
Is it for you?
Geek analysis
December in the record
60% of days clear 12 kt for three daylight hours or more.
In December the wind most often sits at 8 to 11 kt (27% of daylight hours) and is over 12 kt from 9am to 2pm on at least half the days. See both charts in the full report
No weather station near enough to check these figures against.
December on the record
The month's own figures, not the year's average.
Take it with you
The full Emerald Sea report
Seven sections over six pages, built from the same record as this page. A PDF you can read on the plane.
When it gets busy
Crowds
The lodges are small and the lagoon is reached by boat: Babaomby’s own pages list 14 to 16 bungalows, and the day trips from Ramena take four to six kiters at most. WindChaser has no crowd count for the lagoon yet.
On the water
What December usually does
December sits outside the best months here. 60% of days clear 12 kt for three daylight hours or more.
Your playground
Launches & safety
Conditions change. Check local rules and conditions before you ride.
- Launch
- Hazard
- Parking
- School
- Stay
- Webcam
- Approximate
Local intel
Getting there & on the ground
Stay, schools & kit