The report · Horseshoe Bay · Kite · January · 6 pages

WindChaserSpot report

Southampton Parish, Bermuda

Horseshoe Bay

KiteJanuary

81% of January days clear 12 kt for three daylight hours or more.

01Hour-by-hour & month-by-month windp202The month's own recordsp303Full stays, schools & kitp404Per-launch tide notesp405Shore break, rips & the park rulesp506Getting there, packing & best monthsp507Sources, and their limitsp6
Guide
Compiled by WindChaser
29 Sep 2026
Record
2017 to 2026, hourly
Open-Meteo, ECMWF IFS HRES 9 km
Normals
2017 to 2026
Ten Januaries
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01

Hour-by-hour & month-by-month wind

Rideable-day share by month, all three sports

Share of days with three or more daylight hours over each sport's threshold, counted from the record at 12 kt, Windsurf 13 kt and Wing 12 kt.

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecKite817875695447363349667679Windsurf777471634939292746616975Wing817875695447363349667679

Blue fill scales with the share. Selected month outlined. Threshold per row: Kite 12 kt · Windsurf 13 kt · Wing 12 kt.

Where the wind sits, January

Share of daylight hours in each speed band, blue above the threshold.

4–7
8–11
12–15
16–19
20–23
24–27
28–31

Not drawn: 3% of daylight hours under 4 kt and 1% at 32 kt and over.

When in the day, January

Share of days over 12 kt at each daylight hour.

8am
9
10
11
12pm
1pm
2
3
4
5
6pm
Wind directionSE to SStraight onshore. The cliffs at each end rule out other directions, per the local spot guide and Graykite.
Wind strength17 to 19 ktThe mean over rideable daylight hours, November to April, in the record: a 9 km model calibrated against a 2.5 km one, nine to ten years a month, wind from every direction.
When it blowsSE to S daysWinter fronts bring the strongest winds, mostly from the west and north-west, which do not work here. Wait for a south-easterly to southerly.

Rideable hours, not all hours. Every wind figure in this report is the mean over hours above the threshold.

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02

January's own records

The month's own figures from ten Januaries in the record, 2017 to 2026. Not the year's average.

Rideable days25 of 31Ten Januaries in the record
Wind, rideable hours19 ktMean over daylight hours at 12 kt+
Air19.6°CMaximum
Hours over 12 kt9.5 a dayDaylight, all days averaged
BeforeDecember79%24 rideable days in 31
Your monthJanuary81%25 rideable days in 31
AfterFebruary78%22 rideable days in 28

What the percentage hides. A month at 80% can be twenty-four steady days or three windy weeks broken by a dead front.

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03

Full stays, schools & kit

Stays

Southern ViewsVillas · Above Horseshoe BayFour holiday villas on the Turtle Hill golf course, overlooking Horseshoe Bay Beach. Its own site puts the beach a 15 to 20 minute walk away.
The Reefs Resort & ClubResort · South Shore · 1.7 km from Horseshoe BayOceanside resort and spa on the South Shore cliffs in Southampton, with its own beach and ocean-view rooms, suites and cottages, about 1.7 km west of Horseshoe Bay in a straight line.

Lessons

Graykite BermudaSchool · KiteKite school with IKO-qualified instructors. Meets at Somerset Long Bay, Daniel’s Head, Cambridge Beaches or Elbow Beach. Names Horseshoe for waves in its advanced sessions.
Island WindsSchool · Kite · WindsurfPrivate and semi-private kite lessons, and windsurf lessons.

Kit

Island WindsRental · KiteComplete kite rental for intermediate and advanced riders after a skills check, at Somerset Long Bay or Elbow Beach.

Price band $ to $$$ only where sourced; none shown means none held. Contact details and brands stocked join this table when the operator directory is connected.

04

Per-launch tide notes

Horseshoe Bay Beach
Low—Mid—High—

The spot guide says middle to high tide is best, for longer rides and more space.

Warwick Long Bay
Low—Mid—High—

No tide advice for riders. Bermuda Attractions, a visitor guide, says shallow reefs come out of the water at low tide here.

Tide data not yet available for this spot. The record holds wind, air and waves, not tide. Until a tide source is connected, the tables above stay empty rather than estimated. What the guide says about tide is on the next page, in words.

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05

Shore break, rips & the park rules

Every hazard on the spot page, repeated here in full. Read this before you get wet.

Conditions change. Check local rules and conditions before you ride.

National park rulesHorseshoe Bay lies within South Shore Park, a protected area under the Bermuda National Parks Act 1986. The park regulations count windsurf boards and surfboards as vessels. No one may use a vessel where a notice closes the area to vessels, use one in a way likely to endanger other people, or store one in the park except where a notice allows it. Sport is allowed only where a notice permits it. Read the notices at the beach before you ride.
Rip currentsThe U.S. Consulate General in Bermuda warns that rip tides can be dangerous, particularly on South Shore beaches. Go To Bermuda says rip currents are signalled by sandy, churned-up water, and that anyone caught in one should swim parallel to the shore.
Cliffs and shore breakCliffs close off both ends of the bay, and the wind that works here blows onshore, towards the beach. The shore break is sometimes large. Keep clear of the rocks at either end when launching and landing.
Swimmers, surfers and lifeguardsThe riding area is small: the spot guide says it gets crowded with four or five kiters, and Graykite calls it the busiest beach on the island. In the warmer months there are swimmers, the beach can be very full when a cruise ship is in, and surfers use the break when the surf is up. Go To Bermuda says lifeguard cover is seasonal, usually May to October, 10am to 6pm, subject to staff availability. Keep well clear of swimmers at all times.
Portuguese man o’ warGo To Bermuda advises keeping an eye out for Portuguese man o’ war early in the season.
Winter fronts and hurricane seasonWinter fronts often bring gales or strong winds. The Atlantic hurricane season runs from 1 June to 30 November. Check the Bermuda Weather Service forecast before every session.
Cliffs, rocks and shore break

Cliffs close off both ends of the bay, and the wind that works here blows onshore, towards the beach. The shore break is sometimes large, and it gets choppy on the outside. The spot guide rates middle to high tide best, for longer rides and more space. Keep clear of the rocks at either end when launching and landing.

Rips, swimmers and the park rules

The U.S. Consulate General in Bermuda warns that rip tides can be dangerous, particularly on South Shore beaches; Go To Bermuda says they show as sandy, churned-up water and that anyone caught in one should swim parallel to the shore. Graykite calls it the busiest beach on the island; the spot guide warns of swimmers in the warmer months, crowds when a cruise ship is in and surfers when the surf is up. Go To Bermuda says lifeguard cover is seasonal, usually May to October, 10am to 6pm, subject to staff availability; in December 2025 the Government said six RNLI lifeguards had been hired, as a temporary measure, to cover the beach all year. Do not assume a lifeguard is on duty. Horseshoe Bay lies within South Shore Park, a protected area under the Bermuda National Parks Act 1986: read the notices at the beach.

06

Getting there, packing & best months

Nearest airportL.F. Wade (BDA)About 25 km by road (OSRM routing). The speed limit is 32 km/h (Go To Bermuda), so allow 45 minutes or more.
SeasonNovember to AprilThe months the record shows the most rideable days, from any direction. January is the pick. The beach works only in about SE to S.
Getting aroundBus, taxi or scooterNo conventional car hire; visitors can rent electric cars. Route 7, Hamilton to Dockyard, runs by the South Shore beaches. Plenty of parking on the public access road.
What to pack
BeachPink sand. A wide crescent of light-pink sand that sticks to everything.WaterShore break. Sometimes large, choppy on the outside. Mid to high tide gives longer rides and more space.Wetsuit18 to 20°C. Sea temperature December to March, Bermuda Weather Service mean for 1949 to 1992. Bring a full wetsuit.ParkingPlenty. On the public access road, with concrete steps down to the beach. Showers and toilets on site.KitBring your own. No kite rental at this beach. Island Winds rents kite kit at Somerset Long Bay or Elbow Beach.
Kite sizes for January

Derived from the 17 to 19 kt mean over the season’s rideable hours in the record, November to April, not from a fitted quiver. Fronts can blow much harder.

60 to 70 kg7 and 9 m70 to 85 kg8 and 10 m85 kg and up9 and 11 m
JFMAMJJASOND

Best months, Kite. Record.

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07

Sources, and their limits

Where each section of this report comes from. Record is measured. Modelled is computed by a formula because no measurement exists yet; it looks like data and is not. Written is WindChaser's editorial copy, compiled from the sources below.

§WhatSourceLimit
01Kite month sharesRecordCounted at 12 kt for three daylight hours from ecmwf_ifs (ECMWF IFS HRES) at 9 km, cell 2.4 km from the spot, January 2017 to September 2026, 9 to 10 years a month, calibrated by one flat factor against ECCC HRDPS Continental 2.5 km over April 2023 to September 2026 (out of sample within 0.8 points at 12 kt). No station correction. Wind from every direction is counted; the beach works only in about SE to S.
01Windsurf and Wing month sharesRecordCounted at 13 kt (Windsurf) and 12 kt (Wing) from the same series, by the same rule as the Kite share. No source read names either sport at this beach.
01Direction, strength, when it blowsWrittenDirection from the Bermuda Kitesurfing spot guide and Graykite. Strength read from the record. Winter fronts from the Bermuda Weather Service.
02The month’s recordsRecordNine to ten years a month. The calibration against the 2.5 km model is not a check on the beach; no station check: the nearest station, the airport, is about 18 km away.
03Stays, schools and kitWrittenSchools and rental confirmed on their own sites and the Go To Bermuda directory; none operates at this beach. Two stays, Southern Views and The Reefs, confirmed on their own sites and Google listings on 29 September 2026; the Fairmont Southampton is closed for renovation. Listing photos are Google Maps photos, credited on the spot page.
04Tide windowsMissingNo tide source in the pipeline. The spot guide’s mid to high tide advice is quoted in the launch note.
05Hazards, rips and the park rulesWrittenPark rules from the Bermuda National Parks Act 1986 and Regulations 1988. Rips from the U.S. Consulate General in Bermuda and Go To Bermuda. Cliffs, shore break and crowding from the spot guide and Graykite, not surveyed. Warwick Long Bay’s rocks, shelf and facilities from Graykite; its low-tide reefs and steps from Bermuda Attractions, a visitor guide.
06Airports, access, packing, kite sizesWrittenRoad distance from OSRM routing; time from the 32 km/h speed limit, not a timed drive. Sea temperature from the Bermuda Weather Service climatology, an island-wide mean for 1949 to 1992. Sizes derived from the session mean.
MapsMissingNo drawn maps for this spot. No surveyed coordinates for the launches.

The record

Hourly wind, 2017 to 2026, from ECMWF IFS HRES via Open-Meteo: a 9 km grid, read at the cell 2.4 km from the spot. It knows the wind over the cell, not the gust on the sand in front of you, and it knows the bearing, not the coastline: "side-onshore" is a rider's reading of the bearing. Each month is counted over nine to ten years.

What we could not source for Horseshoe Bay

Crowds by month as a count. A water quality reading for the winter months. Tide information. A station check on the wind record, and a record of wind direction. Surveyed launch coordinates. A licensed photograph of riding at Horseshoe Bay. Where any of these is missing above, the section says so rather than filling itself.

Conditions change. Check local rules and conditions before you ride.

Compiled by WindChaser, 29 Sep 2026. Hero photograph on the spot page by Ekem, CC BY-SA 3.0. Report generated 22 Oct 2026 from record version 2026.10; a report and its spot page are rendered from the same data and cannot disagree.

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