The report · Somerset Long Bay · Kite · May · 6 pages

WindChaserSpot report

Sandys Parish, Bermuda

Somerset Long Bay

KiteMay

63% of May days clear 12 kt for three daylight hours or more.

May sits outside the best months here. This report carries the record for May as it is, and no direction or session norm, because there is none to quote. Section 02 shows the year-by-year spread; section 06 shows which months to come instead.

01Hour-by-hour & month-by-month windrecord only02The month's own records03Full stays, schools & kit04Per-launch tide notesno data05Glass, gusts & the park rules06Getting there, packing & best months07Sources, and their limits
Guide
Compiled by WindChaser
29 Sep 2026Record
2023 to 2026, hourly
Open-Meteo, ECCC HRDPS Continental 2.5 kmNormals
2023 to 2026
Four Mays
Somerset Long Bay · Kite · May · Generated 22 Oct 2026 from the 2023 to 2026 record1 of 6
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.

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecKite778273636347403847756677WindsurfWing

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, May

Modelled estimate. Share of daylight hours in each speed band, blue above the threshold. Modelled from the month's share until the hourly bands are measured.

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

When in the day, May

Modelled estimate. Share of days over 12 kt at each daylight hour. Modelled as a trade-wind shape scaled by the month's share until the hourly record is binned.

8am
9
10
11
12pm
1pm
2
3
4
5
6pm

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

Somerset Long Bay · Kite · May · Generated 22 Oct 2026 from the 2023 to 2026 record2 of 6
02

May's own records

The month's own figures from four Mays in the record, 2023 to 2026. Not the year's average.

Rideable days20 of 31Four Mays in the record
Air21.7°CMaximum
Hours over 12 kt6.8 a dayDaylight, all days averaged
BeforeApril63%19 rideable days in 30
Your monthMay63%20 rideable days in 31
AfterJune47%14 rideable days in 30

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

Somerset Long Bay · Kite · May · Generated 22 Oct 2026 from the 2023 to 2026 record3 of 6
03

Full stays, schools & kit

Stays

Belfield Beach EstateHoliday home · Somerset Village · 0.2 km from the beachHoliday rental on Cambridge Road in Somerset Village, about 0.2 km south-east of the beach in a straight line.
Cambridge Beaches Resort & SpaResort · Sandys · 0.7 km from the beachOceanfront cottage resort and spa, open since 1923, with private pink-sand beaches, about 0.7 km north-east of Somerset Long Bay in a straight line.
Willowbank ResortResort · Sandys · 1.5 km from the beachWest-end resort whose rooms each have a terrace, with a pool and beaches a few steps away, about 1.5 km south of Somerset Long Bay in a straight line.

Lessons

Graykite BermudaSchool · KiteKite school with IKO-qualified instructors. Its beginner lessons meet at Somerset Long Bay Park, off Daniel’s Head Road.
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, chosen by the wind direction.

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

Somerset Long Bay Beach
Low—Mid—High—

The spot guide: a narrow beach at high tide, quite large at low tide. Graykite: waist-high water up to 100 m off the beach at low tide.

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.

Somerset Long Bay · Kite · May · Generated 22 Oct 2026 from the 2023 to 2026 record4 of 6
05

Glass, gusts & 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 rulesSomerset Long Bay Park is 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 park before you ride.
Broken glassThe beach is near an old glass dump, and sharp pieces of broken bottle are sometimes seen on the sand. Wear shoes on the beach and check the ground before you lay out lines.
Wind shadows and gustsThe local spot guide says launching from the grassy areas can be a little tricky when there are wind shadows. Graykite says that in NNE winds the wind close to the beach can be quite gusty, because it comes over the point of land at Cambridge Beaches.
Daniel’s Head closedThe spot guide lists two launches at Nine Beaches, the former resort on Daniel’s Head. In June 2026 the Bermuda Land Management Corporation said the site is closed to public use, that there are hazards on the property from the former resort, and that anyone entering does so without authorisation and at their own risk. Do not launch there.
Sea turtlesSea turtles swim in the bay. Keep a lookout and give them room.
Winter fronts and hurricane seasonWinter fronts often bring gales or strong winds (Bermuda Weather Service). The US National Hurricane Center gives the Atlantic hurricane season as 1 June to 30 November. Check the Bermuda Weather Service forecast before every session.
Grass, sand and broken glass

Riders rig on the big grassy areas behind the beach and launch from the sand. The beach is narrow at high tide and wide at low tide. The spot guide says the beach is near an old glass dump and sharp pieces of broken bottle are sometimes seen on the sand: wear shoes and check the ground before laying out lines.

Shallows, gusts, the Vixen and the park rules

At low tide Graykite says riders can stand in waist-high water up to 100 metres off the beach. In NNE the wind close to the beach can be gusty where it comes over the point at Cambridge Beaches, and wind shadows can make the grass launch tricky. The wreck of the Vixen is about five minutes out; Graykite describes it as a marine protected area, and sea turtles swim in the bay. The Bermuda National Parks Act 1986 lists Somerset Long Bay Park as a protected area. Read the notices at the park. The spot guide also lists two launches at Nine Beaches on Daniel’s Head; in June 2026 the Bermuda Land Management Corporation said that site is closed to public use and that anyone entering does so without authorisation and at their own risk (The Royal Gazette, 6 June 2026).

06

Getting there, packing & best months

Nearest airportL.F. Wade (BDA)About 34 km by road (OSRM routing). The speed limit is 32 km/h (Go To Bermuda), so allow an hour or more.
SeasonOctober to MarchThe months the record shows the most rideable days, from any direction. February is the pick. The bay works in WNW to NNE.
Getting aroundBus, taxi or scooterNo conventional car hire; visitors can rent electric cars. Route 7, Hamilton to Dockyard, runs via Somerset. Plenty of parking at the park.
What to pack
LaunchGrass. Big grassy rigging areas behind the beach. A little tricky in wind shadows.WaterFlat, small chop. Quite flat with small chop. Waist-deep up to 100 m out at low tide.Wetsuit18 to 20°C. Sea temperature December to March, Bermuda Weather Service mean for 1949 to 1992. Bring a full wetsuit.ParkingPlenty. At the park. The spot guide lists a portable toilet; Go To Bermuda lists bathrooms.KitRent or bring. Island Winds rents kite kit here or at Elbow Beach, after a skills check.
Kite sizes for May

May has no session mean to size from, so no sizes are given.

JFMAMJJASOND

Best months, Kite. Record.

Somerset Long Bay · Kite · May · Generated 22 Oct 2026 from the 2023 to 2026 record5 of 6
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 gem_hrdps_continental (ECCC HRDPS Continental) at 2.5 km, cell 1.1 km from the spot, April 2023 to September 2026, 3 to 4 years a month, no station correction. Wind from every direction is counted, though the bay works only in about WNW to NNE, so the days that work are fewer than the share.
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 names windsurfing or wing foiling at this beach.
01Direction, strength, when it blowsWrittenDirection from the Bermuda Kitesurfing spot guide and Graykite. Strength read from the record. Gale directions and winter fronts from the Bermuda Weather Service.
02The month’s recordsRecordThree to four years a month. ERA5, an independent model, agrees within about 4 points a month on average; no station check: the nearest station, the airport, is about 19 km away.
03Stays, schools and kitWrittenSchool and rental confirmed on their own sites and the Go To Bermuda directory. Stays confirmed on their own sites or Google listings (operational) on 29 September 2026; distances are straight lines.
04Tide windowsMissingNo tide source in the pipeline. The section renders its empty state; the tide notes come from the spot guide and Graykite.
05Hazards, the launch and the park rulesWrittenPark listing from the Bermuda National Parks Act 1986, rules from the Regulations 1988. Glass, turtles, gusts and wind shadows from the spot guide and Graykite, not surveyed. The Vixen’s protected status is Graykite’s description, not read in the law.
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 launch.

The record

Hourly wind, 2023 to 2026, from ECCC HRDPS Continental via Open-Meteo: a 2.5 km grid, read at the cell 1.1 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 three to four years.

What we could not source for Somerset Long Bay

A count of crowds by month. A water quality reading. Tide windows. A station check on the wind record, and a record of wind direction. Surveyed launch coordinates. An open-licence photograph of the beach: the page shows Google Maps photos and a Commons photo of the Vixen wreck. 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 Lorenzo Tinari, Google Maps. Report generated 22 Oct 2026 from record version 2026.09; a report and its spot page are rendered from the same data and cannot disagree.

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