Cayo Guillermo Cuba - August

[danieli68]

I am planning trip in August to Cayo Guillermo. Is this a good time for kitesurfing?
How is the wind at this time?

[BigR]

why would you go when the trade wind season ends?

And the rainy season starts?

@ the height of the Hurricane season.....

[shawn13]

BigR, Not everyone knows the trade wind season especially if they are new to the sport....

Dan, August is not the prime time to kite in Cuba. Doesn't mean that you won't necessarily get wind. You can find wind stars on windguru in the archives for the past 4 or 5 years to get a idea. Here's a like from wind finder

http://www.windfinder.com/windstatistic ... _cayo_coco

That being said last year I went in early October (still hurricane season) and rode every day except one in two weeks. Spent 5 days on a 7m in intense and awesome storm systems.

You can also check out a site called http://www.windresorts.com that provides info on a ton of Caribbean spots.

[BigR]

That being said last year I went in early October (still hurricane season) and rode every day except one in two weeks. Spent 5 days on a 7m in intense and awesome storm systems.

Yes, I suspect you had a two week period of tropical storms or tropical depressions. Thats when they always happen , in september and october. Always wet too.

He is asking about August, which is really the transition month from the dry season to the wet season.

I would take a big kite in August. Any trades left over will need that, Any Tropical Storms will indeed need a 7m, but you can't bank or plan for that, and indeed August is before any real Tropical systems develop, except for a few historically

[shawn13]

Im mistaken, i was there the first two weeks of Nov this year, but my friends were there the week before in October. We only had one day of rain it was pretty amazing. I have been in October, Nov, Dec, January and April and that was by far the best wind we have ever had. Heres an archieve shot.

You could use the same archieve to check different years in August. BigR is correct about bringing a large kite.

[shawn13]

Here are the archieves for August:
Note 2010 is the only year there was any decent wind, and a hurricane

2010
http://www.windguru.cz/int/historie.php ... &model=gfs

2011
http://www.windguru.cz/int/historie.php ... &model=gfs

2012
http://www.windguru.cz/int/historie.php ... &model=gfs

2013
http://www.windguru.cz/int/historie.php ... &model=gfs

[danieli68]

Thank you all for your answers.
What do you think of the Dominican Republic - Cabarete or Zanzibar in August?

[BigR]

Cabarete seems like better bet if you go early August.
I'll be there in 2 weeks, July is the height of the season.
PAJE seems a little iffy logistically now that they lost the
airport in Nairobi but probably still doable

[Laughingman]

Shawn

All the data you are showing is archived forecast data, its not real reports. The only reporting wind sensor near Cayo Guillermo is at the Cayo Coco airport roughly 30 miles away and inland.
It is what it is but it is certainly not data i would base my vacation time on.
Cuba is not a "windy" destination. It is simply a crap shoot. I have been 8 times now so I can speak from experience, when it blows, it is awesome but be prepared to spend all week waiting for that moment... or it could happen to be windy most of the time... it is no different then Florida East coast.

If you want trade winds you need to travel further south and typically not in the summer but check this out.... I was there in April, the locals tell me it blows strong well into July and sometimes till September. This place is the most reliable wind generator I have ever experienced. I believe it is due to trade winds funneling along the mountains...