Dry Tortugas, United States
No town nearby. No bookable town within 50 km: the nearest, Key West, is 108 km away. Nearest airport: EYW (EYW), 113 km.
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About Dry Tortugas
Known for kitesurfing, by the OpenStreetMap map of the area. The shore faces N, so wind from the S blows out to sea (our estimate from the coastline). Facts: verified.
Water about 29°C: no wetsuit. Typical sea temperature for the time of year, not a forecast.
A spot for kitesurfing, as OpenStreetMap maps it, on a shore facing N. Wind from the N blows onshore, wind from the S blows out to sea, and wind from the E or W runs along the shore. It is exposed to the open sea. The sea is about 23°C in February, its coldest month (2 mm shorty), and 30°C in July, its warmest (no wetsuit). For kitesurfing at expert level the best months are usually January, October, November and December, with about 4 good days in 7. From the weather of past years. No town nearby. No bookable town within 50 km: the nearest, Key West, is 108 km away. Nearest airport: EYW (EYW), 113 km. Within 5 km we also list 9 dive sites.
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Book the trip
From Chicago: about 7 h 30 door to door, one way. An estimate; the journey never changes the score.
Fly. Chicago O'Hare International Airport (ORD) to EYW, direct.
See flights ORD → EYW · Skyscanner from about £175 returnAdGetting there. 2 h 15 from the airport to Dry Tortugas.
Accommodation.
No town nearby
No bookable town within 50 km: the nearest, Key West, is 108 km away. Nearest airport: EYW (EYW), 113 km.
Hire and lessons.
Kitesurfing lessons in Dry Tortugas · GetYourGuideAdKite and board hire in Dry Tortugas · GetYourGuideAd
Where it is
Dry Tortugas on Google Maps · Directions
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Forecast
Best on Sun 18: 20 kn gusting 25, side-onshore. Water: waves 1.9 m.
The score for kite, coloured as on the area pages:GoodFairPoor
| Day | Score | Wind | Gusts | Shore | Water |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 18Oct | 80, good | wind from the north-east, 20 knots | 25kn | side-on | 1.9 mwaves |
| Mon 19Oct | 80, good | wind from the east-north-east, 23 knots | 30kn | side-on | 1.7 mwaves |
| Tue 20Oct | 80, good | wind from the east-north-east, 22 knots | 31kn | side-on | 1.6 mwaves |
| Wed 21Oct | 75, good | wind from the north-east, 17 knots | 23kn | side-on | 1.2 mwaves |
| Thu 22Oct | 68, good | wind from the north-east, 15 knots | 21kn | side-on | 1.1 mwaves |
| Fri 23Oct | 80, good | wind from the east-north-east, 19 knots | 26kn | side-on | 1.0 mwaves |
| Sat 24Oct | 80, good | wind from the north-east, 21 knots | 29kn | side-on | 1.2 mwaves |
| Sun 25Oct | 80, good | wind from the north-east, 27 knots | 39kn | side-on | 2.0 mwaves |
| Mon 26Oct | 80, good | wind from the north-east, 23 knots | 35kn | side-on | 1.8 mwaves |
| Tue 27Oct | 72, good | wind from the north-east, 23 knots | 35kn | on | 1.7 mwaves |
Day scores are the conditions out of 80. Wind is the day's best reading: the mean and the gusts in knots (10 kn is about 19 km/h); the arrow points where it blows to. Shore: "side" is side-shore, blowing along the beach, the safe way; "side-on" and "on" blow in towards it; "cross-off" and "off" blow out to sea, and offshore scores nothing for kite and windsurf. Water is the open sea's waves near the spot: flat under 0.3 m, chop to 0.8 m.
The season
Good kite days in a typical week, each month, from 2016 on (ERA5 history scored the same way).
- Jan4of 7
- Feb3of 7
- Mar3of 7
- Apr3of 7
- May2of 7
- Jun1of 7
- Jul1of 7
- Aug1of 7
- Sep1of 7
- Oct4of 7
- Nov4of 7
- Dec4of 7
Typical, not a forecast. Reanalysis wind misses some local thermal winds, so a spot known for an afternoon breeze may do better than this.
Your trip, day by day
6 nights from Mon 19 Oct, leaving from Chicago, for kite. Change dates
- Mon 19 OctTravel out
Direct flight ORD to EYW, then 2h 15 by road. About 7h 30 door to door
- Tue 20 OctKite Dry Tortugas
22 kn gusting 31, side-onshore. Water: waves 1.6 m.
- Wed 21 OctKite Dry Tortugas
17 kn gusting 23, side-onshore. Water: waves 1.2 m.
- Thu 22 OctKite Dry Tortugas
15 kn gusting 21, side-onshore. Water: waves 1.1 m.
- Fri 23 OctKite Dry Tortugas
19 kn gusting 26, side-onshore. Water: waves 1 m.
- Sat 24 OctKite Dry Tortugas
21 kn gusting 29, side-onshore. Water: waves 1.2 m.
- Sun 25 OctTravel home
Direct flight ORD to EYW, then 2h 15 by road. About 7h 30 door to door
Rough cost
About £585–£1,105 each for 6 nights, 2 people sharing. A guide from typical prices, not a quote. No town nearby, so no stay is in it. Kit hire is not in it yet: we have no sourced price for it.
- Flights £175–£370
- To the UK airport £35–£65
- Hire car £115–£190
- Food £260–£480
Book the trip
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