Pacific coast Nicaragua

[windgirl]

Is there any good wave riding x on or x of the pacific coast in Nicaragua? I am planning to go on a surf camp in Miramar Leon province, but am wondering if it is also kiteable?
Would be in May.

[Flyboy]

I don't have definite answer to your question ... but I'm guessing no. The wind in Costa Rica/Nicaragua is from the North East predominately, so it blows (very hard) in the windy season (December to April) from that direction, meaning it's offshore on the Pacific coast. The one place that has kitable wind is Bahia Salinas, a bay on the border between Costa Rica & Nicaragua. It works there because it's a deep bay & you can launch on the south shore of the bay so the wind there is side on. You can kite on the Caribbean side of Nicaragua, on Corn Island & on the west side of Lago Cocibolca, which is a large lake. It looks like it would probably have rideable swell with strong wind.

https://www.airvuz.com/video/Central-Am ... 60c624a961

[windgirl]

I don't have definite answer to your question ... but I'm guessing no. The wind in Costa Rica/Nicaragua is from the North East predominately, so it blows (very hard) in the windy season (December to April) from that direction, meaning it's offshore on the Pacific coast. The one place that has kitable wind is Bahia Salinas, a bay on the border between Costa Rica & Nicaragua. It works there because it's a deep bay & you can launch on the south shore of the bay so the wind there is side on. You can kite on the Caribbean side of Nicaragua, on Corn Island & on the west side of Lago Cocibolca, which is a large lake. It looks like it would probably have rideable swell with strong wind.

https://www.airvuz.com/video/Central-Am ... 60c624a961

Thanks. So it could be rideable but off shore wind?

[Flyboy]

I've never kited in Nicaragua, so I can't say for sure, but I very much doubt that's it's possible to kitesurf on the Pacific coast. Look at Salinas Bay on the extreme north of Costa Rica. The wind sweeps down from La Cruz at the top of the bay in a more or less NE direction. That would make it straight offshore up the coast of Nicaragua. When I was there (back in the windsurfing days) it was insanely windy - like a constant 30 - 40 knots. I gather it's not always that windy, but in any case the direction of the wind would make it impossible to go out except in the deep bay. Of Bahia Salinas. Your best bet in Nicaragua would be lake Cocibolca. If it's 30 knots plus on the lake I would imagine there would be rideable swell along the west shore of the lake.

You can see the way the wind works in the area on Windy.com:

https://www.windy.com/?2021112918,10.87 ... ,m:dX0adMu

[windgirl]

Thanks so much. That really helps.

[adamj2281]

Costa Rica has a spot near the border with Nicaragua, but it's all flat water, kiting waves on the Pacific coast isn't going to work.

[pascal409]

In the caribbean coast and corn island, you can ride waves.

[kct]

I surfed Las Flores in eastern El Salvador and thought it'd be a good kite spot. Wide open beach, strong winds everyday, and huge waves. Not close to where you're going at all though

[Adventure Logs]

Nothing really on the coast but Ometepe was amazing and personally I liked it better than Costa Rica. Same wind just Ometepe is warmer and fresh water.

[dracop]

Bahia de Salinas is kiteable at times but can be rough. Research the stingray issue before going.

The ferry to Ometepe launches out of San Jorge. That spot can be insane wind and it will whip up the lake water into violent swell. On the NW coast of Ometepe Island is a mellower kite spot with a kite school.