Live wind — Sakalava Bay
Windguru, Windy, Windfinder, MeteoBlue... every weather source on a single page, at 12.27°S / 49.39°E.
Windguru live forecast
The Varatraza trade wind is one of the most reliable in the world. Once GFS and ECMWF agree, the day is rideable.
Real-time wind — Windy
Live ECMWF & GFS map: the wind here blows from the NE, strengthened by the Ampasindava peninsula relief.
Windfinder hourly table
Hourly wind, gusts, waves and tides for Sakalava Bay, updated every 10 minutes.
1 kt ≈ 1.15 mph · 15 kt ≈ 28 km/h · 20 kt ≈ 37 km/h · 25 kt ≈ 46 km/h
Compare with other stations
The rider ritual at Sakalava: cross at least two models before pumping up. Here are the reference sources.
Windguru
The kiter standard. GFS, ICON, ECMWF and WRF in one table, with confidence index and archives.
Open Windguru →Windfinder
Detailed hourly forecast for Sakalava Bay: wind, gusts, swell and tides. Its widget is embedded above.
Open Windfinder →Windy.com
The world weather map: wind, waves, rain and temperature layers, readable at the exact lagoon point.
Open Windy →Windy.app
The kiter community app: dedicated spots (Sakalava, Emerald Sea), wind alerts and hourly history.
Open Windy.app →MeteoBlue
High-res meteograms (PICASSO, NEMS, ECMWF) up to 10 days: upper wind, precipitation, cloud layers.
Open MeteoBlue →Météo France
Météo-France La Réunion's CMRS issues the official cyclone bulletins and alerts for the south-west Indian Ocean.
Open Météo France →Read forecasts like a pro
Cross-check 2+ models
GFS and ECMWF are the most reliable 4–5 days out. When they agree on a NE direction above 15 kt, the session is on.
Think side-onshore
At Sakalava, the NE wind always blows back to the beach. N to NNE winds onshore even more: perfect and safe.
Gusts & speed
Expect +5 to +8 kt gusts above average wind. 12–22 kt ideal to start, 20–35 kt for freeride and kite loops.
The seasonal Varatraza
From April to November, this trade wind builds in late morning and holds until sunset. Always check local time (UTC+3).
Tides & water level
The lagoon stays rideable at low tide thanks to the sandy bottom. At high tide the surface is bigger: perfect for learning.
Storm & cyclone watch
From December to February, follow Météo France alerts. Never ride as a squall line approaches.