Live wind
Water & wetsuit
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About this spot
7e Ciel has taught kitesurfing on the Grand Cul-de-Sac lagoon since 2003 from the Le Barthélemy hotel's water-sports base, open year-round. The school describes calm, shallow water ideal for learning, with waves outside for experienced riders; lessons are private or two people at most, 180 € for an hour.
The lagoon is zone 6 of the Saint-Barthélemy Marine Reserve, and its rules are specific: kiting is forbidden in the 50 m strip along the beach, the speed limit on the water is 5 knots in the reserve and 3 knots in the access channel, foils may only use the channel to cross the lagoon, and touching turtles, rays or coral is an offence. Sea turtles graze in the shallows.
Trade winds from the east blow across the reef into the lagoon, which is why it is the one place on the island where kiting works.
3-day forecast
Speed / gusts in knots. Colour = rideability for this spot. Bottom row = recommended kite size for your weight — not recommended outside this spot's 12–25 kn range.
Conditions
- Water
- flat, waves
- Depth
- Shallow lagoon behind the reef
- Seabed
- sand, seagrass, coral
- Skill
- beginner, intermediate, expert
- Beginners
- Beginner friendly
- Wind range
- 12 kn – 25 kn
Access & parking
Grand Cul-de-Sac on the east side of the island, about 15 minutes from Gustavia.
Parking: Roadside and hotel parking along the bay.
Amenities
- 7e Ciel kite school (state-certified instructors), rental
- Hotels and restaurants on the bay
Needs local verification: Sources: 7e Ciel's ProKite school listing (teaching since 2003, open January–December, Grand Cul-de-Sac lagoon calm and shallow), the access.sb listing (state-diploma instructor, all levels, prices, kite 6:30–17:30 year-round) and the Saint-Barthélemy Environment Agency's marine-reserve leaflet (50 m kite ban, 5 kn / 3 kn limits, foil channel rule). Wind sector is my reading of the east-facing lagoon. Needs local verification.
Local hazards
- No kiting within 50 m of the beach (reserve rule)
- Protected seagrass, coral and sea turtles
- Reef at the lagoon edge
- Foils only through the access channel