The report · Poole Harbour · Kite · October · 6 pages

WindChaserSpot report

Dorset, United Kingdom

Poole Harbour

KiteOctober

52% of October days clear 12 kt for three daylight hours or more.

01Hour-by-hour & month-by-month windp202The month's own recordsp303Full stays, schools & kitp404Per-launch tide windowsp405Mudflats, channels & the harbour entrancep506Getting there, packing & best monthsp507Sources, and their limitsp6
Guide
Compiled by WindChaser
25 Sep 2026Record
2022 to 2026, hourly
Open-Meteo, Météo-France AROME France HD 1.5 kmNormals
2022 to 2026
Three Octobers
Poole Harbour · Kite · October · Generated 22 Oct 2026 from the 2022 to 2026 record1 of 6
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Hour-by-hour & month-by-month wind

Rideable-day share by month, all three sports

Share of days with three or more daylight hours over each sport's threshold, counted from the record at 12 kt, Windsurf 13 kt and Wing 12 kt.

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecKite536253583349445144526756Windsurf474849502742394342425252Wing536253583349445144526756

Blue fill scales with the share. Selected month outlined. Threshold per row: Kite 12 kt · Windsurf 13 kt · Wing 12 kt.

Where the wind sits, October

Share of daylight hours in each speed band, blue above the threshold.

4–7
8–11
12–15
16–19
20–23
24–27
28–31

Not drawn: 14% of daylight hours under 4 kt.

When in the day, October

Share of days over 12 kt at each daylight hour. The wind comes with passing weather, not by the clock.

8am
9
10
11
12pm
1pm
2
3
4
5
6pm
Wind directionSW to NWAcross Whitley Lake from Shore Road, with the longest fetch in a NW. NE and E come over the houses gusty.
Wind strength15 to 25 ktA proper frontal day in autumn and winter. Rig for the mean, not the gusts.
When it blowsWith the frontsThe good wind rides in on passing weather. Catch it on a mid to high tide, when the water goes flat.

Rideable hours, not all hours. Every wind figure in this report is the mean over hours above the threshold.

Poole Harbour · Kite · October · Generated 22 Oct 2026 from the 2022 to 2026 record2 of 6
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October's own records

The month's own figures from three Octobers in the record, 2022 to 2026. Not the year's average.

Rideable days16 of 31Three Octobers in the record
Wind, rideable hours17 ktMean over daylight hours at 12 kt+
Air15.1°CMaximum
Waves0.9 m23% of days run big
Hours over 12 kt5.1 a dayDaylight, all days averaged
BeforeSeptember44%13 rideable days in 30
Your monthOctober52%16 rideable days in 31
AfterNovember67%20 rideable days in 30

What the percentage hides. A month at 80% can be twenty-four steady days or three windy weeks broken by a dead front.

Poole Harbour · Kite · October · Generated 22 Oct 2026 from the 2022 to 2026 record3 of 6
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Full stays, schools & kit

Stays

South Lytchett Manor$··Campsite · Drive to the launchTouring, camping and glamping park three miles from Poole.
Sandbanks HotelHotel · Launch in frontHotel on the harbour beach where kiters launch right in front, sharing 15 Banks Road with The Watersports Academy’s hot showers and changing rooms.
RNLI CollegeHotel · Poole Quay · Drive to the launchThe lifeboat charity’s college on Poole Quay, with hotel rooms, a restaurant and a bar open to the public, a drive from the Sandbanks launch.

Lessons

EasyridersSchool · Kite · Wing · FoilSandbanks Beach Club, Shore Road. Lessons on the harbour side and the seafront.
Poole Harbour WatersportsSchool · Windsurf · WingVan and trailer at Whitley Lake, opposite the Tesco Express in Sandbanks.
Poole WindsurfingSchool · WindsurfWindsurf school on Shore Road, with hire and a Thursday evening club.
The Watersports AcademySchool · Windsurf · WingRYA centre at 15 Banks Road, Sandbanks, with café, changing rooms and hot showers.

Kit

Poole Harbour WatersportsShop · Windsurf · WingShop at 284 to 286 Sandbanks Road, Lilliput, with hire from the school at Whitley Lake.
EasyridersRental · Kite · Wing · FoilKite, wing and foil rental from the harbourside and seafront bases.
Surface 2 Air SportsShop · Kite · WingKite and wing shop at 14 to 16 Station Road, Poole.
H2O SportsShop · Windsurf · Kite · Wing · Sandbanks HotelFanatic and Duotone dealer trading from 15 Banks Road inside the Sandbanks Hotel by the harbour launch, with a Duotone test centre and a pre-loved kit market.

Price band $ to $$$ only where sourced; none shown means none held. Contact details and brands stocked join this table when the operator directory is connected.

04

Per-launch tide windows

Whitley Lake, Shore Road
Low—Mid—High—

Dries at low water. The guide rides it from mid to high tide. Hours per tide state unknown until tide data arrives.

Hamworthy Park
Low—Mid—High—

Deeper sooner than Whitley Lake, with a strong tidal flow through the gap towards Arne. Hours per tide state unknown until tide data arrives.

Tide data not yet available for this spot. The record holds wind, air and waves, not tide. Until a tide source is connected, the tables above stay empty rather than estimated. What the guide says about tide is on the next page, in words.

Poole Harbour · Kite · October · Generated 22 Oct 2026 from the 2022 to 2026 record4 of 6
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Mudflats, channels & the harbour entrance

Every hazard on the spot page, repeated here in full. Read this before you get wet.

Conditions change. Check local rules and conditions before you ride.

Kite Surfing PermitNo one may kitesurf in Poole Harbour without a Poole Harbour Commissioners Kite Surfing Permit. The permit declares at least third party public liability insurance and the ability to self-rescue and pack down in deep water, and its tag must be displayed while kitesurfing. Students of BKSA registered schools under the direct supervision of a BKSA accredited instructor are exempt and must wear the rash vest their school provides. Harbour Office: 01202 440200.
Kite exclusion zones and hoursThe Harbour Master’s kitesurfing terms (July 2022) do not permit kitesurfing in the harbour entrance or the main channels between the Bar buoy and the Turning Basin, south of a line between South Haven Point and Shipstal Point, or kitesurfing, launching or landing between the shore and the 50 m buoyed exclusion zone at Whitley Lake. Kitesurfing is permitted only from sunrise to sunset. The terms also state: “No jumping or railing equipment is permitted in Poole Harbour.” The terms say kitesurfing near swinging moorings and in the areas marked as eelgrass beds should be avoided. Check with the Harbour Office that these terms are current before you ride.
Channels and the chain ferryThe harbour byelaws say no person shall engage in board sailing within the Middle Ship Channel or the Haven Channel without the Harbour Master’s written consent, and anyone crossing these channels must do so by the shortest route without obstructing other vessels. Vessels not under compulsory pilotage give way to the chain ferry.
Harbour entrance tidesThe harbour entrance is only 300 m wide, with very strong tidal streams, particularly at spring tides, and the chain ferry crosses at its narrowest point. Do not let the ebb carry you towards it. At Hamworthy the flow through the gap towards Arne is also strong.
Low water, the wall and the roadWhitley Lake dries at low water, and fins and foils strike the bottom in the shallows. The road and harbour wall sit directly behind the Shore Road beach, and inexperienced kitesurfers have been dragged across the road into traffic. Ride from mid to high tide, keep the kite low near the shore and never rig with the road downwind. In an emergency, call 999 and ask for the Coastguard.
Low-water mud and shallows

The main hazard underfoot at these launches is the bottom coming up: Whitley Lake dries at low water to sand and mud, with shells and debris in the shallows, and fins and foils strike well before you expect it. The beach off Hamworthy Park also uncovers at low water. Ride from mid to high tide and walk out to depth before you get going.

Channels and the harbour entrance

The entrance is only 300 m wide, with very strong tidal streams at spring tides, and the chain ferry crosses at its narrowest point. The byelaws keep board sailing out of the Middle Ship Channel and the Haven Channel without the Harbour Master’s written consent. At Hamworthy the tide runs hard through the gap towards Arne. Stay inside your area and do not let the ebb carry you towards the entrance.

06

Getting there, packing & best months

Nearest airportBournemouth (BOH)About 11 miles by road, around 25 minutes. Southampton (SOU) is about 38 miles, around an hour.
SeasonOctober to MarchThe months the record shows the most rideable days.
Getting aroundCar or the Breezer busThe Purbeck Breezer 50 runs from Bournemouth via Sandbanks. Roadside parking by the launch is paid, and the launch gets crowded early on summer weekends.
What to pack
BeachSand. Gradual entry at Shore Road, with the road and harbour wall right behind.BottomSand and mud. Whitley Lake dries at low water. Shells and debris in the shallows.Water7 to 14°C. October to March. A 5/4 with hood and gloves in the coldest months, and you learn to change fast.TideMid to high. The sweet spot for flat water. Near low water it is a long walk out to riding depth.KitRent or bring. Kite, wing and windsurf hire through the schools at Sandbanks.
Kite sizes for October

Derived from the 15 to 25 kt frontal session wind the guide describes, not from a fitted quiver. On a foil, size down.

60 to 70 kg8 and 10 m70 to 85 kg9 and 12 m85 kg and up10 and 13 m
JFMAMJJASOND

Best months, Kite. Record.

Poole Harbour · Kite · October · Generated 22 Oct 2026 from the 2022 to 2026 record5 of 6
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Sources, and their limits

Where each section of this report comes from. Record is measured. Modelled is computed by a formula because no measurement exists yet; it looks like data and is not. Written is WindChaser's editorial copy, compiled from the sources below.

§WhatSourceLimit
01Kite month sharesRecordCounted at 12 kt for three daylight hours from meteofrance_arome_france_hd at 1.5 km, cell 0.66 km from the spot, no correction.
01Windsurf and Wing month sharesRecordCounted at 13 kt (Windsurf) and 12 kt (Wing) from the same series, by the same rule as the Kite share. No longer the Kite share raised to a curve (WC-024 phase 4).
01Speed bands, hour-of-day sharesRecordCounted from the same hourly series as the shares: daylight hours in each 4 kt band, and the share of days over the threshold at each hour from 8am to 6pm. The same charts as the spot page.
01Direction, strength, when it blowsWrittenSchools’ and guides’ reading. The record itself finds no single prevailing direction.
02The month’s recordsRecordMétéo-France AROME France HD at 1.5 km, the cell 0.7 km from the spot; the sheltered inner harbour can read lighter.
03Stays, schools and kitWrittenChecked on each business’s own website or a named rider source, most recently on 27 September 2026. Price bands only where a price is published.
04Tide windowsMissingNo tide source in the pipeline. The section renders its empty state.
05Hazards, mud, channelsWrittenRules from the Harbour Commissioners’ General Direction, 2022 kitesurfing terms and byelaws. Physical hazards from BCP Council, pilot notes and school guides. Not surveyed.
06Airports, access, packing, kite sizesWrittenRoad distances from a routing engine. Sizes derived from the session wind. Water temperature from compiled research, not measured in the harbour.
MapsMissingNo drawn maps for this spot. No surveyed coordinates for the launches.

The record

Hourly wind, 2022 to 2026, from Météo-France AROME France HD via Open-Meteo: a 1.5 km grid, read at the cell 0.7 km from the spot. It knows the wind over the cell, not the gust on the sand in front of you, and it knows the bearing, not the coastline: "side-onshore" is a rider's reading of the bearing. Each month is counted over three to four years.

What we could not source for Poole Harbour

Tide tables and per-launch tide windows. Windsurf and wing thresholds run through the hourly record. Surveyed launch coordinates. Whether wing foilers need a harbour permit: the Commissioners’ General Direction names kitesurfers only. Rescue or lifeguard cover on the harbour side. A measured water temperature for the harbour itself. Where any of these is missing above, the section says so rather than filling itself.

Conditions change. Check local rules and conditions before you ride.

Compiled by WindChaser, 25 Sep 2026. Hero photograph on the spot page by benjgibbs, CC BY 2.0. Report generated 22 Oct 2026 from record version 2026.10; a report and its spot page are rendered from the same data and cannot disagree.

Poole Harbour · Kite · October · Generated 22 Oct 2026 from the 2022 to 2026 record6 of 6