Cap Vert — Kite Beach Boavista21h · 12 kt
29NOT RECOMMENDEDPick your slot
Min. level
Intermediate
Optimal wind
14-32 kts
Season
January, February, March, April, May, November, December
Live · now
What to check
Discover the spot
The spot
Discover Kite Beach Boavista
Boa Vista is Cape Verde still in the wild: kilometres of near-empty white sand facing the Atlantic, trade winds rolling in cross-shore each afternoon, and the horizon for your only neighbour. Praia de Chaves is that ribbon of beach — flat near the shore to play, waves further out when you want the swell.
Boa Vista's whole pitch is one word: space. Where Sal lines up schools and riders on the same bay, here you can drop your kite on a beach kilometres long and find only your own tracks in the sand. It's an island still raw — dunes, desert, the rusted wreck of the Cabo Santa Maria further south, and that Atlantic light that flattens everything. Praia de Chaves sums up the deal: the safety of a bay that curves back toward the sand on one side, the pull of long empty beaches on the other. That's exactly what you come for — the change of scenery, the reliable winter wind, the feeling of having the ocean to yourself. As long as you accept the flip side: here, space also means no one around.
Who & when
Level and best time
Who it's for
It all depends on where you set up. Near the shore the water stays flat to choppy — room to progress and throw freestyle. Around 300 m out it stands up: 1.5-to-3 m waves, the playground for confident wave riders. In between, a shore break that hardens as soon as the sea gets up. Beginner-with-coaching on the flat, intermediate-to-confident once you move out or the swell arrives.
source : spots4kite.com ↗Best time
Season runs November to May, peak wind in January-February-March. The NE trade settles by mid-morning, builds around midday (16-28 knots on average, up to 30 on good days) and eases late afternoon. June to September the wind turns fickle — not the time to come. Water around 24°C year-round — a shorty usually does the job.
source : windsportscenter.com ↗On site
Arrival guide
Getting there
Boa Vista international airport (BVC) is about ten minutes away. The seafront resorts — RIU Karamboa, VOI Praia de Chaves — open straight onto the beach; expect a short walk from the dune car park down to the sand. For the remote spots to the south, hire a 4x4 with driver (around €60); a taxi to Sal Rei runs about €10.
source : iksurfmag.com ↗Clubs & schools
Boa Vista has few schools, mostly clustered around Sal Rei and Estoril: the Duotone Pro Center (formerly ION Club, ten minutes from the airport), Wind Sports Center on Estoril beach, Ocean Adventure / Kite Cap Vert and Kitekriol in Sal Rei. At Praia de Chaves itself, coaching usually runs via boat lessons or a shuttle from town rather than a base on the sand.
source : dpc-boavista.com ↗Before you go
Safety
Empty beach, little rescue
Boa Vista's real issue is isolation. The moment you move away from the resorts or head off downwind to the south (toward Costa Boa Esperança), there's no one to help. Tell someone, ride with company, and keep enough in reserve to get back upwind on your own. One plus specific to Praia de Chaves: the bay curves toward the sand, so a drift here lands you on the beach rather than out in the open ocean.
source : iksurfmag.com ↗Shore break & current
The shore break at Praia de Chaves can be heavy, especially in winter and in a built-up sea: that's where launching and landing get tricky. A current is also reported to the left — don't let yourself drift too far that way. On big-swell days the safety boats sometimes can't get out at all: that's the time to stay near the shore, or call it off.
source : boavistakite.com ↗Tide
No reliable tide reference is published for Praia de Chaves: all we know is that it affects the shore break and the width of beach, with no figures. Check with the local club for the right window.
Community
Soon, by the riders
These spaces will fill up with the community’s feedback.
Session reports (zone, swell, wind)
Downwind to the south: who's tried it?