Overview

Destin is a renowned kitesurfing spot in the Florida Panhandle, located on the famous "Emerald Coast" facing the Gulf of Mexico. The pristine white quartz sand beach and emerald waters make it one of the most beautiful settings in Florida. The beach faces south, capturing south and southeast winds as onshore. Destin is a major fishing and beach destination with Destin Harbor and the famous East Pass. The kite season is best in spring and fall when fronts bring sustained winds.

Suggest an edit

Spot forecast for Destin

Sunrise 06:51 · Sunset 18:09

Open-Meteo

Premium weather models. Get the professional models (ECMWF, GFS, ICON, MeteoSwiss…) and a 16-day forecast. Without a subscription: Open-Meteo over 5 days.

Go Premium

< 7 kn7–12 kn13–20 kn21–30 kn31–40 kn41+ kn Gusts Your minimum: 7 kn

Forecasts provided by Open-Meteo

Swell and waves

Swell and tides over 8 days. Premium members see the swell and tides over 8 days. Without a subscription: 5 days.

Go Premium

Wave height: < 0.5 m 0.5–1 m 1–2 m 2–3 m ≥ 3 m

Swell data by Open-Meteo Marine

Tides

Heights above lowest astronomical tide, in the spot's local time. Computed 1.7 km from the spot.

Tuesday 20 October High tide 02:51 · 0.6 m Low tide 14:38 · 0.3 m
Wednesday 21 October High tide 06:13 · 0.5 m Low tide 13:50 · 0.3 m High tide 21:17 · 0.4 m
Thursday 22 October Low tide 00:31 · 0.4 m High tide 07:29 · 0.5 m Low tide 14:01 · 0.4 m High tide 20:21 · 0.5 m
Friday 23 October Low tide 02:08 · 0.4 m High tide 08:54 · 0.5 m Low tide 14:05 · 0.4 m High tide 20:05 · 0.5 m
Saturday 24 October Low tide 03:17 · 0.3 m High tide 11:23 · 0.5 m Low tide 12:55 · 0.5 m High tide 20:54 · 0.6 m

Destin: when to go?

Rideable days and hours computed for a minimum wind of 7 knots · log in to set your own (foil, twin-tip…)

Season · peak

252h

in May · 28 rideable days

The season runs from March to July, peaking in May: 26 rideable days a month and 252 hours of usable wind, at 27 °C. The low point is October, at 10 days.

Rideable days per month

Wind strength when it is rideable

7-12 knots · 86%13-20 knots · 13%21-30 knots · under 1%

When the spot works, wind sits mostly between 7 and 12 knots — 86% of rideable hours. Big-kite territory. The coldest month is January, at 15 °C. The wettest month is July, with 197 mm.

Monthly averages: Destin

Monthly averages — Destin — averaged over 2 years of records — Weather data by Open-Meteo.com — How it is calculated
Month	Rideable days	Usable wind	Temperature	Rain
January	12.0	111 h	15 °C	96 mm
February	15.0	117 h	19 °C	89 mm
March	22.0	177 h	21 °C	105 mm
April	27.0	252 h	25 °C	110 mm
May	28.0	252 h	27 °C	195 mm
June	26.5	195 h	31 °C	144 mm
July	24.0	162 h	31 °C	197 mm
August	15.5	115 h	32 °C	157 mm
September	16.0	97 h	30 °C	114 mm
October	10.0	69 h	27 °C	76 mm
November	15.0	109 h	22 °C	127 mm
December	10.5	65 h	18 °C	89 mm

Photo gallery of Destin

This spot is waiting for its first images

Ridden here? One photo or video, and the spot comes alive for everyone discovering it.

Technical details of Destin spot

The spot works with winds from E, ESE, SE, SSE, S, SSW, SW, WSW, W.

Rideable Not rideable

Spot opening date · Required level

Spot opening date: Open all year round
Required level: Intermediate

On the water

The water body faces the Gulf of Mexico with a gently sloping white sandy bottom. The water is a characteristic emerald green, warm and crystal clear. In south winds, conditions are flat to lightly choppy. In southwest winds with fetch, small waves can form. Sandbars create interesting shallow areas at low tide. The beauty of the water is remarkable.

Hazards

In northerly winds, conditions are offshore — do not ride. East Pass (Destin harbor entrance) creates very strong currents nearby — do not drift toward the inlet. Fishing boat traffic is heavy near the harbor. The beach is very crowded in summer (spring break, holidays). Longshore drift currents.

Something out of date? Suggest an edit

Live

Destin, Destin-Ft. Walton Beach Airport2.1 kmsource noaa

Readings reserved for Premium members

Live readings from Destin, Destin-Ft. Walton Beach Airport weather station are reserved for Premium members.

Real-time readings
Last 48 hours history
Custom alerts
Extended weather forecasts

Discover Premium

Already a Premium member? Log in

Additional stations

Destin Station #19 Destin Fire Control District3.2 km

Readings reserved for Premium members
source noaa
GW4762 DESTIN FL US3 km

Readings reserved for Premium members
source madis - NOAA

All the details of your session on windtracker.app

Webcams near Destin

Webcams provided by Windy.com

Nearby spots

All spots: Florida

Comments 0

No comments yet.

Log in to comment

Destin kitesurf and wingfoil spot