Overview

Big Beach (North Beach) is located on the west/Gulf side of Fort Desoto Park, facing directly onto the Gulf of Mexico. It is the largest beach in the park with a long stretch of white sand. The spot offers surf and kite conditions with Gulf fetch. Fort Desoto is regularly ranked among the best beaches in the United States.

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Spot forecast for Big Beach / Fort Desoto

Sunrise 07:34 · Sunset 18:57

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< 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.

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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 1.2 km from the spot.

Monday 19 October High tide 00:30 · 0.7 m Low tide 00:54 · 0.7 m High tide 05:05 · 0.8 m Low tide 14:31 · 0.4 m High tide 23:33 · 0.7 m
Tuesday 20 October Low tide 02:27 · 0.7 m High tide 06:46 · 0.8 m Low tide 15:13 · 0.4 m High tide 22:03 · 0.7 m
Wednesday 21 October Low tide 03:18 · 0.6 m High tide 08:35 · 0.8 m Low tide 15:48 · 0.4 m High tide 22:09 · 0.8 m
Thursday 22 October Low tide 03:58 · 0.5 m High tide 09:45 · 0.8 m Low tide 16:18 · 0.5 m High tide 22:16 · 0.8 m
Friday 23 October Low tide 04:34 · 0.4 m High tide 10:41 · 0.8 m Low tide 16:43 · 0.5 m High tide 22:24 · 0.9 m

Big Beach / Fort Desoto: 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

298h

in May · 30 rideable days

The season runs from February to May, peaking in May: 27 rideable days a month and 298 hours of usable wind, at 22 °C. The low point is October, at 12.5 days.

Rideable days per month

Wind strength when it is rideable

7-12 knots · 69%13-20 knots · 28%21-30 knots · 3%31+ knots · under 1%

When the spot works, wind sits mostly between 7 and 12 knots — 69% of rideable hours. Big-kite territory. The coldest month is January, at 16 °C. The wettest month is August, with 322 mm.

Monthly averages: Big Beach / Fort Desoto

Monthly averages — Big Beach / Fort Desoto — averaged over 2 years of records — Weather data by Open-Meteo.com — How it is calculated
Month	Rideable days	Usable wind	Temperature	Rain
January	20.0	150 h	16 °C	46 mm
February	24.0	165 h	18 °C	50 mm
March	25.0	190 h	20 °C	13 mm
April	27.5	225 h	23 °C	27 mm
May	30.0	298 h	27 °C	80 mm
June	22.5	163 h	29 °C	194 mm
July	29.5	222 h	31 °C	89 mm
August	25.0	223 h	30 °C	322 mm
September	22.5	129 h	30 °C	157 mm
October	12.5	77 h	26 °C	231 mm
November	16.0	94 h	23 °C	15 mm
December	21.0	127 h	19 °C	55 mm

Photo gallery of Big Beach / Fort Desoto

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Technical details of Big Beach / Fort Desoto spot

The spot works with winds from N, S, SSW, SW, WSW, W, WNW, NW, NNW.

Rideable Not rideable

Spot opening date · Required level

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

On the water

Gulf of Mexico waters with moderate to strong waves depending on wind conditions. Sandy bottom with sandbars at low tide. Open Gulf fetch creates chop with sustained west or northwest winds. Warm water year-round.

Hazards

Shore break waves possible with strong west wind. Rip currents possible. Stingrays in shallow waters. Very busy tourist area. Jellyfish possible during warm season. Respect swim zones marked by flags.

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St Petersburg/Whitted Arpt19.3 kmsource aviationweather.gov

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Additional stations

Albert Whitted Airport19.4 km

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source noaa
W4HIX-2 Palmetto15.4 km

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source noaa

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Webcams near Big Beach / Fort Desoto

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Nearby spots

All spots: Floride

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Big Beach / Fort Desoto kitesurf and wingfoil spot