Columbia River / Walton Beach, Oregon (USA)

Very steady but light wind. 12-16m is the standard kite, a smaller or larger kite will only be needed 10% of the time. Usually if it's windy at all, a 12-16m will work, and it rarely gets above 20mph. The wind is very steady, only towards the end of the season it does get `gusty.` If anything it is more prone to lulls, which can be a good sign the wind is about to die. The wind usually starts from 2-5pm and dies before dusk. North winds are the only ones that seem to work. Prevailing winds are out of the North, NNE and NNW, and these are the best. In the summer the wind can typically be kiteable 4-7 days a week.

Most of the season you can wear shorts or a shorty. Only at the beginning of the season do you need a full wetsuit. Season is from May to September. Its usually pretty warm as the wind is thermal driven, so don't expect to be too cold. Air temperatures range from 65-90°F and the water temp ranges from 65-73°C, warming up as the summer progresses. Typically a full suit 5/3 to 3/2 is good for the early season, but most kiters are in shorties or shorts by July. It is possible to kitesurf off season but wind speed and direction are not consistent or as good.

Water is pretty flat since most of the time the wind is light. Swells don't get huge like in the Gorge. Water is also quite a bit warmer than the Gorge. However it is more polluted because it's after the Columbia meets the Willammete, which gets raw sewage dumped into it in Portland when it rains hard. The water is not very shallow and drops off fast. The water flows the opposite direction of the prevailing winds, similar to the Gorge. Small 1-foot wind chop and barge wakes are common, there is not swell/waves.