Kitesurfing in Sisal

Progreso sits on the northern coast of the Yucatán Peninsula along the Gulf of Mexico, 36 km north of Mérida. Founded in 1871 by politician Juan Miguel Castro to replace Sisal as the region's deep-water port, the town is dominated by the Terminal Remota cargo pier. This concrete viaduct extends 8 km into the Gulf, making it the longest ocean pier in the world.

For kitesurfers, Progreso operates as the central infrastructure hub for wind sports in Yucatán. While neighboring fishing outposts like Sisal and Telchac have minimal services, Progreso combines reliable thermal winds with access to dedicated kite schools, repair facilities, and direct highway links. The riding zones sit outside the commercial port: primarily at the Playón de Progreso west of the pier, and along the eastern beaches stretching toward Chicxulub Puerto. The shoreline features a broad, hard-packed quartz and shell beach fronted by a shallow shelf that drops gradually over 60 to 100 meters, producing a workable mix of waist-deep flat water and wind chop.

Sisal occupies the northwest corner of the Yucatán Peninsula along the Gulf of Mexico, 54 km west-northwest of Mérida. During the nineteenth century, the settlement operated as Yucatán’s primary maritime gateway for exporting raw agave cactus fiber (Agave fourcroydes), passing its name directly to the worldwide commercial twine and rope product known as sisal. When the deep-water shipping terminal opened at Progreso in 1871, commercial shipping bypassed Sisal entirely, leaving it to scale down into a low-density artisanal fishing base flanking the Reserva Estatal El Palmar wetland reserve.

Kiters travel here for clean side-onshore wind, wide stretches of sand free of high-rise construction, and an empty lineup. Unlike Progreso or El Cuyo, which pull sizable crowds on active wind days, Sisal spreads visiting riders along kilometers of open coast. The nearshore zone slopes gradually over 50 to 100 meters, creating a waist-deep sand-bottom platform without submerged reefs, coral heads, or sea urchins.