Average speed by water sport: kayak, SUP, sailing, kite and wing
How fast do people really go on the water? These are the averages of 350,526 sessions recorded with Waterspeed and shared to its leaderboard, January – November 2026. The speed is the distance divided by the time of the whole recording, so breaks are included.
Paddle sports: kayak, SUP, rowing, canoe and surfski
Average speed over the whole recording, from start to stop, breaks included. Next to it: the distance and the time of an average session.
Wind sports: sailing, windsurf, wing foil and kitesurf
Read these values with care. A wind session holds waits, falls, turns and breaks on the beach, and all of them count in the time. The speed while riding is higher. Top speeds are not in this table.
| Sport | Sessions | mph | km/h | kn | Distance | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wing foil | 103,874 | 8.3 | 13.4 | 7.2 | 11.4 mi · 18.3 km | 82 min |
| Windsurf | 86,260 | 7.8 | 12.5 | 6.8 | 11.6 mi · 18.6 km | 89 min |
| Sailing | 63,025 | 4.8 | 7.6 | 4.1 | 9.9 mi · 16.0 km | 125 min |
| Windfoil | 19,823 | 8.3 | 13.4 | 7.2 | 13.5 mi · 21.7 km | 97 min |
| Kitesurf | 16,560 | 9.3 | 15.0 | 8.1 | 11.9 mi · 19.1 km | 76 min |
| Parawing | 12,007 | 7.5 | 12.0 | 6.5 | 10.5 mi · 16.8 km | 84 min |
| Kite foil | 4,764 | 10.6 | 17.0 | 9.2 | 14.1 mi · 22.8 km | 80 min |
How the numbers are made
- SourceSessions recorded with the Waterspeed app and shared to its public leaderboard, January – November 2026.
- Average speedThe total distance of a sport divided by its total recording time. A recording runs from start to stop, with breaks.
- Distance and timeThe totals of a sport divided by its number of sessions.
- Not in the tablesThe speed while moving, and top speeds.
Measure your own speed
Record a session with Waterspeed on your phone or watch and you get your own distance, time and speed. Do you have a track already? Open the GPX or FIT file in the free viewer: it shows top speed, best 10 seconds, best 500 m, distance, time in motion and average moving speed.
Questions
What is the average kayak speed?
In 8,567 kayak sessions recorded with Waterspeed, the average speed is 3.5 mph, which is 5.6 km/h or 3.1 knots, breaks included. An average session is 8.1 km in 86 minutes.
How fast is a stand up paddle board?
In 28,246 SUP sessions recorded with Waterspeed, the average speed is 3.7 mph, which is 5.9 km/h or 3.2 knots, breaks included. An average session is 6.5 km in 66 minutes.
Are paddle boards faster than kayaks?
SUP sessions average 5.9 km/h and kayak sessions 5.6 km/h, breaks included. An average kayak session is 8.1 km and an average SUP session is 6.5 km.
What is the average speed of a sailing boat?
In 63,025 sailing sessions recorded with Waterspeed, the average speed is 4.1 knots, which is 4.8 mph or 7.6 km/h, breaks included. An average session is 16.0 km in 125 minutes.
Is kitesurfing or windsurfing faster?
Over the whole recording, kitesurf sessions average 15.0 km/h and windsurf sessions 12.5 km/h. Breaks are included, so these values are not the speed while riding, and they do not say which sport reaches the higher top speed.
How fast is a wing foil?
In 103,874 wing foil sessions recorded with Waterspeed, the average over the whole recording is 13.4 km/h, which is 8.3 mph or 7.2 knots. Waits, falls and breaks count in the time, so the speed on the foil is higher.
Why are these speeds lower than the speed I see while riding?
Because the time of the whole recording counts: waits, falls, turns and breaks on the beach. The speed while moving is higher than this average. For your own track, the free Waterspeed viewer gives the average moving speed.
How do I measure my own average speed?
Record the session with the Waterspeed app, or open a GPX or FIT file in the free Waterspeed viewer. The viewer shows top speed, best 10 seconds, best 500 m, distance, duration, time in motion and average moving speed.