Best way to find downwind runs

I'm new to surfskis; with my old kayaks I usually paddle in the long island sound. Now that I don't fall off the ski every stroke, I'm curious how to find some good downwind runs.

Do ya'll look at wind maps to find steady breezes? What windspeeds usually make nice waves?

Do you do one way trips or end up paddling against the wind half the distance?

Thanks in advance!

In my experience it is only really adequate wind if it is enough to make whitecaps. Even tiny white caps will do. This seems to start at around 15 mph. I use the windfinder website of my favorite locations and follow it like a junkie. Clicking on the “superforecast” link will give you a more accurate forecast but only 3 days into the future.

Thanks Zach! Do you get exhausted paddling into 15mph or do you setup a pickup a few miles away?

Windy.com is great to just ok depending on where you are. You don't necessarily need strong winds, but you do need windswell (swell periods under +-10 seconds) with the best being around 4 feet and 7 seconds (to me). My guess is that in the sound you won't get that without strong winds though.

Its also best when you have the winds aligned parrallel to the shore. Currents, coastlines, and bathymetries affect the "cleaness" of the water too though. Good, reliable, downwind runs are not especially easy to find, which IMO is why certain ones become famous/popular.

Most people don't like to paddle upwind. Depending on the conditions it can get really tiresome after only 5-6kms of it, especially if it is choppy.

The best advice is probably to find some more experienced paddlers and learn from them.