Wadell Creek the "KITEBEACH"

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pipedragon
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Wadell Creek the "KITEBEACH"

Post by pipedragon » Sun Jan 30, 2005 7:01 pm

I remember the first time I kited at Wadell Creek about four years ago..
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I had learned to kiteboard the year previous in Alameda but I had never kited on the ocean before. I had always heard stories about Wadell Creek and I had seen people kite there in videos. I was in my second season of kiting and I was doing pretty well staying up wind and controlling my kite. I decided it was time to give Wadell Creek a try. It was early april and for my birthday me and some friends decided to go to Monterey for the weekend. I was not originally planning on going to Wadell Creek but I brought my kites in case there was any wind in Monterey. We took highway one all the way down and I was anxious to see Wadell Creek but the whole ride down there was not a hint of wind. I wanted to at least stop there and see it anyway. We drove past Half Moon bay and we were half way to Santa Cruz. I thought Wadell was just a few miles from Half Moon bay but I guess the Ikitesurf maps are a little devcieving. We kept on driving and there was still not a hint of wind. Then out of the blue we round a bend and there is a swarm of kites in the air. Of course we had to pull over.

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I watched for a few minutes as people went in and out and thrashed the waves. Before I knew it I was on the beach pumping up my kite. My friends (non-kiters) were like "oh come on were not waiting here for you" I was like it's my brthday I think I deserve it. So they waited. I was nervous because I had never kited waves before but I was excited. I pumped up my kite. Like the fastest I have ever pumped a kite and grabbed my board and asked for a launch. I tried to be as nice as possible since I knew that I was a guest at this beach and I wanted to make sure I was welcomed back. I asked about conditions and if my board and kite were the right sizes. People were really cool and helped my out by explaining the area and the precautions of underwater hazards like rocks and currents. They seemed to be just as stooked as I was. I got a launch and I was ready to go. I headed out to the water but I was startled. I am used to sitting in calm water and getting up and going. Now there were huge waves that kept on nocking me over and kicking my board off my feet. I almost lost my board and dropped my kite. I finnaly got up and going but then a huge wave capsised my board again. I had to search for my board again and I got nervous that maybe I was not ready for this yet. I would never hear it down from my friends though so I had to get up and try again. This time I got up speed and headed straight for a wave and just sent the kite to jump over the next waves. That was way easier. Then I realized that I could keep doing that and I would hit waves and jump higher and higher. It was great!! Eventually I got out so far that the waves were calmer. The first thing that I thought as I looked back at the beach is how cool it was that I was out there kiting. Now the question was do I head all the way back to the beach or just go in a little bit. I wanted to stay close to shore because it was my first time here and I did not want to run into trouble. So I decided to head in to make sure I could at least get back to the beach. I got back to the waves and I was so focused to control the kite and not fall off my board. To my excitment I noticed I was surfing a wave.
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This was great I could ride a wave and not even half to paddle back out. I picked up some speed and decided to hit the wave in front of me and send the kite for a jump. To my surprise I jumped higher then I had ever jumped and it almost scared me because I was so high. I rode for about four hours and would have kited longer but my frineds got restless. I still remember that day as one of the best kiting days ever. I have been back to Wadell a few times and I will be there a lot this year. There is just nothing like the first time. If you are able to stay up wind and are confident in your kite skills I highly recommend a trip to Wadell. Riding waves is what kiting was invented for. Theres nothing else like it.!

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OliverG
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Post by OliverG » Mon Jan 31, 2005 8:30 am

My first time there was a little different! Maybe I'll write something up on it. Nice story! Btw, most of us just know you as Pipedragon, what's the full name?

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Post by pipedragon » Mon Jan 31, 2005 7:19 pm

BayAreaKite wrote:My first time there was a little different! Maybe I'll write something up on it. Nice story! Btw, most of us just know you as Pipedragon, what's the full name?
My names Ryan Kelly, sorry about that. I usually try and introduce myself and chat at the beach but when there is wind there is only one thing on my mind. Get on the water ASAP!!!

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