BayAreaKiteboarding.com

kitechick wrote:Optimal time for a beginner of standard size on standard sized equipment in Alameda is probably around May/June.

Sorry I was trying to learn this year in those months and a 12 was not enough for a 150 rider. Other beginners on the beach had the exact same problem. No water time at all, waisted season.

It's pretty basic guys. This time of year you'll be on a big kite most of the time. At 150lbs. you'll want a 14-16m mid aspect kite. If you can only get one kite that's the one you'll have the most fun on. Bigger may not be so good for a beginner. Bigger kites tend to be slower, and you don't want to get overpowered if the wind picks up a bit.

Dewey

Just checked the wind archive on ikitesurf and my memory was right...

only 6 days out of 30 had not enough wind to kite. All others were just fine. There was quite a number of exceptionally good days also with high windspeeds (8th, 10th, 16th, 18, 28th).

- Sylvia

I don't know what the archive says, but on the beach there is usually not enough wind. The common beach picture in the last couple of months is kites sitting on the beach and people hanging out. There were a few days that the wind was good and everyone were on the water. The periods where the wind is good (12+) are short, you need to spend a whole day on the beach ready and maybe get an hour. Its fine if you body drag, but how much can you do that. In most days you will not even get that. There were a few days that the wind was good, I would say one day out of 5 or 10 is ridable without too many hassles. July was dead and June was almost dead, May was better.

One of the reasons we got the safety meeting going on is that there was no wind, so people didn't mind sitting on the beach.

I don't kite there during the summer so I wouldn't know. Spring is great at Alameda. I remember what summer was like there a couple of years ago, and it was almost always big kites. I had a 12m and had to borrow kites all summer.

Dewey

vegasadam wrote:Hello,I am brand new to the sport,I just finished taking lessons and I'm ready to buy some gear. From talking to quite a few peopleit seems that I'm looking for a kite 12m or bigger since I'll be staying in Alameda for the remainder of this season. Any help or advice is more than appreciated. I'm can't afford brand new gear because income is little right now but I want buy gear and start having fun ASAP. Thanks for reading, Adam.

If you are really on a very tight budget give us a ring and we will find the right gear for what you need.
We have access to a lot of new and used, and really inexpensive gear that will get you going asap.
I'll be happy to connect you with some of our rider gear as they are getting ready for the 2006 models, as well as 2004 models that are still in stock, but not advertized anywhere openly.

Evan - Live2KITE
(415) 722-7884