BayAreaKiteboarding.com

I've taken several lessons last season, and this season I'm ready to devote my summer weekends to kiting. I'm planning a vacation for the end of March/early April to spend a week kiting to prep me for buying gear and being self-sufficent for the season (still a beginner but I can ride and have lots of snowboarding/wakeboarding experience). Any recommendations for a good place to take a trip to? Preferably warm, shallow, and flat water, but I'm open to suggestions. I would take lessons for a couple days to get myself in the groove to head out to 3rd Ave and Alameda when the season starts in the Bay. Right now I can ride up wind but I'm working on my kite control and riding for longer periods.

Also looking for beginner kite friends around the Bay to ride with in 2013.

Thanks and hope to meet some of you soon!

Hi Jen,
End of March/early April is kind of in between seasons at easy places to go to like La Ventana.

I don't know of any places in the US that time of year that is warm, etc. Are you planning on traveling out of country? If so, check into Costa Rica. Cometa Copal. It is located in the Northern part of Costa Rica. Good beach to launch from and great group of people. They are some kite schools there, the weather and water is warm. Bob, who owns Cometa Copal is really cool and a great instructor. The cabina's there are cheap and have great views. The wind there is strong, 25+ mph

Another place we are going to check out early march is Punta Chame, Panama. It looks like a great place, long beach area and not too choppy. Also, big winds around 25 mph average. It is suppose to blow there until May. You can google kitesurf panama and get some more ideas.

Other places to consider Aruba, Margarita Island and not sure if DR starts up that early.

I hope this helps.

Awesome, thanks for the tips! Someone else recommended Costa Rica as well - this spot: http://www.bluedreamhotel.com

Out of the country is totally fine, would be nice to have a real vacation :) Do you think 25+ is ok for beginners? I'll definitely look into Panama, seems like another good option.

My wife was intimidated at first. But Bob worked with her and had her use a 5m kite. She did fine. Yes blue dream is also there. They are back a bit form the water. They have a truck take you down in the am and then back in pm. The cabinas that Bob rents out are a block from the beach. So you can walk back and forth.

Here is write up about the area. http://www.ikitesurf.com/forums/viewtop ... 4988252f2b

We were going to go back there this year, but we my wife has wanted to go to Panama for quite a while now, so I stumbled across Punta Chame. There are some other spots, but this one looks pretty promising. http://www.kitesurfingpanama.com or http://www.shokogi.com . I will do a write up on it when we get back. Its about an hour out of Panama City and the hotel we are going to stay at is also right next door to http://www.nitrocitypanama.com. So, if there is no wind there are some other things to do....

South Padre, TX might be an option for you. I'm actually going to check the forecast for the first week of April and head there if it looks good. Please come see me when you come to 3rd and I will give you some pointers for 3rd,

SPI is on fire in April. Wind, waves, and we were are out of wetsuits weeks ago, to give you an idea.

any ?s, give a call:

Brett
http://www.prokitesouthpadre.com
info@prokitesouthpadre.com
855 SPI KITE
541 490 6872

Hatteras....

http://www.realwatersports.com

jennalanger wrote:Awesome, thanks for the tips! Someone else recommended Costa Rica as well - this spot: http://www.bluedreamhotel.com

Out of the country is totally fine, would be nice to have a real vacation :) Do you think 25+ is ok for beginners? I'll definitely look into Panama, seems like another good option.

Yes I just came back from blue dream hotel in costa rica. Highly recommended. You will become a part of very small and cozy group of people, have great food and mostly, you will have wind ALL day and ALL night, so you can literally kite till you drop.

I had a morning , noon and afternoon session every day, 1.5 hours each.

The winds in Jan and Feb are very strong, around 25-40mph (we kited on 7s all the time) but in march and april it mellows out a lot, so may be better for a beginner. Double check with them about wind strength for the dates you want to go.

i spent a week in st.petersburg/tampa, fl area last month. got lots of kiting in. a couple times launched right in front of the hotel on st. pete's beach.

awesome area for kiting, particularly for beginners because most of the sites are inside the intercoastal waterway with warm,flat water.

not sure what april is like but you can call the shop there. westcoast kiteboarding. great guys.