Hatteras vs. La Ventana

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wesgold
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Hatteras vs. La Ventana

Post by wesgold » Mon Oct 02, 2017 2:38 pm

Question?1? I have 4-5 days of time to head to either Hatteras or Ventana in mid November and i wanted to get peoples input who have been to both. I'm not looking for nightlife, etc. just consistent wind and possibly a few hrs of lessons but really focused on time on the water. Any thoughts would be appreciated. Thanks!!

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Re: Hatteras vs. La Ventana

Post by ko138 » Mon Oct 02, 2017 7:15 pm

Haven't been to La Ventana so I can't give a comparison. I went to Hatteras (Buxton) last October. Scheduled it a couple months in advance. The trip landed one week before Hurricane Matthew which created a large pressure gradient and made it windy all week. Wind was consistent. Monday started out at 18kts, Wed was over 30kts, Friday back to 18Kts. Weather was still warm - was in board shorts with long sleeve rash guard. November may be a little more chilly. November is off season for beach tourists so vacation rentals should be reasonable. As with any scheduled trip, hard to guarantee wind far in advance. I used wind statistics from sailflow/ikitesurf and kept checking the forecasts. Not sure if you have premium access. Attached are screen shots of 2016 windmeter stats for comparison. Not sure if the La Ventana one is accurate. Hopefully someone can give you a better Idea/comparison on La Ventana in November. I have been wanting go there.
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Last edited by ko138 on Tue Oct 03, 2017 10:22 am, edited 3 times in total.

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Re: Hatteras vs. La Ventana

Post by Kyle » Tue Oct 03, 2017 9:00 am

If you have limited time and assuming you are on the west coast, I would recommend Baja. I have not kited Hatteras, but have heard it takes a bit longer to get to given the cross country flight and distance from airport to kite spots. If you take the morning flight to Cabo from San Jose, you can be kiting Los Barriles that afternoon. I'm sure there are similar flights from SFO. Pretty tough to beat that, and it seems like a waste to spend entire days traveling when you can be kiting! We split our time between Exotikite Los Barriles and Palapas Ventana almost every thanksgiving. It's considered early in the season, but we have always had good winds, with the benefit of warmer waters and air temps. Read the trip reports for all the details, can't recommend either enough!

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Re: Hatteras vs. La Ventana

Post by nexus » Sun Oct 15, 2017 10:22 pm

Can't comment on LV but I've been to Hatteras a few times.

I like to take a red eye flight that will connect somewhere along the way. I usually fly delta, because I have status and they usually overlook my board bag. I fly to Norfolk. This means I have to do it via a connection. Usually Chicago or Atlanta. If I get out of San Jose 10-11pm, I'll arrive in Norfolk usually 9-930am. I get a full night sleep on the plane. Rent a car and drive about 2hrs south. I have friends in Avon and Frisco. Usually stay in Avon. Generally I have time to settle in, grab some groceries, and then go get a good solid session that afternoon.

Cabo on the other hand is a few hours of flying time, with a connection in LA if you go southwest. (last time I checked no direct from SJC). Then I think about an hour drive to LV.

Everything is cheaper in Mexico. It's closer for us in the Bay Area.

Hatteras is a really amazing place. It truly has that edge of the world feeling to it and anyone hooked on windsports should make a point of getting there at some point. If you believe in climate change I would suggest you go sooner than later. It's a super dynamic location that feels like it could be swallowed by the sea at any moment. Hatteras also will let you kite in almost any wind direction and choose a location that gives you exactly the conditions you want. You can choose the sound or the ocean. Onshore, offshore, side shore. Whatever you want. Oh how about easy 10mile downwinders all day? No problem. :) The sound is usually warmish. Ocean can be either warm or super cold. I usually bring two wetsuits.

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Re: Hatteras vs. La Ventana

Post by wesgold » Mon Jan 01, 2018 1:51 pm

Thanks for everyone's feedback. Went to LV in mid November and it was great while i was there. Headed to Hatteras in August.

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Re: Hatteras vs. La Ventana

Post by mbzporvida » Wed Jan 03, 2018 7:59 am

Tiger and white sharks in Hatteras,Tequila and warm weather in Baja.
Another trip around the sun ?

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