What's the sports growth like at your local beach?

[sbckiteboard]

As part of an informal survey: What do you think is the percentage of new kiteboarders (riding one year or less) at your local beach? What percentage growth has the sport seen at your local beach over the last two years? Please be sure to list your local beaches name and country.

Sample
Beach: Bozo Beach, Cabarete, Dominican Republic
New riders (Percent riding one year or less): 35%
Increase in the number of rider over the last two years: 70%

Thanks in advance,

John Bryja
Editor
SBC Kiteboard
Kiteboarding reviews, news, instruction and travel.

[nj kiter]

i would say at my spot is like 2 or three people that atcually stick around

[20 m or bust]

I ride lakes in Dallas, Texas. We have 2 newbies out right not and another who says hes coming. We have about 60 riders total in Dallas.

[Baboon]

Here in ABZ its in decline. There was a peak about 2 years ago of about 20 but most have gone leaving about 6-8 regulars.....great!!!
Not surprising however as it snowed all last night and its awful.

[Skyway Scott]

I think Tampa/St. Pete has about 120 riders now (minimum). We had 50 just in one spot today.
We are definitely still on the incline.
I would guess new riders with less than 1 year experience to be 20.
New riders with 2 years or less experience, 40.

I

[hot]

here is qiuck view of whats happenning in Australai i a few spots that i ride.

Cairns - was really strong 2 years ago - 40 - 60 on a good wind day
last year dropped to about 15 -

Sunshine Coast - good growth 10% in flat water but we thing about twice as many guys are now riding waves.

Waves are defintiely on the increase in this area.
having said that - i just had one of the best sessions at my beach on a sunday - no one to be seen
probably had to wash their hair
cheers

[switch313]

in good old sunny hunny (hunstanton) i started riding there in the end of 2003 and on what we would call good conditions now there would be maybe 5 riders and we pretty much all knew each other now its up to 50 kites on a good day....quite a pain in the arse to be honest and i dont agree with the local kooks trying to regulate 'their spot' after riding for 1 or 2 years. but im out of the country for a while and dont get involved in the polotics anymore because its getting silly.

[MnO]

In my area we have no problem with crowded waters. I am allways the only kiter and nothing indicates that this will change. No beginners.

I have been kiting for about 5 years and I have only on one occasion seen any other kiter except myself on the water. I briefly know the guy, and he lives about 30km:s from here and he mostly kites on some different spots than me. That´s why I never see him I guess. There are some more windsurfers however where I kite.

It´s quite strange that the spots are empty I must say. The beach might not be the best place to kite, but once on the water both the wind and the water is really nice with mixed conditions of chop, flat water and some waves.

[bleighty]

I think Tampa/St. Pete has about 120 riders now (minimum). We had 50 just in one spot today.
We are definitely still on the incline.
I would guess new riders with less than 1 year experience to be 20.
New riders with 2 years or less experience, 40.

I

Yea.. its getting a bit crazy round here like Scott says.. We've got one main launch beach when the winds blowing from the south and the traffic has gone up up up and away..

I got there late on Saturday and there was about 25 kites in the air.. lots on the beach.. I think most had already had their fun. Dan B. told me that he felt so crowded that he took off way upwind to keep his sanity.

I'd be your numbers are on the mark. I'd even add there seem to be about 2 or 3 riders out there on a solid windy day with less than 2 months riding experience..

Tho I will add that the 2 near-misses I saw and heard about this weekend were from guys with 2years plus experience... one accidental updraft (Chris) and another at Backside on Friday .. guys name I dont know practicing unhooked to blind moves right in front of an oncoming kiter and wiping him out.

i need to buy a powerboat to get away.

[Juwanna Kite]

I'm guessing we have around 50 regulars at my spot, C Street, Ventura. Of that I would say about 5 are new to it as of last year. The number of people actually kiting on any given day can vary dramatically based upon whether it's windy anywhere else. The spot is definitely getting more crowded, particularly when the LA crowd comes up for a session.