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Where to go to vacation and learn to kiteboard

Posted: Wed Mar 06, 2013 4:25 pm
by keegster17
guys I am from Toronto and wish to go away at the end of March for one week, no place specific, within a reasonable price. I have considered Dominican Republic, Playa del Carmen, and Hatteras NC. which place would you recommend out of the three. Price is the biggest issue, i liked Dominican but flights are a little pricey about $600 to fly out of Toronto. any thoughts? I am a beginner kite boarder!

Re: Where to go to vacation and learn to kiteboard

Posted: Wed Mar 06, 2013 4:45 pm
by davesails7
Hatteras is a great place to learn. Lots of schools. Renting a house there in March (off season) is super cheap! You should be able to find $500 a week for a 3 or 4 bedroom house.

The only problem is for end of March you will probably still need a wetsuit. A 2/3 suit should be plenty, no need for gloves or boots. I've had a few days in March where I didn't need a wetsuit, but it depends on the weather. The sound is shallow and water temperature goes up and down pretty quickly.

If you're from Canada though, you will probably think the water is super warm :thumb:

Re: Where to go to vacation and learn to kiteboard

Posted: Wed Mar 06, 2013 5:23 pm
by Flysurf77
keegster17,
Hatteras is great, an amazing place to learn and for advanced too.
But I am not a cold water person and right now, http://www.windguru.cz/es/index.php?sc= ... sty=m_menu, the water is freezing cold! This is why NC is my home spot, but only for June July.
Right now, the best option for you would be Playa del Carmen, we have great wind, it is warm, there are plenty of other activities around in case of no wind day.
Check http://www.pdckiteboarding.com/ for more info, or contact Mickey at pdckiteboarding@gmail.com
Image
:mosh:

Re: Where to go to vacation and learn to kiteboard

Posted: Wed Mar 06, 2013 6:13 pm
by windrider11
Best place for a beginner imo is Cayo Guillermo, Cuba. Flat and shallow water with consistent side-on wind. You can find tons of cheap packages, search for Cayo Coco and look at the hotels: Villa Cojimar, Iberostart Daquiri, Sol Cayo Guillermo with redtag.ca or selloffvacations.com
You will kite right in front of these resorts.
You'll have to bring your own gear of course. Check windguru for Cuba, the spot is called Playa El Paso or Playa Pilar, they're close to each other.

Cabarete is a good spot, but it gets super crowded, especially kite beach and for a beginner is a bit challenging as it's super choppy and some nasty beach break. Also, the wind is very inconsistent in March. Cabarete is better in Feb, June and July. I've been there tons of times and even lived there for 6 months a few years ago.

Re: Where to go to vacation and learn to kiteboard

Posted: Wed Mar 06, 2013 8:03 pm
by davesails7
Flysurf77 wrote:keegster17,
Hatteras is great, an amazing place to learn and for advanced too.
But I am not a cold water person and right now, http://www.windguru.cz/es/index.php?sc= ... sty=m_menu, the water is freezing cold! This is why NC is my home spot, but only for June July.
Right now, the best option for you would be Playa del Carmen, we have great wind, it is warm, there are plenty of other activities around in case of no wind day.
Check http://www.pdckiteboarding.com/ for more info, or contact Mickey at pdckiteboarding@gmail.com
Image
:mosh:
OK, I admit it. Your picture looks a little nicer than the 55 degree F, mud brown colored Pamilco Sound in Hatteras end of March :D

Re: Where to go to vacation and learn to kiteboard

Posted: Wed Mar 06, 2013 8:38 pm
by acctx
Im seeing tickets for $500 to DR. I would think that would be the least expensive option. Other options might be south padre, but tickets are pretty pricey. Keep in mind the end of march is spring break for a lot of schools so you will run into higher costs all around. The wind in DR seems to be off and on this time of the year.

I see a ticket for $575 to playa.

Water temp in hatteras is around 45-50 right now. Around 62 in south padre, 78-80 in playa and DR.

This old forum post has a good set of recommendations by month
viewtopic.php?t=2310900

Re: Where to go to vacation and learn to kiteboard

Posted: Wed Mar 06, 2013 10:19 pm
by keegster17
wicked guys thanks for the tips. I need a school or someone to teach me so it would have to be near by. Acctx what site did you go to for $500 to DR, and is that with taxes? $500 taxes in I can live with, but $700 is to much. Playa del Carmen would great to, been there before on vacation and like it, just need to find a deal within reason to get there and stay.

Re: Where to go to vacation and learn to kiteboard

Posted: Wed Mar 06, 2013 10:34 pm
by PVITfrumBYRAM
Second that, nice warm weather would be nice right now. It's flippin cold on Hatteras right now. March is still likely to have some pretty chilly days.

Re: Where to go to vacation and learn to kiteboard

Posted: Wed Mar 06, 2013 11:21 pm
by bnthere
South Padre Island. Boardshorts temps already, windy all the time.

http://www.prokitesouthpadre.com

Re: Where to go to vacation and learn to kiteboard

Posted: Thu Mar 07, 2013 12:13 am
by Eduardo
for learning, ideals are (in order):

wind: you won't learn much if it's too light
flat water: no sense getting knocked over by waves and chop yet
shallow water: great if you can stand and relaunch fast
non-gusty wind: easier to figure out if you really made a mistake or got caught by a gust/lull
warm weather: who wants neoprene
good instructors: ok maybe this should be higher on the list

South Padre is great on all those and Corpus Christi as a backup that should have cheaper flights and hotels if you're close to spring break.

For the Caribbean, Bonaire is great - all of the above except deep water which is dealt with using boat instruction. Also Caymans are pretty flat and reliable. So many options!