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Help me decide where to go (october to January months)

Posted: Mon May 13, 2013 7:55 am
by speedyRider
Hello, i would like to travel in one of these months (october to January) which is winter time in europe.
My preferences:
- Constant wind
- Flat, i mean 100% flat :)
- Warm (its ok to use shorty but id like warm temperature outside)
- At least 80% of chances of wind

I know brasil works during that time but it is way overcrowded so im looking for other options.
I checked for sri lanka but it seems season is from may to september.
I checked for Coche-Roques but it seems its too early in the season for december...

Where would you go?

Many thanks!

Re: Help me decide where to go (october to January months)

Posted: Mon May 13, 2013 12:33 pm
by jasontsai
Penghu, Taiwan is probably your best choice if you are looking for flat water in strong wind from Oct. to Jan. Here is a photo showing how flat the water is at Peng Peng Beach in Penghu with 20+ knots of NE wind. This spot is perfect for speed freaks with NE monsoon wind at least 80% of days from Oct. to Jan. You may need a 3mm or 4mm wetsuit occasionally in Dec. and Jan. Lycras or Shorties are usually fine for Oct. and Nov. It is not crowded like other destinations; you will probably never see more than 10 kites/sails on the water except during an event as shown in the photo.
Image

Here is an aerial photo of Peng Peng Beach. You can kite, windsurf, or take a short boat ride to this beach from the main island.
Image

Jan Ho, a nice kitesurfing/windsurfing friend in Penghu can provide you more detailed info if needed.

Re: Help me decide where to go (october to January months)

Posted: Mon May 13, 2013 12:47 pm
by mdksniper
costa rica

Re: Help me decide where to go (october to January months)

Posted: Mon May 13, 2013 4:32 pm
by nherbold
20 knots and 100% flat...that is a tricky combination and while it can be found you should also know that there will always be drawbacks as well.

The pictures of Penghu Taiwan sure look nice, but you can also see where they are riding which is very close to shore where there will be the smoothest water. And that means offshore winds as well. Same thing applies to a place like Coche or many other flat water spots that are large bodies of water/ocean.

And Costa Rica is great too; tons of wind in Playa Copal and Bob is the man. But lots of wind usually also means lots of chop and the same goes for there. Sure you can find super flat water behind the island which is awesome to ride and to get there you just have to kite a bit further out. And from what I remember it's never too crowded there to kite which is great

I would reconsider Brazil; there are so many places to ride and some might be more crowded than others and it all depends what you are looking for. The lagoons in Cumbuco or Taiba will give the smoothest rides but they can get crowded during that time of year. In Ilha do Guajiru (my home spot) the lagoon is so big you can always find a secluded spot, but sort of the same applies to any other big body of water there; if it's blowing 20+ knots it is going to cause some chop unless you are closer to edges were the water is shielded from the wind

Another spot that also has great flat water is Barra Nova or Barra Grande; these places are a bit further away from the airport, but once you get there you can get some super flat water as well and there might only be 5-10 other kiters out there and Brazil is crazy when it comes to wind and wind consistency. Most places have a money back guarantee during that time so you know that means it's windy

Good luck and let us know what you decide.

Re: Help me decide where to go (october to January months)

Posted: Mon May 13, 2013 10:28 pm
by Caesar
nherbold wrote:I would reconsider Brazil; there are so many places to ride and some might be more crowded than others and it all depends what you are looking for. The lagoons in Cumbuco or Taiba will give the smoothest rides but they can get crowded during that time of year. In Ilha do Guajiru (my home spot) the lagoon is so big you can always find a secluded spot, but sort of the same applies to any other big body of water there; if it's blowing 20+ knots it is going to cause some chop unless you are closer to edges were the water is shielded from the wind

Another spot that also has great flat water is Barra Nova or Barra Grande; these places are a bit further away from the airport, but once you get there you can get some super flat water as well and there might only be 5-10 other kiters out there and Brazil is crazy when it comes to wind and wind consistency. Most places have a money back guarantee during that time so you know that means it's windy

Good luck and let us know what you decide.
+1!

Cheers
Caesar 8)

Re: Help me decide where to go (october to January months)

Posted: Tue May 14, 2013 3:56 am
by bnthere
South Padre Island, Texas.

party, kite, surf, repeat. no weird food, no weird diseases, medical facilities, no difficult travel. flat water and unlimited surf downwinders with an easy and free, (or $5 taxi ride) shuttle service.

fall and early winter is the coldest time of year, bring a 3/2 full for late november-january (although temps are variable week to week all winter and will alternate from chilly wetsuit conditions to hot enough for no suit)

http://www.prokitesouthpadre.com

kite spots around SPI:

http://prokitesouthpadre.com/?page_id=873

Re: Help me decide where to go (october to January months)

Posted: Tue May 14, 2013 2:41 pm
by sarc
Penghu. Bring your 5m kite.

Re: Help me decide where to go (october to January months)

Posted: Wed May 15, 2013 8:11 am
by speedyRider
5m wheather? no thanks :) Id rather be on 9 to 12m sizes if possible.
Maybe other parts of brazil are not that bad after all? I will keep investigating, you can keep bringing up your suggestions.
Many thanks!

Re: Help me decide where to go (october to January months)

Posted: Fri Jul 19, 2013 10:15 pm
by speedyRider
Booked for brazil! Hopefully it wont be so crowded, i got a few tips about how to avoid crowded places. I know kiting almost alone is not possible but i didnt wanted to have 2 kiters for square meter either