Please recommend a good destination to take lessons

[irwe]

If you to concentrate more on learning to kiteboard there is no better place then South Padre Island. You will get steady easy wind to learn and it will be hot!

Regards,
Ian

[TheJoe]

I have to agree with the above. South Padre or anywhere on the Texas coast is good for learning. Corpus has a great spot and instructors all so here in Houston. Houston has one of the safest places to learn in the world. Shallow water waist to chest high and moderate wind in the 15-20kts range. Problem this year is the wind is missing or rather very disrupted from the El Nino effect. We have yet really kick off the season and the because of all the rain and shifts in the weather this spring.

I have seen how they teach in Cabarete and I would never recommend there as a place to learn. Too many people in one spot, instructor on land, as you try to learn in some pretty large swell with a decent shore break wave.

[FLandOBX]

I agree that the DR is not ideal for beginners. Too crowded. I don't think Texas offers much either, having lived there and spent a lot of time on the water in the Gulf. Turks & Caicos is better than the DR for beginners, but it's expensive. And El Nino has affected conditions throughout the Caribbean, meaning the wind this year isn't ideal.

Bottom line for me, I second the previous suggestion to go Hatteras Island. The wind is good, water (sound-side) is shallow, lots of good instructors. June and July are generally good for wind in Hatteras. Don't stop at Nags Head......go down to Hatteras Island (Rodanthe, Waves, Salvo, Avon......all good). You will have a great experience there.

[Kitehatteras]

FLandOBX is on it, Hatteras the best place in continental US in my opinion . That is why I live & teach here!

www.kitehatteras.net

[yowobx]

Third vote for Hatteras, there's a thread in the main forum about this with lots of good info. Cabarete not a great place to learn, but a great place to kite. DR will be cheaper in the summer but you will learn faster and feel more comfortable in Hatteras, which is a short 9hr or so drive from you - if I were that close I would go once a month lol....If you want to go somewhere in the winter, try Turks and Caicos or Grand Cayman. You can learn anyway you want to in Hatteras, from the beach, from a personal watercraft or from a boat. Lots of experienced people to talk to, lots of shops to buy equipment and some of the best instructors anywhere. What more can you ask for....

[Dave_5280]

I liked SPI and Jeff at Air Padre with a boat to follow and radio helmet for instructions. My wife had fun riding in the boat and taking pictures.