Kiting Vanuatu

[RIPD]

Need help, heading to Vanuatu end of august worth taking kite gear?

[BrisKites]

Which Island are you heading to?

[Toby]

from what I found should be good end of August...trade winds.

http://www.kitebeaches.com/kitesurf/cou ... nuatu.html

[XtremeBigAir.com]

We will be there July 18 - August 3rd. Check this web page for latest report and pictures:
http://XtremeBigAir.com/Vanuatu.cfm

[Caesar]

We will be there July 18 - August 3rd. Check this web page for latest report and pictures:
http://XtremeBigAir.com/Vanuatu.cfm

Hi mate,

That's off your website:
"The Air temperature is 22°C-26°C and the water 20°-22°C as the wind is consistently blowing at this time of year.
Water Temp: very warm!!! It is actually warmer than the air temp. Wear lycra and/or kite pants to protect yourself from jelly fish.
Air Temp: 28 - 35 C."

I don't get it...

[BrisKites]

Yes agreed, he obviously has never been there before.

Truth is-
Efate only has about 5 spots to kite on the whole island.
Jellyfish are no problem
Wind is generally very light, even in August

[SimonP]

The north of Efate around Takara is pretty windy, there is funnelling between the mainland and outer islands. The problem with Takara is that the inside of the reef sucks dry at low tide. If you've got a boat and permission you can head off-shore to Kakadu (I think that's what it's called) Island, nice sandy beaches there.

Simon

[VanKite]

Like with all kiting destinations, you need to know the locals if you want to find the good spots. Port Vila Vanuatu has a few good spots and like most places there are some good days and some not so good days. Best time to go there is in the winter months of the Southern hemisphere. Water temperatures in July -August are approximately around 24 deg and goes up to 30 deg in the summer months. Currently 26 deg. Air temperature in July - August is 26 to 28 deg and can go up to 36 deg in summer. Currently 28 deg. Trade winds from the Southeast in July – August are around 12 to 20 knts. Currently 14 knts and forecasted to be between 14 to 19 knts all next week. For info, the online wind websites do not accurately give the correct information about Vanuatu.
Yes the north of Efate is the best location and Kakula is the best spot. On a good day you will kite upwind to the back of the island and will enjoy a mix of flat water on one end and waves at the other end. As Kakula is a private island, you will need to get permission to go there. Kakula is surrounded by marine reserves and the locals want to make sure that tourists respect that fact.
If you know any of the Genetrix team members, you will have no problems getting authorized on kakula. XtremeBigAir may not have been to Vanuatu, but he certainly knows many people who live there.

[Ozone Kites AUS]

Read this article, we went there in 2005. Sure thats a fair while ago in modern times, however Vanuatu is sort of lost in time.
The local people are awesome. I would probably not go back to the "resort" we stayed at, I'd prefer to find some locals to stay with, but thats just me. Staying in Port Vila is an option and renting a car to get around.
http://www.kitepower.com.au/news/index. ... 95,0,0,1,0

[GenetrixUS]

I grew up in Vanuatu and learned to kite there.  I can attest it is an amazing place for kiting and for a lot of other reasons, as our team riders will discover  this July and August.  Here are a few pictures for anyone who is interested in what it looks like: