Bonaire
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pecmajor
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Bonaire
Thinking of a kite trip to Bonaire. My research is that Atlantis is the spot. Wind is offshore. Offshore can be gusty. Can anyone tell me is it gusty like Fishermans Huts Aruba which is also off shore. I found the Huts miserable for kiting but loved Boca Grande Aruba. If Atlantis Bonaire is gusty like the Huts I would not go. There do not seem to be any windward beach options similar to Boca grande on Bonaire so I would be stuck. I found one post that said the wind at Atlantis is smooth and steady because it comes over salt flats.I Hope this is the case.
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SRO
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Re: Bonaire
I was at Bonaire last December for the first time and I did not find the wind too gusty. The salt flats do not seem to affect the wind too much. I have not kited in Aruba, but I understand there are some high rise buildings near the Huts. This is not the case in Bonaire.
I have not been on many kiting vacations (as I am still relatively new to the sport) but I really enjoyed Bonaire. Everyone at the beach was very friendly and I was able to kite 13 of 14 days that I was there. Mostly 11M, but several days on a 9M. Make sure you bring a mask and snorkel as the shore diving is also amazing.
I am going back again this year.
I have not been on many kiting vacations (as I am still relatively new to the sport) but I really enjoyed Bonaire. Everyone at the beach was very friendly and I was able to kite 13 of 14 days that I was there. Mostly 11M, but several days on a 9M. Make sure you bring a mask and snorkel as the shore diving is also amazing.
I am going back again this year.
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seabunnies
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Re: Bonaire
I was just in Bonaire at the end of May/beginning of June. Atlantis is definitely the place you want to ride at since it is offshore winds and the instructors there have boats to rescue you with in case something goes wrong.
Whether you'll find the wind gusty depends on what you're used to. It is not as gusty as Aruba, but I would never call the wind there 'smooth and steady', For me, it was gusty but I got used to it quickly and found it pretty manageable. I wouldn't say it was so bad that you are trying to figure out whether you want to rig for the lulls or the gusts but I gave my power/depower straps a workout. When we were there, the wind blew at about 20-30mph every day with a dip in speed during the middle of the day. We heard that it had been a very windy year so far and that other recent years had not been like that.
It is a much different feel than Aruba. No high rise hotels or resorts. All the lodging is more like boutique hotels. You pretty much have to rent a car, there are no hotels near the kite beach. We stayed at two different hotels and they were both wonderful.
Probably the only part of the trip that was not my favorite thing to have to do was walking through the coral to get out to the water. The coral rings the beach and they have a barrel on the beach marking the best entrance to use but I still managed to cut my feet up pretty good over the course of two weeks. I saw someone just launch from the beach into the water to skip the coral altogether - unfortunately I am not able to do that just yet.
Whether you'll find the wind gusty depends on what you're used to. It is not as gusty as Aruba, but I would never call the wind there 'smooth and steady', For me, it was gusty but I got used to it quickly and found it pretty manageable. I wouldn't say it was so bad that you are trying to figure out whether you want to rig for the lulls or the gusts but I gave my power/depower straps a workout. When we were there, the wind blew at about 20-30mph every day with a dip in speed during the middle of the day. We heard that it had been a very windy year so far and that other recent years had not been like that.
It is a much different feel than Aruba. No high rise hotels or resorts. All the lodging is more like boutique hotels. You pretty much have to rent a car, there are no hotels near the kite beach. We stayed at two different hotels and they were both wonderful.
Probably the only part of the trip that was not my favorite thing to have to do was walking through the coral to get out to the water. The coral rings the beach and they have a barrel on the beach marking the best entrance to use but I still managed to cut my feet up pretty good over the course of two weeks. I saw someone just launch from the beach into the water to skip the coral altogether - unfortunately I am not able to do that just yet.
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Eduardo
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Re: Bonaire
I have great memories of Bonaire and the gorgeous KLM flight attendants... OK but you asked about the wind. Not at all gusty - as steady as it gets. As a baseline, I consider the leeward side of Aruba extremely gusty and the windward side Boca not at all gusty. Great island for flat water lovers and scuba divers.
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pecmajor
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Re: Bonaire
Seabunnies: thanks for the report. sounds promising as a great vacation spot. Do booties help with the coral? i rarely kite without them.
Eduardo: thanks for the comparison to Aruba's spots. very helpfull for me. I have been to Boca and loved the consistant steady winds. I found the gusts on the leeward side of Aruba very annoying. so If Bonaire offers steady non gusty wind even if it is off shore. It sounds like a flat water paradise.
Eduardo: thanks for the comparison to Aruba's spots. very helpfull for me. I have been to Boca and loved the consistant steady winds. I found the gusts on the leeward side of Aruba very annoying. so If Bonaire offers steady non gusty wind even if it is off shore. It sounds like a flat water paradise.