Archive for the ‘FAQ’ Category

With so much to do, the difficulty is getting enough sleep in between. 

If you are active, then Cabarete is an action sports wet dream.  World class everything is right here. Surfing, windsurfing, wakeboarding, skateboarding and tow in surfing are all practiced in Cabarete.  Every year the Master of the Ocean competition, brings all disciplines together.

If exploring is your thing, then you can choose from a variety of ways to do it. Mountain bike, motocross, dune buggies, hiking, horseback riding, helicopter rides, white water rafting down the many rivers… the list goes on and on and on.

For nature lovers, try the famous waterfall tours, that take you cascading up 27 falls.  

For the art lover, stroll through the Haitian and Dominican art and craft stalls in town, or take a trip to where they make it all, a short trip over to Puerto Plata.

Unpopulated beaches are only 10 minutes away.  Cave and reef diving are all over the place.  Kayak the reef, go deep sea or river fishing, or just sit back, relax, and enjoy your tan.  This place has somethings for everyone.

More on Surfing: 

The most popular surf break near Cabarete is Encuentro. It`s a short motoconcho away from the Kite Lounge, making for am epic downwinder. Encuentro is a reef break that breaks left and right depending on the swell direction. A few hundred yards away is Coco Pipe, a hollow peak that starts breaking when the swell is big. If you are in good shape, take a 12 minute paddle straight out from the Kite Lounge early in the morning when a swell is running. The break is called 6 Feet Over. The reef off Kite Beach is shallow with spotty Elkhorn coral, so it is recommended for more advanced surfers. Further towards the point in between Bozo Beach and Kite Beach is a nice left hand break that can reel for hundreds of yards on the right swell and wind conditions.

 

The north coast of the Dominican Republic is an overlooked and often understated gem of surf travel.
During the winter, strong cold fronts push off the east coast of the United States and create large NW swells that head directly towards the northern Caribbean islands.
	Cabarete is fortunate to have several world-class surf breaks nearby, some of them remaining uncrowded most of the year.

 

People are often asking what are the wind seasons here. To be honest, with all the global warming, weather patterns all over have been mixed up, so there is no guarrenteed wind season. However, there are guarrenteed wind conditions. For example, if the weather is hot enough, then we get a thermal wind. If there is a storm front, then we get storm wind.

Here are some general guidelines to the weather during the seasons.

WIND, WEATHER AND WAVES:

Season	Temp	Water	Wind	Waves	Kite size
Fall	nice	rashie	storm styems mostly 8-18 K	primo 3-12 ft	12-18 and a surfboard
Winter	dare I say cool?	wet suit top	thermals kick in 10-20 K	primo 3-12 ft	10-16
Spring	getting hot in here	rashie	storms and thermals 10-25K	good 2-6 ft	8-16
Summer	sweating my butt off	naked	pumping. 15-25K	good 2-8 ft	8-12

But the best course of action in Cabarete is to enojoy more than one of Cabarete`s multiple sprots. There are many ways to get on a board, either kiteboarding, surfing, skateboarding, wakeboarding, tow in surfing…. that way every day is a chance to improve your skills!

Progression timeline

Yea it`s cool, but how long will it take for me to do that? Here is a basic time line, assuming that you put some effot into your new sport:

LEVEL	TIMELINE	SKILL SET	WORKING ON	ATTRACTION FACTOR
Newbie	10 hours	I just took my course, and got up on a board (sort of). I can body drag my ass to safety.	Water starts	+2 At least you`re out there
Kiter	30 hours	I can get up no problem, but have to stop to change direction. I am a victim of the walk of shame.	Kite control, flirting with more power. Edging and upwind kiting.	+5 You can tell chicks that you were out there today.
Ripper	60 hours	I can do this. Going up wind is no problem. Lets see what happens when I send the kite.	Small Jumps, rotations and more power.	+10 You can talk about your day at the bar without sounding like an idiot.
Rockstar	years	Kiteloops are for kids	Sponsorship	-10. You`re a cocky ass now

Learning to Kite is easy and fun. Many of our students come from other sports, looking for the one that unites them all. Depending on your background, here is what to expect:

	Windsurfing: Ahh, no more dolly required to carry my gear around!You already know about the wind and riding a board. Once you sort out that you have to trim and not pump the kite, you`ll be loving your new found freedom.
	Surfing: You mean I don`t have to paddle all day? I can jump out of the way instead of being beaten like a rag doll? 20 waves in 30 minutes?Riding a board is no problem. Now just figure out the kite, and you`ll never curse the wind again.
	Wakeboarding: Free gas. HUGE air. Soft (or softer) landings. Freedom!You can use your same board. A little focus on the wind and how the kite pulls and you`ll be jumping the cable park, not riding it.
	Snowboard: No more snow.Speed doesn’t phase you, and the board will be a piece of cake. Once you sort out wind and kites, you`ll be kiting up the hill instead of waiting in line.
	Sailing: Is that a spinniker up there? Kind of. Except its not pulling a 40 ton boat, its only pulling you. And you thought catamarans were fast.Wind and sail trim are second nature to you. Flying a kite will be farily easy. Now just figure out how to stand on the daggerboard and you`ll be in showing the yacht club what speed really is.

These are some of the common questions that we are often asked…

Is kiteboarding hard?

No, kiteboarding is not hard, but it is not easy either. If you take lessons from a competent instructor, you will be able to progress quickly. There is a very steep learning curve. (meaning you learn fast) If helps if you have experience in other board sports.

Is kiteboarding dangerous?

Like any activity, there are dangers involved in kiteboarding. The dangers are minimized when you learn under the supervision of a competent instructor. Kites can produce a huge amount of power and become dangerous to both the user and to bystanders when flown by someone who is not experienced.

I’ve wakeboarded and surfed before, can’t I just get a kite and go?

While your wakeboarding or surfing experience will help, kiteboarding requires a completely different set of skills. Before you can try to ride a kiteboard, you need to first learn how to handle the kite. Having said this, our experience with most wakeboarders/surfers is 3 days and you are up (for short periods) on the board.

What other sports is kiteboarding like?

Kiteboarding is an interesting blend of wakeboarding, surfing, snowboarding, windsurfing, sailing, and even skateboarding. Experience in any of the above sports will help (especially in windsurfing or sailing), but kiteboarding is an experience completely different from any other sport.

Do I have to be strong to kiteboard?

Strong? no. Just like your girlfriend told you , its all about technique and finesse. It helps if you are in good physical shape. You must be comfortable in the water and be a competent swimmer.

Is kiteboarding expensive?

This question makes me laugh. Compared to surfing, it`s a little more expensive, but compared to almost any other sport it`s cheap, because THE WIND IS FREE!

How much is Kiteboarding equipment?

Depending on where you live and whether you buy new or used equipment, the cost of equipment varies. We have complete used kits (board/harness/kite) for as cheap as $700, and great new kits from $1100 – $1500. The best part is, once you`ve bought the gear the wind is free.

Where can I kiteboard back home?

You can kiteboard on snow and sand as well as on water. There are websites dedicated to listing all the local spots. Check on www.kitebeaches.com or do a search on you local home town. If you are near water or snow, chances are there is someone doing it in your area!

Is kiteboarding fun?

Are you kidding? It`s Amazing!

Kitesurfing Genesis

First there was water. Man swam in it and it was good.
The water mixed with the sun and brought wind. Man sailed it and it was fun.
The wind brought waves. Man surfed it and it was awsome.
Man combined the two, and windsurfing was born. It was OK.
In his quest for more fun, man thought and thought and thought…. and KITESURFING was born.

HISTORY

KiteSurfing is by far the latest craze in extreme sports. The idea of using a kite to enhance speed and gravity for the surfer seems like a new and exhilarating challenge, yet the art of KiteSurfing dates back to the 13th Century Chinese when it was used as a simple mode of transportation.

KiteSailing, as it was known, was a medium that used the wind as an aid to harness its momentum and energy to mobilize their canoes across water. The earliest recorded history of KiteSailing dates back to the early 12th Century. In the 1800’s George Pocock took the basic kite design to a whole new level by increasing the size of the overall kite and used them as a sail to glide carts on land and ships on the water. The designs of the kites were engineered with 4 lines, the same setup being deployed today. Both carts and boats were able to turn and sail upwind. The wind would generate enough lift underneath the kite to raise it off of the ground and powerful enough to sustain it for a period of time. These kites have been able to propel a man-made vehicle across the ground, snow, ice and water. These kites are codependent on the wind and its necessary to get off of the ground or water to get them to fly. However, once the kite is in the air it manufactures its own wind, which is proportionately faster and creates a higher rate of speed for the vehicle. Yet one issue still remains most of the earlier kites were deployed from the land and off of the flat ground. Not on the water where KiteSurfing takes place.

In the 1980’s Wipika, Kiteski, fOne, Concept Air, C-Quad, and Naish Kites marketed water launch kites. These kites could be sailed again after falling short of wind into the water. In the late 1990’s off of the Hawaiian coast of Maui, Laird Hamilton and Manu displayed the extreme sport opportunities to radical surfers and wake boarders. Its popularity has since skyrocketed as one of the fastest growing water sports in the past two years.

Today there are organizations, competitions, videos and magazines worldwide dedicated to this increasingly popular sport and the thrills associated with it.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jakob_Jelling

New kiteboards ask us all the time.  Here are some tips on buying kiteboarding equipment:

1) What size kite board should I buy? You don’t need a large board to learn on. You will progress out of your first board within about a week. So for your first board to buy, we suggest a person of 85kg (or more) start on a board with dimensions of around 130cm to 140cm length x 30 cm to 40cm width with a fairly square outline for staying upwind.

2) How does tail shape and width affect the board? Width: The wider the board, the more surface area you have – thus creating an easier planing board. The outline gives you rail contact with the water: a straighter edge gives more contact and better upwind ability. Tail shape: The point of the board you push against to pop off the water. A fuller tail creates more pop, but it has a downside – in wave riding it tends to catch more. A more surfboard shape prevents this, but does not have as much pop. Most experienced kiteboarders have 2 boards in their kit. One for `pop` and one for `surf`

3) Where to I put my footpads? To find your natural stance close your eyes, shift your feet, stop and then look down at the distance between your feet. This is your natural stance. Freestyle boards have a wider stance for landing manoeuvres .

4) What is the difference between fins? Fins are a budget question. All fins work. However, a fibreglass fin has less vibration at speed and is a more stable and smooth ride. A g10 fin (highly compressed 80g cloth laminated with epoxy resin) has a very thin profile with an even curve to create lateral resistance without vertical lift.

5) Do i use a surf style board or a twin tip in the waves? For pure wave riding with a small kite on a smooth down the line wave a surf style wave board will work well. The downside is that we all don’t often have those conditions and you have to gybe. These boards are not suitable for jumping because off the surfboard construction. Twin tips are cool for edging hard, boosting big air and freestyle moves, but when your are doing down the line wave riding, they don’t bottom turn and top turn that well.

6) where should i buy? Easy.  Cosmic kites, our sister kite school in Long Island, New York.  Not only do you get a 10% discount if you use coupon code “EXTREME10″, but they will treat you right!

 

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Always learn from a professional. Bad habbits are hard to break, and a proper instructor will teach you the correct way first. These are the basic steps towards learning to Kiteboard.

 

Fly a kite on land.

Learn to fly your kite in light to moderate winds on land first. Traction kites for Kite Boarding can have either 2 lines or 4 lines. 4 line kites will give you greater control. Understanding how the kite works and how it's set up and packed down is also important. Familiarise yourself with handling and storing flying lines, as this will help in trouble-free flying.

Beach Dragging.

Use the power of your kite to drag you across the beach or shoreline. This is a good way to learn how to balance against the pull of the kite and experience how powerful these kites are. The idea is not to resist the pull, but control it and move with the kite. You will need to lean away from the pull, to maintain balance and forward movement.

Body drag.

To get used to flying over water, use the kite to pull you along in the water. This is good practice for when you come off your board. It's important to be able to control your kite when you have fallen off your board from the water.

Water starts.

You start by lying on your back in the water with your feet in the footstraps of your board. Have the board in front of you with the kite hovering high above you. Steer the kite into the power zone. You will be lifted out of the water and pulled forwards onto the board. You need to know how to water start with confidence as there will be times when you come off your board in deep water far from shore. Don't forget you'll need a leash to stop your board drifting away.

Maintain speed on the board.

When on the board, keep the kite ahead of yourself. It may be helpful to fly a "scooping" pattern to maintain pull. Kite Boarding relys on feeling the correct position relative to wind and water. As with any sailing activity, you will get to sense when things a "right" and you're spending more time on the board than off.

Stay upwind.

You must learn to be able to go upwind. This is important if you want to return to your starting point. Getting too far downwind without the ability to get back can result in a long swim, or the infamous walk of shame.

JUMP

Once you have learned the basics and can confidently control your kite and board, the possibilities for tricks and hang time are limitless. Pack a few kites, grab your board and travel. You'll soon discover the countless places to enjoy this new and exciting sport.

The Kite Lounge is right smack in the middle of two fantastic downwinders. You can either start or finish right out front. We can arrange to either pick you up or drop you off, and for comfort, we can send an instructor with you as a guide. LA BOCA: It`s a 15 min drive to LA BOCA (the mouth), where the Yasica River meets the sea. The fresh water is refreshing and shallow. The kiting area is approx. 200 x 60 m of perfectly flat water, with a fallen tree in the middle that serves as an obsticle for those with the skills. Before heading out to the ocean, you can refresh yourself at the small Dominican beach-bar. Thenyou can surf the beach break until you hit Cabarete Bay. After ripping along the top of the bay cruise back home to kitebeach, where a cold Presidente is wating for you at the Extreme bar. Distace of about 12km, intermediate skil minimum, usually 2-3 hour ride. ENCUENTRO: Ride the waves from right outfront and go downwind to El Encuentro, the top surf break in the Dominican Republic. Depending upon the season, waves break from 2 ft to 12 feet. If you aren’t comfortable with the waves, an easier route can be safely kited between the reefs and the sand beach. One you arrive at El Encuentro, you quickly realize that THIS IS WORLD CLASS KITESURFING. The wind here is typically diagonally side-shore from the right and the waves break approx. 150-300 ft from the beach. Family or friends can take the shuttle which picks you up, and watch the action from the beach in the shadow of the mangroves. Distance of 10km, intermediate skill, apprx 1.5 hour.

When you consider the excess baggage cost, the pain of carring all the gear, and the wear and tear the reef can do on your kite, isn`t is just a whole lot easier to rent ? Our staff will even pump it up and put it away for you. Kite Board Both Session $29 $9 $35 Day $39 $20 $49 Week $150 $99 $225 This gives you access to all our gear, the demo gear, and the school gear. We are a Caution! Santa Cruz and Liquid Force test center. We have boards for all styles.

For all the people who think that Cabarete`s wind is a thermal wind, here is some clarification. Thermal wind is not actually a wind, but a wind difference between two pressure levels. Cabarete`s summer wind is a sea breeze… (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thermal_wind) What are sea breezes and why do they occur? Sea breezes occur during hot days because of the unequal heating rates of land and water. During the day, the land surface heats up faster than the water surface. Therefore, the air above the land is warmer than the air above the ocean. Warmer air is lighter than cooler air. As a result, warm air rises. Therefore, the warmer air over the land surface is rising. As the warm air over the land is rising, the cooler air over the ocean is flowing over the land surface to replace the rising warm air. This is the sea breeze and can be seen at the top of the following image. The bottom of the following image illustrates the land breeze that occurs at night. Recall that the land surface cools quicker than the water surface at night. Therefore, the warmer air over the ocean is buoyant and is rising. The denser cool air over the land is flowing offshore to replenish the buoyant warm air and is called a land breeze. Another explanation: Differential heating is the motive force behind land breezes and sea breezes (or, in the case of larger lakes, lake breezes), also known as on- or off-shore winds. Land is a rapid absorber/radiator of heat, whereas water absorbs heat more slowly but also releases it over a greater period of time. The result is that, in locations where sea and land meet, heat absorbed over the day will be radiated more quickly by the land at night, cooling the air. Over the sea, heat is still being released into the air at night, which rises. This convective motion draws the cool land air in to replace the rising air, resulting in a land breeze in the late night and early morning. During the day, the roles are reversed. Warm air over the land rises, pulling cool air in from the sea to replace it, giving a sea breeze during the afternoon and evening.