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I am looking to try some kite surfing in the DR on my June Trip. Has anyone on the board went kite surfing? If so, what things did you wish that you knew beforehand that would have made your experience easier? What type of equipment did you buy? Shirt, goggles, footwear? etc.......
Which school did you go to? How much did you spend? Would you reccomend them to other newbies? I am looking to prepare as much as possible before I head down next month. Thx in advance!:wink:
A couple of years ago I talked to an instructor in Cabarete and he
said it could take a week to get certified if you pass. And he said
they won't let you rent equipment until you are certified.
Really? Thats odd, maybe things have changed since a couple of years ago. Last year, I talked with two instructiors at the beach. I dont remember what school I went to, I have to double check my business card. But the two instructors (I think they were from Sweden). They told me it was a 3 day process. First day you stay on the beach and learn how to manuver the kite. The 2nd day, you get in the water without the board and learn how to make the kite rise out of the water. The 3rd day, you get to use the kite and the board in the water together. After the 3rd day, you cna rent equipment for 50 bucks and go out and surf. 300 bucks for the course.Quote:
Originally Posted by whatever
may i suggest the KiteBeach Inn
http://kitebeachinn.com/
;)
Wherever you go, you should learn by a certified instructor so you can get an IKO card saying you are certified. That will enable you to rent equipment anywhere in the world after that...particularly in the USA.
The standard course is nine hours long and is usually taught over a three-day period. The first day consists a familiarizing you with the equipment and the safety features. Then you go on the beach and start with a training kite to start to learn muscle memory and get a feeling of how the wind affects the kite and what to do to move the kite left to right and etc. Then you will get a small regular kite after that to practice with.
Second day you will get a small regular kite and practice with that and by the end of the day you will be in the water getting dragged and learning how to get the kite back in the air after it has crashed into the water.
Third day you will learn how to get up on the board and then turn around and come back to shore.
Proper instruction is super important because of the safety factor and because you don't want to learn improper techniques that will make it hard for you to get better in the future. Just like golf, if you learn the right way at the beginning you can achieve a low handicap with practice, but if you learn the wrong technique, you will be forever struggling to get better after achieving a certain level. Also, this is an extreme sport. Safety has to be learned by muscle memory so you can get out of trouble instantly...without thinking.
We had a girl, non guest, hanging out at our bar a couple months ago. She started talking to a local Dominican beach bum that knew how to kite. Rather than pay the regular fee for learning, she went with him at half the price. He had the wrong equipment, did not teach her properly and she did not know how to save herself when things went wrong. She ended up spending the night in the hospital because the kite carried her over the shore and into a masonry wall. The rest of her time in the DR was spent in crutches and for two days she was dizzy because she also had a concussion.
My advice is to suck up the expense and learn the proper way. When you stop at my place I will introduce you to the school that teaches the teachers.
If you want to buy anything before hand, but some water shades (sun glasses) and water shirts. Nothing is essential. Equipment can be a bit expensive, so you really don't want to buy too much beforehand as your preferences for equipment and etc. may change after you learn.
:biggrin:
I took kitesurfing lessons in Cabarete. The first day I went with Laurel Eastman. Not good at all. She has too many students and I got stuck with a teacher who wasn't good. She hires young kids to teach.
I asked around and found the best teacher. Wilson 829-883-6262. He works for a kite school next door to Nanny Estate. By the Cabarete Coffee company.
There's this kid I met out there that worked in the ice cream shop in Sosua that his parents own who teaches kite surfing. Get at him if you want some lessons. He lives in Cabarete and wont mind giving you some lessons if you want. If you want his contact info send me a message.Quote:
Originally Posted by No Worries
I think that was the place I heard about on DR1. I think they were trying to hire through the site. They wanted young people, and you had to have a picture attached to your resume, or something like that.Quote:
Originally Posted by jcrew2020
That's why you need to always have a camera handy :rofl:Quote:
Originally Posted by ohmmmm
Yes, but maybe he fucked better than the qualified instructors and she still felt it was all worthwhile.Quote:
Originally Posted by ohmmmm