Kiteworld Magazine

Kitesurfing is a wonderful escape wherever we manage to take our sessions. If you’re thinking about booking your first kiteboarding holiday, then do it! Riding for several days in a row in beautiful conditions is not only dreamy, but it’s the best wa

The new Ether harness has been developed through scrupulous design to be as lightweight and minimalist as possible, without compromising on comfort. Despite being compact, the 3D shaped load plate ensures ultimate lumbar support while remaining durab

There is a reason that the Red Bull King of The Air is held here. The south-easterly Cape Doctor winds are consistent and often very, very powerful, which is also why all the Woo records are set here, too. The Cape Town / Cape Peninsula summer season

Roughly 900 metres offshore from Diani Beach is a reef. This, in combination with reliable trade winds makes for Kenya’s most popular kiting location. The spacious five kilometre-wide bay, however, rarely gets more than 60 kiters out on the water at

Bofa beach is a five kilometre stretch of white, powdery sand with perfectly clear-blue waters. At low tide the water depth is shallow, creating an easy learning environment as well as a freestyle playground. There’s loads of space for setting up and

On the southeast coast, Paje is by far the most famous and popular kiting spot on the island, yet just over ten years ago was merely a small fishing village. Paje has certainly blossomed into kiting heaven, but retains its authenticity away from the

The main seven kilometre long beach of Watamu, Turtle Bay, is one of Kenya’s oldest fishing settlements. A natural reef protects the beach, ranging from 500 metres to two kilometres off the beach. There are waist to over-head waves on the reef during

Essaouira was the original Moroccan hotspot with windsurfers heading there for decades before the first kiters arrived. Known as the Windy City with consistent cross-shore winds, there’s dependable cross-onshore wave riding from March to September, b

Whether you are a beginner, intermediate or advanced kitesurfer, El Gouna, with its glorious sunshine, clear blue waters and constant wind, offers amazing flat water conditions for fast improvements in your riding. This has been the stage for many in

Wadi Lahami is a secluded bay with two-foot deep, perfectly flat turquoise water. Ride here in total peace as the spot offers lots of space and there are rarely more than 25 people riding at once. The spot is a sandy bottomed lagoon with open, safe a

You’re reading about the most popular kite spot on the east coast of the US, with hundreds of miles of beaches, regular winds and a wealth of accommodation options. The unique calling cards are the mile-upon-mile of flat water on one side of the narr

Mauritius offers impeccable kitesurfing conditions for every type of rider, largely due to the combination of incredibly reliable wind, perfect flat water and of course world-class waves. The small volcanic island boasts more than 150 kilometres of w

La Ventana sits sheltered from the Pacific on the eastern edge of the Baja Peninsula and from November through April this stretch of coastline enjoys consistent, northerly winds. January and February are the most reliable and the combo of plentiful r

Los Barriles is one of Baja’s key kiteboarding destinations because of its extremely laid-back lifestyle and solid conditions during the winter season. In these warm, steady conditions you can find perfect riding in the flats, or fun swell riding on

An hour north of Cumbuco, Paracuru boasts a flat water lagoon as well as classic freeriding conditions and some of the most legitimate wave riding in the area. This is one of the busier towns on this section of Ceará’s coast with awesome kiting to th

Fourteen kilometres of sandy beaches present an endless riding area with strong winds blowing cross-onshore for much of the year. Now a regular location on the GKA Kite World Tour in front of Rancho do Peixe, this is where Airton Cozzolino landed the

Located north of Guajiru and south of Prea, kiters of all levels and preferred disciplines will enjoy riding in Icaraizinho. Across the wide, six-kilometre long beach you’ll find flat water at the southeast end, bump and jump freeride conditions in t

The further north you go in the state of Ceara the windier it gets. In Jeri, close to the border with the neighbouring state of Piauí, it blows hard from June through to February. A 330 kilometre drive from Fortaleza, Jeri is one of Brazil’s best est

Gigi Madeddu arrived in Praia Do Maceio for the first time in 2013 and was taken aback by the sanctitude and beauty of the place. He’d heard of Maceiò’s conditions through the grapevine and decided to take a taxi there from Camocim, where he was visi

Barra Grande is a preserved, natural gem that’s tucked away in the northern state of Piauí where you can combine a relaxing, quiet break with some seriously good kiting across a long windy season. There’s pumping wind for much of the year with an exp

Atins is one of Brazil’s northernmost kiting destinations, tucked away in the delta of the River Preguiças. Kiteworld editor Jim enjoyed a visit with Surfin Sem Fim a couple of seasons ago and reckons it’s one of the most mind-blowing locations for a

TURK AND CAICOS ISLANDS ST. LUCIA THE GRENADINES TOBAGO WAVES – 1 FLAT WATER – 2 BEGINNER – 3 WARM WATER - 4 STRONG WIND - 5 0 = NON-EXISTENT 5 = WORLD CLASS

World famous for its 45 kilometre-long peninsula, Dahkla is blessed with clean wind, a huge lagoon and playful to decent sized waves just a short drive away on the coast. Way down in the south of Morocco... and way up there in terms of quality kite s

Coconut Bay is a super-accessible spot on the south coast of St Lucia with a chilled Caribbean feel and fun kiting conditions. Cross-shore, steady winds blow from the left with flat water on the upwind side of the bay. This is an ideal spot for early

You’ve seen the videos from here - Union Island’s blue, flat water is iconic. It’s also consistently windy, with steady, cross-shore winds. The infamous Happy Island sits at the heart of the action - you can kite right up and have a drink at the bar

PORTUGAL SPAIN FUERTEVENTURA, CANARY ISLANDS ITALY GREECE TURKEY UK WAVES – 1 FLAT WATER – 2 BEGINNER – 3 WARM WATER - 4 STRONG WIND - 5 0 = NON-EXISTENT 5 = WORLD CLASS

Kiting-wise, Guincho is ten minutes from Cascais and delivers solid cross-onshore wave conditions. When it’s big it gets gnarly and the wind often gets very strong (5 - 7m kites), so is more suited to the experienced wave seeker. On the other end of

Pigeon Point is often considered Tobago’s most beautiful beach with a long stretch of white sand and warm, aquamarine water. Pigeon Point is protected by a large reef that keeps the water inside the lagoon relatively flat and there are large areas wh

Tarifa is a kiteboarding mecca. Sitting at the very bottom of Spain, this spot is windy all year round with numerous rideable locations along ten kilometres of beach. There are more schools here than in perhaps any other single kiting destination as

Flag Beach in the north of the island is Fuerteventura’s other major kiting location and one of Europe’s best known spots for all levels of rider. The beach is wide and protected by reefs at both ends with clean wind from the left for much of the yea

Sotavento is Fuerteventura’s southernmost kite spot with strong summer wind (and year-round wind) from the left across a wide open, four kilometre-long sandy beach. Every year Sotavento plays host to the GKA Kite-Surf World Cup and the windsurfing PW

Lake Garda is the largest lake in Italy at a whopping 51 kilometres long and 17 wide, so there’s acres of space! The west side of the lake is windier and the lake’s ‘Mecca of Kitesurf’, Campione del Garda, sits in the northwest corner. The Formula Ki

There’s no shortage of space and at Porto Pollo, in the north of Sardinia, as the spot is made up of seven kilometres of sandy beach across two large bays. For many years this has been a popular location for both kiters and windsurfers as the regular

Hang Loose Beach is well respected on the competition scene and continues to host several annual international freestyle and racing events. Sofia Tomasoni won one of the first ever gold medals for kiteboard racing in 2018 at the Youth Olympic Games a

The Island of Sant’Antioco is situated close to the south-west coast of Sardinia and is blessed with regular north-west winds and some cracking spots. The Sa Barra Club is located on the eastern side of the island, right on the Sant’Antioco lagoon. T

Easily the biggest expanse of truly kite-able flat water in Europe – Lo Stagnone is an eight square mile lagoon in the north of Sicily that can be ridden in either of the two northerly and southerly prevailing wind directions. No tides, no dangers. A

The main spot at Keros on the eastern side of the island of Limnos is a safe, sandy, three kilometre bay with a variety of conditions to suit all abilities. The famous Meltemi winds blow from the left across postcard-perfect turquoise waters with eve

Poole Harbour (the world’s second largest natural harbour) offers several flat water locations. ‘The pond’ (where Poseidon and Easy Riders are based) works in all tides and is waist deep for a kilometre out, making it an ideal learning venue. The har

Exmouth is home to the Bridge family, who have 35+ European and World titles between them. They’ve chosen Exmouth because of the epic conditions – it works on basically every wind direction except the rare northeasterly, and offers a large number of

KALPITIYA AND MANNAR, SRI LANKA WAVES – 1 FLAT WATER – 2 BEGINNER – 3 WARM WATER - 4 STRONG WIND - 5 0 = NON-EXISTENT 5 = WORLD CLASS ■

Packed with some of the UK’s most beautiful beaches and often without the crowds of Cornwall and Devon, Marc Rowley of Blast Kiteboarding in Porthcawl guides us round some of his favourite local session haunts. As you head into south Wales, the small

Thanks to its huge lagoons, epic downwinders and two reliable windy seasons, Kalpitiya has steadily increased in popularity, developing a strong reputation among kiters world wide. Flat water’s the key attraction around Kalpitiya, but now that there’

This is an amazing freeride and freestyle lagoon with a huge expanse of waist deep, flat water. The bottom is a mixture of sand and earth and you can walk between 250 and 500 metres from the shore, making it a perfect place to learn. Better riders ha

Mannar is a 50 kilometre chain of sandbars, islands and manmade bridges with over 36 kilometres of flat water to tear around in and the same reliable conditions you’ll get in Kalpitiya, which is a three hour drive south. Being so exposed in the India

DREAMY KITE CRUISES AND EXPLORATION IN THE CARIBBEAN AND MEDITERRANEAN DOWNWIND ADVENTURES AND CUSTOMISED CLINICS IN BRAZIL, CAPE TOWN AND BEYOND FOILING AND PRO-RIDER COACHING ■

The UK’s most famous county for wave kiting offers huge beaches, great summer weather, lots of activities for the kids and family and fantastic conditions for either learning to surf, or paddling into really challenging waves. Always worth a holiday

FREERIDE KITESURF’S trips are all about combining adventure and a personal challenge with time to get to know, relax and enjoy the places you’ll visit. Unique downwind adventures and tailor-made trips in Brazil, Spain and South Africa are Freeride’s

After seven years of coaching alongside World Champions, Uncharted Kite Sessions is one of the most established kite coaching companies in the world. Hit them up for unparalleled kitesurf coaching programs for twin-tip, strapless surf and foiling, wi

‘Live’ are personalised coaching camps from Progression’s Rob Claisse and Danny Morrice. Sharing over 30 years of combined experience of top-level kitesurfing and coaching, these two Brits don’t just have a passion for kitefoiling, they are obsessed

Surfin Sem Fim (SSF) is one of the most established downwinder / kite ‘adven-tour’ operators going. Top level pro riders, such as Keahi de Aboitiz, Matchu Lopes, Mitu Monteiro, Reno Romeu and Sebastian Ribeiro frequently join the routes to offer coac

On a KiteBoat Cruise, you’ll enjoy access to private beaches in remote locations. The Bahamas promises completely empty sandbars and cays that provide calm, flat, clear blue waters and white sand beaches. Staying on a boat is an incredible way to dis

During the European summer The Action Cruise team run catamaran kite and sail camps in the Mediterranean around the Greek Cyclades, to the north of Sardinia and the south of Corsica. Later and earlier in the year they also set sail in the Caribbean a

If you are not already foiling then head to a flatwater destination and look for an accredited centre that offers coaching. Kiteboarding Club provide foil courses at an array of destinations around the world, or why not speak to an advisor at Planet

If you want to literally ‘hang loose’ with the world’s greatest and fastest kitefoil racers you’ll be sure to find them here. Each year Hang Loose Beach plays host to the KiteFoil World Series (July for 2020) owing to the expanse of smooth, obstacle-