Chapters > Other places to go
I thought I would throw in two of my favourite kiting spots for informational purposes, even though they are not in Central/South America.
Cape Town – South Africa
When some kiters hear about Cape Town, they think, great white sharks. Indeed there are great whites, but no kiter has been attacked by one to date.
If you ever venture off to Cape Town, I can promise one of the most dramatic backdrops whilst kiting that you will ever experience. Okay, this may sound biased as South Africa is, after all, my home country, but I can honestly say that it is one of the most beautiful regions in the world. If the kite surfing doesn’t blow your socks off, the scenery, wine farms and magnificent beaches certainly will.
Getting there and around
Getting here you need to fly into Cape Town airport. There are no buses
in South Africa, so you either need to fly in and hire a car, or you need
to hire a car in another city and drive down. The roads are in good condition.
You can get around town by public transport, but the taxis are very
expensive. You really need to have hired a car. If you are staying in the
Bloubergstrand area and planning on only kiting, you could get around by
foot, but it is not ideal.
Oman – Middle East
Oman is a location that is pretty off the beaten track. It has become quite well known now because of the epic conditions, but it is still in the middle of nowhere. The people are extremely friendly and the wind and waves do not disappoint.
Getting there and around
To get to Oman, one needs to fly into Muscat, the capital of Oman.
You need to then hire a 4 x 4 (Google the companies) and drive four hours
south to a place called Aseelah. The roads are very good and you do find
yourself in the middle of nowhere at times.
Near Aseelah there is the kiting beach where all the kiters from Dubai and Muscat frequent. To get exact directions, check out dubaikiteclub.com. They have the directions on their website.
Wind, waves and whatever else
The beach where the kiters flock to in season, which is from June to
August, is a small bay with a point. The kiters normally hang out next to
the large sand dune but things have changed a bit after a hurricane messed
the place up a bit. You may see some remains of the damage when you are there.
There are some hazardous rocks on the beach which have claimed many a leg and ass. Be very careful as the tide may go out when you are at sea and when you decide to come back in, the rocks could be blocking your path. It just means you have to land further downwind and walk back, but who wants to do that? So make sure you check the tide times. Alternatively, just look ultra cool and jump the rocks when you come into land.
The waves here are right breaks and can be huge, clean and spectacular. Very similar to Peru actually! The lay of the land is extraordinarily similar too. Must be the desert by the sea thing!
The wind is caused by a thermal and is cross offshore in the morning. It then switches and blows between 20 and 35 knots. Sometimes stronger!