Many many thanks to James at BBR – http://www.brackleshamboardriders.co.uk/ – for very kindly giving me the GoPro. I guess he must have thought i was a great instructor when i was working for him! (little did he know…) but seriously – big thanks James, it’s very very appreciated.
So we had 18-25kts, 1-2m waves, and i was flying on my 7m. A little underpowered at times, but not half bad!
November-December is winter time in Thailand, so the North East monsoon winds kick in. We get 15-18kts pretty regular, and then some days 20-25kts. Nice!!
He’s up! And he’s down… And he’s up! And he’s down… Well that’s the way it goes when you’re learning. Andrew has great kite control and bags and bags of determination so he’ll get it pretty soon.
Another happy kiter!
A good question! The world is your oyster these days – there are kite schools everywhere. But like any watersport, it’s nicer to learn in warm water with less people around. The ideal spot would have small or no waves and shallow rock free water, would be near your accommodation and would have good winds. To help you choose, here are some facts about learning to Kiteboard in Thailand:
The wind is great in Thailand – but not everywhere all the time!
You have to choose where to go depending on which month we’re in. And if you want to kite in sunshine and clear water, don’t come here in rainy season – mid-June until mid-October.
The sea temperature is 20-30 in winter and 25-30 in summer. It’s pretty warm all year round!
Winter gets clouds and strong winds, summer clear skies and hot sunshine
In November the North Easterlies switch on and run steady until mid January. Regular 15kts and often 20+ but all in the morning. February to June the South Westerly thermal winds create an almost perfect spot – 15-20kts, sunshine, wind in the afternoon so you can get up late!
It’s cheap to learn here, and cheap to buy equipment.
But don’t choose your instructor based on price – talk to him/her first! A bad instructor will take twice as long to get you riding so ends up being twice the price. And cheap equipment will not be as good – so it will take you longer to learn and when you sell it you won’t get as much back for it. If you’re scared you might not like kitesurfing – don’t worry!
Thai food – mmmmmmm!!!!
Accommodation is cheap in Thailand.
As everywhere, rooms overlooking the beach are expensive, those set back a bit are cheaper. Thailand has a massive tourist industry – there’s always plenty of choice!
You can be up and riding comfortably in a week.
The Full Beginner’s course takes 3 days, and if you keep practising the rest of the week you’ll have it cracked.
Thailand is a hub for world flights – it’s easy to get here.
Pranburi is 3hours from the airport – you could be on the water in 3hrs20mins!
There are plenty of no wind activities:
Kayaks, Jetskis, Banana boat, ATV Tours, Mountain Biking, Sightseeing Tours, Shopping in Hua Hin. Or just relaxing on the beach!
Thailand is very much discovered – but Kiteboarding is not – yet!
So instead of 300 kitesurfers crowding onto a beach we have 30. Perfect…
all is peaceful and beautiful on the water – but not so relaxing on land! that’s part of the beauty of watersports – you’re far away from the crowd, far away from work, far far away from your troubles.
this week has seen plenty of anger on land, so i’ve decided to set up my own kite school. it’s for the best really – i can teach the way i want to teach – the best way. the quickest way. the best value way for my students. that’s got to be for the best!
stay tuned to this space – i’ll let you know when we’re up and running!!
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