Newby chicks kitesurfing holiday in March - Where?
 

Hi, I hope this is the right place to post this. Several girlfriends of mine want to meet up in Florida to learn how to kitesurf for a couple of weeks in March. I'm going to take a course here in Chicago after the new year but we'll all basically be beginners. Can anyone recommend a venue that is a) pretty much guaranteed to have decent conditions, b) has good instruction available and c) easy rental accomodations? All advice would be appreciated!

Also, is there good regular surfing anywhere in Florida? Thanks!

Florida lacks guaranteed wind however you are hitting it at a good time. March is probably the best month for wind in Florida. So, you've chosen well there. The Keys have the most consistent winds however the rest of the state does pretty well in March anyway. For new kiters unlike experienced surfers you will likely progress a lot faster in kiting without waves than with. This favors sheltered flat water areas like the Keys, Biscayne Bay, many west coast areas with good cold front winds, and isolated wide inland waterway areas north along the east coast.

For waves, yes we have a lot of good wave venues starting around Jupiter and going north to Georgia. Our waves generally require local winds as opposed to distant storm centers this time of year. There are lots of good predictive wave sites like : http://magicseaweed.com/Fort-Pierce-Surf-Report/692/

I moved this to the main forum so that it might get more attention from instructors and other kiters that might be able to help.

Venice has a nice break and at times so does Siesta key. If you surf around the Venice area this week you might see my brother out in the water filming the local surfers. If so, than get in front of the lens and show off.

I can't speak for the northern half of FL, but the southern half has many great places to learn. The trick is which side of the state will be windy. The keys are always your best bet and there are some great places to learn in The Keys. Key West (thekitehouse.com - Paul Menta) and Islamorada area (sevensports.com - I think Brad still teaches down there). Both of those areas have nice large shallow areas to learn. House rental prices may be high, but check with Paul or Brad and they might have something - or suggestions.

In SW FL there is Sanibel, Fort Myers Beach, Naples and Marco Island (flat water to learn). If it's blowing out of the West this is a nice area to ride with many easy to access beaches.

On any East wind, there are many places & schools to learn in SE FL. If you do a Google search for "Kiteboard Miami" you will find many schools around Pompano Beach, Lauderdale, Miami, etc. Key Biscayne (South Miami) is a beautiful flat water place to learn but look into the rules before heading there. There are a lot of rules on this coast so be sure to talk with some locals before going out on the East coast of FL.

There are many other great places in Florida like Tampa & St Augustine, but I'm not sure who teaches in these areas. You can check out kitemare.com (Tampa) or oceanextremesports.com (St Aug) for some local info.

Just be sure you are comfortable going out on the water or at least have someone that comfortable in the sport near you before hitting the water. Accidents can happen easily if you are unfamiliar with the conditions & area. Once you pick a rental location, post a few questions about that area and maybe someone can help you further.

Here is some good info on Tampa area launch sites:
http://www.epickitesurfing.com/tamaplaunch.html

-Chad

Any more input for these ladies?

If a group of you are coming down and want to be as close to "guaranteed" on wind as possible, I would go to the www.thekitehouse.com in Key West.

March is a great month, but you can still hit lulls any time of year, the flats are supposed to have thermals so even if the wind dies a little there is still a good breeze down there.

The Kitehouse can also set you up with accommodations, but you will want to call as soon as possible to make reservations because March is probably a busy month with spring break.

If staying in Key West is too expensive, there are plenty of rental houses between 5-20 miles north that a group of you could get for a good rate.

It really bites to plan a vacation and have no wind, your highest percentage of probability is hands down Key West.

So far this season Key West has had many more rideable days than the rest of Florida, even more than the rest of the keys.

Hi Ladies,

Yes, Cybersunshine (cool name) is right. We are still here teaching away. www.sevensports.com has a team of coaches, 33 waverunners, a wakeboard boat, five locations and great wind as well as Key West. I would argue that our wind is very similar to Key West. You could probably have your cake and eat it too if you are here for a couple weeks! You could sample all the Keys.

Happy to teach! Call if we can help 305-853-KITE (5483)

Brad