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Our Best Spots for Kitesurfing

Our Best Spots for Kitesurfing

As a kitesurfer, your local shores are the bread and butter for kiting. But what happens when you’re craving something a bit more exotic and adventurous? It’s rare for kitesurfers to stay in one place for too long, so here are Salty Lemon’s top picks for international kiting spots.

 

The Best Cheap Escape

Most people think of cheap holidays as being bad experiences – you get what you pay for after all, right? Wrong. Some hidden gems in developing countries work out particularly favourable for stronger exchange rates. In our opinion, the best cheap escape has changed hands over the last few years, Tunisia was the trendsetter before being dethroned by Tarifa in Spain. But the current best cheap escape is El Gouna, Egypt.

 

Its waters are ideal for kiting, turquoise, shallow waters, warm temperatures, fine sandy beaches, and incredibly consistent winds due to the Red Sea’s thermal conditions.

 

El Gouna’s 70% wind days make it both the ideal spot for gaining confidence as a new rider and the “laboratory” for making new tricks and jumps. These kinds of conditions attract attention though, so expect to see other kitesurfers in the area as well – the Salty Lemon team recommends planning your trip around May/June or September/October to avoid the heat and as much of the crowds as possible.

 

For those nervous about travelling to Egypt, you should know that the Egyptian people are very friendly, polite, and supportive, with El Gouna featuring great international restaurants and just all-round positive energy. Don’t be shy to give El Gouna a try!

 

Best Winter Spot

Winter snows can kill your motivation to get out on the water, so why not get on a plane and skip winter altogether? The Southern Hemisphere has some great beaches to visit, but our favourite spot to go to between October and March is Cape Town, South Africa.

 

It has a Mediterranean climate, and you can expect air temperatures of around 25-30 degrees Celsius. But, as a reminder of the wintery colds you left behind, you’ll need to pack a thick wetsuit – because of the Benguela Current and the icy Atlantic Ocean, the waters don’t get much warmer than 17 degrees.

 

This spot is for more advanced riders though since the conditions can be a bit unforgiving. But this is also part of its charm – be sure to pack your twin tip board to get maximum air on your jumps. Aside from that, Cape Town has strong South Easterly winds that are notoriously consistent. Together, this produces kiteable days of around 80%, making Cape Town one of the best kitesurfing spots in the world!

 

Even on days where the winds aren’t blowing your way, Cape Town has a lot to see and do without your kite – it’s a glitz and glam city that attracts the rich and beautiful, while still having gorgeous natural beauty and some old school charm about it.

 

Best Summer Spot

When the weather is fine, there’s only one place to go – Mauritius! Described as the jewel of the Indian Ocean, Mauritius has always been a popular beach getaway but the kiting community that frequents its shores has grown exponentially in the past few years. It is a premium experience, so expect to pay a bit more – but it’s well worth it!

 

The reefs surrounding Mauritius make for interesting waves, with some areas like Small Reef providing great, consistent practice conditions, all the way up to One Eye and Manawa where things get big! Just be careful on the coral, it’s easy to catch a foot on it when paddling, so shoes will help you out a lot.

 

On windless days, make sure you do some exploring, like taking a hike to see waterfalls in the national park, marvelling at the seven-coloured earth, or climbing to the top of ‘Le Morne Brabant’. Be sure to take in some of the exquisite cuisines too, with fine dining options featuring local fruit and fish dishes, all the way to the great meals you can pick up from food trucks right on the beachfront.

 

Best Flat-Water Spot

We’re going to give you two for the price of one here because picking the best is too difficult! So, let’s take a closer look at Hvide Sande in Denmark and Sicily in Italy!

Hvide Sande

Hvide Sande is located on a narrow headland, between the North Sea and the Ringköbing Fjord. This unique location provides the best of both – with the North Sea providing waves for thrill-seekers and the fjord allowing new kitesurfers and technicians to do their thing on flat, standing-depth waters. Better yet, this setup means it is kiteable no matter the wind direction which means you have more time out on the water.

 

Be sure to book your visit in summer though, the Scandinavian air is crisp, and we don’t want you getting frostbite out there! Even if things do get chilly, you can look forward to some good coffee at the White Sands, a small surf shop that you’ll no doubt pass by on your way to the beach, or pick up a Fischbrötchen and feel like a local!

Sicily

Italy is a country that values beauty, and few kitesurfing locations can compare to the gorgeous Sicily. Nestled away, protected from the tourist areas, Sicily is home to one of the largest shallow water areas in Europe directly in the Mediterranean Sea. By being both large and shallow, the Lo Stagnone lagoon is ideal for kitesurfers of all skill levels.

 

Best enjoyed during the European summer months as well, Sicily receives hot Saharan winds blowing from the African continent, making air temperatures pleasantly warm. Regional thermals also contribute to the air movement in the area, making Sicily one of the windiest places in Europe. Thankfully for kitesurfers, the two main directions the wind blows are very favorable for kiting – making this an ideal spot!

 

When researching or visiting Sicily, don’t get put off by wind reports – thermal winds are extremely hard to predict, and they’re often not as bad as the reports may show. They can still be very strong though, sometimes reaching 55 to 60 knots, so don’t be surprised!

 

Lastly, Sicily may be an Italian city, but things are a bit different there – particularly the food. Pizzas aren’t quite as good as mainland Italy, but they make up for it with divine ice cream. There’s a hand-crafted ice cream stall on every corner – our team recommends Ristorante Saro, you can thank us later!

Most Beautiful Spot

Do you know how they say that parents should never pick their favourite child? Well, we’re not going to pick the most beautiful kitesurfing spot either! Literally, all of the places we’ve mentioned, plus hundreds more, could easily be the best spot – every shoreline has its own thing going for it. From the views to the waves, to the winds, to the people, to the food and culture – every one has its own unique flavour and picking one would be a disservice to the others. What we can recommend is getting to see as many as you can – get out there and explore, find new spots and who knows, you might find a hidden gem that we’ll be writing about in a few months’ time!

About the Author

Meet Stefan, the co-founder of Salty Lemon, who swapped his corporate job for a kite dream. From kitesurfing on Fuerteventura’s shores at 14 to navigating corporate waters at Vattenfall, he united passion and profession by launching Salty Lemon with his partner Timo. No regrets, just waves of flavor and a zest for life.
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