According to experts, kitesurfing is “is a wind-powered surface watersport using a kite and a board to move across the water…Kitesurfing harnesses the power of the wind through a large parachute type kite to propel a rider across the water on a small surfboard or a kiteboard (similar to a wakeboard)…Although the name includes surfing, kitesurfing does not need waves, the wind is the only force needed…”
This is why it is such a popular option for people visiting the Caribbean, and why the Turks and Caicos kiteboarding season is a particularly great time to visit. This is when some of the top experts will offer lessons that include a few hours of instruction and then time out on the water.
When is the Turks and Caicos Kiteboarding Season?
Another expert writing for National Geographic noted that “few places rival the Turks and Caicos. This dreamy collection of islands north of Hispaniola and east of Cuba dazzles with miles of warm, shallow turquoise water and sand so fine it feels like fairy dust.”
They went on to say that the Turks and Caicos kiteboarding season is during the time of year when the trade winds blow across the islands. This is typically from the months of November through June, although the high season is mid-December through mid-April.
This is a very fortunate window of time because it means that kitesurfing in Turks and Caicos can be enjoyed in what some think of as the offseason. While visitation will ramp up over the Christmas holidays and into the winter months, you can take great advantage of the Turks and Caicos kiteboarding season in November and late spring, too.
What’s Needed?
If you are eager to enjoy some Providenciales kitesurfing or Long Bay Kiteboarding, you will need only a limited amount of gear. As that same National Geographic article indicated, those who arrive in Provo will typically go to Long Bay where groups like Kite Provo, Island Riders Kiteboarding, and Turks and Caicos Kiteboarding can provide start-up lessons and the gear needed.
You can prepare yourself ahead of time by bringing:
- A bathing suit, though a wetsuit is often described as more comfortable and warmer during the peak of the Turks and Caicos kiteboarding season
- Sunglasses or Sea Specs, which are a blend of goggles and sunglasses
- Sunscreen
- Booties, which are often described as optional, but which can be extremely useful during some kiteboarding
Your instructor will give you access to the right board and will fit you with bindings, a helmet, the harness necessary, a power bar with lines, a leash, a pump, and the kite that is a good fit for your body size and weight, as well as the day’s wind speeds.
Though you will learn more from an instructor, the conditions in Turks and Caicos will merit the use of 9-, 12-, and 14-meter kites.
The Best Spots for Turks and Caicos Kiteboarding
While most will enjoy Long Bay kiteboarding because of its flat, bathtub-like conditions (i.e. flat and open water for many miles), there are other spots with equally appealing charms. Long Bay is popular with beginners because it is flat and shallow, making it easy to relaunch if you fall. The other good areas for Turks and Caicos kiteboarding include:
Grace Bay – During the season, when northeast or northerly winds blow, the conditions are perfect for more skilled surfers
Turtle Tail – A very sheltered bay in Southern Provo, it is challenging but not advanced and has a smaller launch area but great conditions when the winds are present. NOTE: This is a spot famous for crabbing, so surfers need to be mindful of their toes in the shallows!
Long Bay to Turtle Tail Route – When someone is skilled at kiteboarding, they can often perform a downwinder, which means they can go from one location to another without stopping. During the Turks and Caicos kiteboarding season, it is possible to traverse the Long Bay to Turtle Tail route. There are even safaris that include guided trips of this kind.
Paying a Visit to Turks and Caicos This Spring
Are you ready to book your next vacation to Turks and Caicos to take advantage of kiteboarding season? If so, you will be happy to learn that there are many luxury villas scattered throughout the islands and which will enhance your experience. Full of amenities and offering great locations, they might even place you directly along the sands of some of the best kiteboarding in the region.
Other Areas for Kiteboarding in the Caribbean
You will read that there are a lot of other areas ideally suited to kiteboarding, but in some of those areas, you will see that authorities urge kiteboarding enthusiasts to use caution. For example, after a Bahamas kiteboarding death during which a traveler new to the sport was lifted too high and was without adequate protection for the sudden and sharp drop to the water.
Many still recommend Great Exuma in the Bahamas, Cabarete in the Dominican Republic, Grand Cayman island, and some St Thomas kiteboarding sites. Anywhere the trade winds appear and there are sheltered areas of flat water work well, and that means some parts of Barbados will be ideal for kiteboarding, as well as St Barts, Bonaire, Jamaica and more.
Don’t think that you are in the right condition for kiteboarding in any of these Caribbean locations? One expert explained of his experience, “on the board…I had the control bar in my hands…and watched a breeze inflate my kite into an arc. Instead of the death-defying zoom I was expecting, I was gently pushed into the waves. This was fun… I could see why someone would dedicate their life to this!”
This was after his first day of lessons and experimentation with kiteboarding! You too can find many ways to add this activity to your next visit to the Caribbean and if you choose to go to Turks and Caicos during the kiteboarding season, you’re sure to become an avid van of the sport.