How’s the wind?

The kite season lasts from late October to late May. On average, it blows at 20 knots.

  • NOVEMBER: 12-18 knots
  • DECEMBER: 15-20 knots
  • JANUARY: 20-25 knots
  • FEBRUARY: 20-25 knots
  • MARCH: 15-20 knots
  • APRIL: 15-20 knots
  • MAY: 15-18 knots

Forecasts are available on Windguru and Windytv.

 

Do I need a wetsuit?

  • NOVEMBER: Boardshort or shorty
  • DECEMBER: Shorty
  • JANUARY: Long 3mm
  • FEBRUARY: Long 3mm
  • MARCH: Long 3mm
  • APRIL: Shorty or Long 3mm
  • MAY: Shorty

 

Do I need to rent a car?

Depends on what you want to do. In Santa Maria, all trips are easily made on foot or by bicycle (bike rental: 15€/day – 60€/week).

To get to Kite Beach, the club organizes transfers for 2€/person/trip:

  • club departure: 8:45, 10:45, 12:45, 14:15
  • back from the beach: 11:15, 13:15, 14:45, 17:00

These schedules can vary, it is better to check with the club beforehand and announce yourself for each trip so that we can organize ourselves (have enough places in the pickup).

Otherwise, you can come to Kite Beach with a taxi: 5€ per trip

Or you can rent a car: about 50€/day

 

What about the kite spot?

The kite spot – Kite Beach is not in Santa Maria (the city in the south of the island) even but 10 minutes by car on the east coast of the island.

Kite Beach is located in the dunes. The wind is side-on on a long sandy beach, ideal for beginners. The spot lends itself to all disciplines: freeride, freestyle, wave.

There is no hotel directly on the spot, they are all in Santa Maria but you can eat at one of the 2 restaurants on the beach (6-10€ per dish).

In Santa Maria bay, the wind is side-off and it’s on the beach: only for experienced and experienced riders.

If you want to learn kitesurfing on a flat spot with no one around, we offer courses with safety boat in the bay of Santa Maria.
 

Lessons of two hours seem short to me. Do the course hours include, dressing my wetsuit, preparing the equipment, transfers?

The 2h lessons are perfect for learning kitesurfing. After 2 consecutive hours the students start to be tired and to make mistakes. In our school, we focus on safety and quality learning. The assembly and disassembly of the material are part of the course, during this time you enjoy debriefing with your instructor. Transfers and dressing are not part of the lessons.
 

We are two, I’m a novice and my friend has an intermediate level. Is he obliged to pay a semi-private course with his level of practice?

In our school, you can rent the equipment and kite on your own only if you are completely autonomous in kitesurfing, it means that you know:
– how to choose and set up your equipment according to the conditions
– how to start and land your kite
– how to enter on the water alone in all conditions
– how to tack  (riding upwind) in all conditions (waves, light wind, etc.)
– how to get back to your board with bodydraging
– how to do a self-rescue
– the rules of priority and security
– etc.
If this is not the case yet (the intermediate level goes for me from the waterstart to the first jumps), he will have to take classes.
As you do not have the same level in kiting, I can not put you together in semi-private classes. I suggest instead that you take private lessons, each with an instructor.
 

How much does it cost to live there? 

Accommodation

The indicated prices are the average prices for the high season (November to April). Do not hesitate to contact us so that we can make you an offer.

Guesthouse/ 3-star hotel/local pension

  • Single room: 32€/day
  • Double room: 46€/day
  • Triple room: 54€/day

Apartment (without water, electricity or final cleaning, to be paid at the end of the stay)

  • Outside center, without sea view, 1 bedroom and 1 living room: 200€/week
  • Outside center, without sea view, 2 bedrooms and 1 living room: 300€/week
  • Near the center, in private residence, sea view, 1 bedroom and 1 living room: 400€/week
  • Near the center, in private residence, sea view, 2 bedrooms and 1 living room: 500€/week

4-star hotel

  • Single room: 100€/day
  • Double room: 140€/day
  • Breakfast: 15€/day/person

 

Restaurants

Breakfast: 5-8€

Lunch:

  • Daily special from 3€ onwards
  • A la carte: 5€-15€

Eveninng meal:

  • Local restaurants: 10€ for meals, coffee and drinks
  • Medium range restaurants: 20€ for meals, coffee and drinks
  • High quality restaurants: 30-50€ for meals, coffee, drinks and snacks

Price of drinks in bars:

  • Beer: small 1.50€ and large 3.50€.
  • Ponch: 0.50€ – 2€ (the ponch is good, much more than the grog)
  • Caipirihna: 3€-5€

 

What about the Internet?

Hotel wifi networks are not always very good. Some restaurants have variable speed (for example: fairly good at Colombus and Chill Out).
You can buy a SIM card for 2€ and 1GB of data for 3€.

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