Where to kitesurf this summer? Cabarete, Dominican Republic with Morph Kiteboarding

Cabarete Summer 09 from David Furchtgott on Vimeo.

Where to kitesurf: Cabarete has one main spot for kiteboarding: the officially designated Cabarete Kite Beach.

Then there are a few other good places to the East and to the West of Kitebeach. 'Bozo Beach', located between Cabarete and Kitebeach is where the Kiteboarding World Championship PKRA takes place. Encuentro Beach which is very popular with regular surfers in the mornings when the waves are best, is still a great place for wave riding in the afternoon when the winds pick up. La Boca de Yasica is a great place with 100% flat waters and once you played around for a while you can kite back to Cabarete by going downwind with the trade winds for about 6km. However, only experienced kiters should venture on this one. There are a few other places that locals will be happy to point out to you.

Cabarete Bay: There's an agreement between the windsurfing schools and the kitesurfing schools that the latter will not teach and encourage kiting in the bay (except Bozo Beach occupying the western side of the Cabarete Bay). This is because the main bay is usually too crowded with windsurfers on the water and people on the beach.

Getting there: To get to Kitebeach from central Cabarete, you can either stroll along the beach to reach it just around the corner past Bozo Beach and Punta Goleta (approximately 20 minutes walk) or take one of the Motorcycle-Taxis (locally called moto-conchos – the charge is 10 Pesos). You'll see the kites in the sky by then anyway. To get to the other places to kitesurf you are best off asking the locals once you are here in Cabarete.

For your safety: If you're looking for lessons (highly advised), you'll also find that most of the kite-schools are located on 'Kite Beach'. If you do decide to go out on the water without lessons (which may even be prohibited in the near future), at the very least have a little chat with a local kiter in advance for advice on conditions, especially the reef.

Material: Getting new material in Cabarete is no problem and often less expensive than you'd find at home. Cabarete does have very good board and sail repair workshops in case something breaks.

The Wind: The trade winds with thermals make for strong and consistent winds. The wind blows easterly, which gives Cabarete perfect side-onshore kiting conditions most of the time. Generally in the morning there is little to no wind. At 11AM wind is usually good for beginners. At around 12:30 - 1:30 the thermals kick in and make the wind a lot stronger reaching its strogest at about 4PM. At around 6PM the wind dies off.

CONDITIONS BY MONTH/SEASON:

8 days out of 10 are good for kiteboarding most time of the year.

Mid-December - April: Winter

Good and consistent wind, averaging 15-20 MPH (24-32 km/h, 13-17 knots).

Waves and chop can be challenging during this time.

Great wave sailing out on the break at Kitebeach, and at Encuentro Beach.

June - September: Summer

Fantastic flat waters.

June, July and August: Greatest winds, averaging 15-25 MPH (24-40 km/h, 13-22 knots) side shore.

Not always the greatest months:

The thing about Cabarete is that one never really knows. The months that are on average over many years considered not so good like May, October and November could this year be the best of all. Usually, you can always catch a few good days whenever you come. There is, however, on average the least amount of wind in October and November until about the 24th of December when Santa Claus brings Cabarete's annual gift: Lots of WIND.

Water conditions:

The water temperature is always about a comfy 26°C (79°F) so you don't ever really need a wetsuit (but it does provide some protection against bruises though).

Cabarete is a small, laid-back Caribbean beach village located only 20 minutes away from the Puerto Plata International Airport on the northern shore of the Dominican Republic. It's a perfect tropical vacation spot, especially for the young traveler seeking fun, new friends and sporting adventures. With its charming, hip ambience and a combination of relaxed and adventurous lifestyles, most visitors can barely resist the spontaneous temptation of extending their stay and just hang around the place for another while.

The village is spread out across the center of a gorgeous, semi-circular beach of golden, sun-soaked, sand. Just behind, limiting its size lies a tranquil lagoon, backed up by richly verdant hills overflowing with luxurious tropical vegetation.

The perfect blend of the surrounding physical elements of nature such as the location of the offshore reef at the entrance of the bay, the direction from which the trade winds usually blow, and the low-lying hills behind the village, which cause a unique thermal effect, form a beautiful layout. They create an unusual synthesis of outstanding wind and wave conditions. These make Cabarete's bay an exceptional location not only for water-sports such as kiteboarding and windsurfing, but for regular surfing at El Encuentro beach as well.

It's also the perfect place to just lay back to work on that perfect tan. It's the best thing to do when you're not out gliding over warm Caribbean waters, or participating in some other fun adventure sport such as mountain-biking, scuba-diving, wakeboarding, cave exploring or canyoning.

Another great alternative to pass time is chilling out in your swimwear while sipping a cool Piña Colada or sampling the great local Presidente beer at one of Cabarete's beach-bars. Time goes by quickly when casually mingling with the locals or other interesting international travelers from every corner of the globe.

The beachfront also hosts several restaurants, which serve diverse menus. Tasty dishes of both local and international cuisine are available at very reasonable prices. Diners can choose from a wide selection of dishes, including fresh, delicious seafood such as dorado, lobster or shrimp, or - for a change of pace - the Dominican specialty of Creole chicken with rice and beans.

Many young-at-heart vacationers play hard at night in Cabarete, partying late until the wee hours of morning. Most beach bars are really cool places to just hang around and put down a few Cuba Libres before hitting the sack, since the locally brewed rums are quite high quality.

Those with lots of energy who want to swing the night away to the dynamic sounds of Latino-flavored and local music should never forget that this is the land of Merengue. The dance floor is always jam-packed, especially just after midnight, with both locals and visitors showing off their stuff or just learning how to master the steps of both Meringue and the occasional Bachata or Salsa. Bars also throw in some modern techno-music every now and again for variety.