Kitesurfing isn’t as simple as it seems. It can be perilous. So dangerous that the first rule of kitesurfing is never to try to learn how to fly a kite by yourself. More especially if there is no one with you in case anything goes wrong.
What you can do by yourself in learning how to kitesurf is to become familiar with power kites. Traction kites, for one, can help you understand how wind and kites work in partnership to generate speed.
Kitesurfing schools are still the best place to learn to kite and get better technically. So, while understanding how power kites work, research kitesurfing camps that can help you learn and hone your skills. This article listed down five of the best kitesurfing schools and what to expect in a kitesurfing school.
Table of Contents
What Is A Kitesurfing School?
As the name suggests, kitesurfing schools are establishments that offer lessons for kitesurfing. Most of the time, these schools offer packages that cover your kitesurfing lessons as well as your accommodation and equipment use.
Kitesurfing schools differ from one another. Some of them go further and offer additional inclusions like meals, non-kiting activities, and transport. Others do not have accommodation on-site, and you will find it on your own. But, even if they don’t offer somewhere to stay, they can assist you in finding one.
These establishments are primarily about learning how to kitesurf. Your days will be spent on the waters under the guidance of a coach or an instructor. It is far different from kitesurfing holidays, usually leaning towards intermediate and advanced kiters looking for a new place to kitesurf.
Best Kitesurfing Schools
There are numerous kitesurfing schools worldwide, but not many may offer the accommodations and services you need. We narrowed down five of the exceptional and far-out kitesurfing schools that you may want to consider to learn how to kitesurf.
SoCal Kitesurfing (Long Beach, California)
School Specifications:
- Beach: Kite Beach Belmont Shore, CA
- Wind: 15-20 mph
- Season: 12 mos (Best months are March to October)
- Certification: IKO Kite Center
Activities:
- Beginner and advanced lessons
- Rental gears and wetsuits
- 2-way radio instruction
- Downwinders
- Supervised rentals
- Hydrofoil lessons and rentals
Amenities:
- Lifeguards boat rescue
- Free street parking and paid lot
- Public restrooms
- Outdoor showers
- Nearby restaurants
The Kite Beach in Belmont Shore, California, is the best place for SoCal Kitesurfing to instruct kitesurfing students. It is the only safe and legal beach in LA and the Orange Counties due to the break wall that blocks the waves. This makes learning fast and safer.
SoCal Kitesurfing doesn’t only teach you how to kitesurf. It also educates you about finding the right gear, providing ongoing support tips, and introductions to a community where you can get help, tips, and tricks from until you become a confident rider on your own.
They offer beginner to advanced lessons, and they consider your comfort level so you can move fast or slow. They take pride in being the only kitesurfing school in California where the instructor joins the student in the water, giving help when needed the most.
Signing up to SoCal Kitesurfing includes lesson packages, an IKO Certification card (with worldwide validity), your choice of SoCal Kitesurfing cap or shirt, and a photo of your lesson. All of their lesson packages are facilitated by experienced and certified staff with consistent and proven teaching methods.
VKC Kite School IKO Center (Viale Al Lago, Italy)
School Specifications:
- Beach: Lake Santa Croce, North-East Italy
- Wind: 12-18 mph
- Season: All year round
- Certification: IKO Kite Center and UISP
Activities:
- Beginner and advanced lessons (kitesurf, wingsurf, SUP)
- Rental gears and wetsuits
- Body-drag
- Supervised rentals
Amenities:
- Bed and breakfast
- Restaurants
- Bars
- Tennis courts
- Playground
- Well-kept beach
- Tower and lifeguards
The primary location of the VKC Kite School is the Lake of Santa Croce. This lake is what the team believes to be the ideal place to start kitesurfing. But, they also have other beaches where they offer courses, including Sottomarina, Boschettona, Levante Beach, and Jesolo.
Their staff and highly qualified instructors evaluate you on the spot and determine which course you should be in according to your knowledge of the sport. All of their classes – Start Course, Basic Kitesurf, Advanced Kitesurf, and Independent Kitesurf come with complete equipment and kiter assistance.
Bed and breakfast are part of the school’s amenities. If you decide to make these accommodations, you will also experience daily and nightly events held at the beach. These events attract many tourists from all over Italy and neighboring areas.
The VKC Kite School is IKO Kite School and UISP certified. After the course, you will be issued an official IKO patent and VKC Shirt. One that can show off the course you took with top-quality equipment for safety and maximized kitesurfing education.
Adventure Sports (Noosa, Australia)
School Specifications:
- Beach: Lake Lake Weyba, Noosa
- Wind: 12-18 mph
- Season: 10 months from October to July
- Certification: IKO Certified Training Centre (Level 3)
Activities:
- Beginner and advanced lessons (kitesurf, wingsurf, SUP)
- Short private kitesurfing lessons
- Group kitesurfing lessons
- Rental gears and wetsuits
- Body-drag
- Supervised rentals
Amenities:
- Accommodation
- Restaurants
- Well-kept beach
- Headzone radio coaching
- Tower and lifeguards
Adventure Sports believe that kitesurfing is one exciting activity that one should experience at least once in their life. Therefore, it became their mission to make new kitesurfers, and they do that by focusing on teaching each individual what they need to know to get out there in their own way.
Their team allows learners to enjoy the sport of kitesurfing by providing only the very best instructors, equipment, and beautiful and accommodating locations to maximize progression, safety, and fun. What’s more, is that they are the only council-approved and permitted kitesurfing school in Noosa.
This kitesurfing school’s most popular kitesurfing lesson offers hours of private 1-on-1 instruction using radio coaching helmets. The experienced instructors let you out on the water with the latest gears to guarantee you are confident and competent with all the skills you need.
All Adventure Sports kitesurfing lesson packages are well-designed for all levels. Each session is tailored according to your skill level, confidence, and experience. This approach makes you guaranteed to get the most out of every session.
Flisvos Kite Center (Mikri Vigla, Greece)
School Specifications:
- Beach: Mikri Vigla Bay
- Wind: 18-22 mph
- Season: All year long
- Certification: IKO Affiliated Center
Activities:
- Beginner and advanced lessons
- Short private kitesurfing lessons
- Evaluation and certification from Iko instructor
- Rental gears and wetsuits
- Supervised rentals
Amenities:
- Accommodation
- Restaurants
- Well-kept beach
- Radio Assisted
- Tower and lifeguards
The best way to learn how to kitesurf is to practice and learn at one of the best kite spots. If you are in Greece, that should be in the bay of Mikri Vigla. No matter what skill level, all kiters will end up downwind on its friendly and large sandy beach.
Safety services, from lifeguards to bay watches, are guaranteed. There are rescue boats available round the clock. These make it one of the perfect kitesurfing schools for beginners and experienced kitesurfers alike.
Flisvos Kite Center has been in the kitesurfing school industry since 2005. All of their kitesurfing courses are according to the IKO standards. These are carried out using only the best kitesurfing equipment from Roberto Ricci Designs – one of the best in Italy.
Most of their packages include accommodation and food. A few meters from the beach is the comfort and luxury hotel with newly built studios and apartments. You won’t go hungry with their restaurant and bar open from 9 am until nighttime.
ReefRetreat Resort (Boracay, Philippines)
School Specifications:
- Beach: Boracay Beach facing Sibuyan Sea
- Wind: 16 – 19 mph
- Season: between October to March
- Certification: IKO Affiliated Center
Activities:
- Beginner and advanced lessons
- Short private kitesurfing lessons
- Massage Packages
- Rental gears and wetsuits
- Supervised rentals
- Island Tours
Amenities:
- Accommodation
- Restaurants
- Well-kept back beach
- Radio Assisted lessons
- Tower and lifeguards
One of the establishments that benefited the most from the recent rehabilitation of the Boracay Islands in the Philippines is the Reefretreat Resort. The restoration paved a new road with beautiful sidewalks for access to this little kitesurfing paradise.
Reefretreat Resort is hidden on Boracay’s back beach. Facing the waters of the Sibuyan Sea, it has the advantage of the best kitesurfing and kiteboarding winds between October and March. Despite a quiet sunrise every morning, the beach becomes active once it becomes windy.
During the Amihan (windy) season, the consistently screaming winds blowing onshore bring potential kitesurfers from worldwide. Boracay kitesurfing packages come with a complete kiting set. You can pick from a week-long session, one-day course, or discovery lesson of 2 hours. All of these kitesurfing classes come with IKO Certificate recognized worldwide.
Boracay Island recently became part of the prestigious Condé Nast Traveler (CNT) magazine’s 2021 Readers’ Choice Awards. This recognition should be enough reason for you to book your surfing lessons to this kitesurfing school and take side trips to the famous white beach while you are at it.
What A Kitesurfing Instructor Will Share with The Pupil
Taking lessons from qualified instructors will keep you from hurting yourself or getting severe injuries. Kitesurfing schools get you kiteboarding basics while protected by fitting insurance coverage and all the safety gear such as helmets, buoyancy aids, and a basic emergency supply kit.
So, what does a kitesurfing instructor share with their pupil? Some of them are:
- Kitesurfing lessons expectations
- Kitesurfing equipment to use
- Wind conditions
- Wave conditions and how it is formed
- How kites fly
- Types of clouds and kiteboarding safety
- Wind window understanding
- Right of way rules in kitesurfing
- How to self-launch in a kite from the beach
- Avoiding collisions between kiteboards
- How to water relaunch a kiteboarding kite
- A better experience of self-rescue and pack down kitesurfing guide
- Kitesurfing terms
- The best kitesurfing readings
Unlike other water activities like surfing and kayaking, kitesurfing has no defined rules for a kitesurfing school arrangement. But, organizations like the IKO (International Kiteboarding Organization) are developing a series of standard strictures for teaching and training at a proficient level.
IKO Certified kitesurfing schools follow the organization’s safe, progressive methods to let the students develop their skills with the highest confidence and in protected environments.
Kitesurfing Schools by Country
Argentina
- K.S., Buenos Aires
Australia
- Kite Power Australia, Clontarf
- Adventure Sports, Noosaville
- Surf Connect, Brisbane
- West Oz Kiteboarding, Safety Bay
- The Zu Boardsports, St Kilda
- Margaret River Kitesurfing & Windsurfing, Margaret River
- GoKite, Melbourne
Belgium
- KSS Kitesurfschool, Nieuwpoort
- Surfers Paradise Kiteboarding School, Knokke-Heist
- Stevo Kitesurf, De Panne
Brazil
- Pura Vida Club, Itarema
- Kite Friends, Paracuru
Canada
- Progression Kite, Métabetchouan
- Halifax Kitesurfing, Nova Scotia
Cape Verde
- Kook Proof Activity Center, Santa Maria
- Mitu & Djó, Santa Maria
- Club Mistral, Ilha do Sal
Croatia
- Water Donkey Kitesurfing Center, Viganj
Dominican Republic
- Kite Club Cabarete, Punta Goleta
- AKWA, Punta Cana
- Kite Club Punta Cana, Punta Cana
- Front Loop CNS Cabarete, Cabarete
- LEK – Laurel Eastman Kiteboarding, Cabarete
- Club Mistral, Cabarete
Egypt
- Kite People, El Gouna
- Kite Junkies, Sharm El Sheikh
- ProKiteAcademy, Marsa Alam
- Red Sea Zone, El Gouna
- Tornado Surf, Safaga
- Colona Watersports, Hurghada
- Club Mistral, Safaga
France
- Accrokite, La Palmyre
- SNK (Sport Nautique & Kite), St Pierre la Mer
Germany
- Boardway, Loissin
Greece
- Flisvos Kitecenter Naxos, Mikri Vigla Beach
- Paros Kite Pro Center, Paros
- Surf Club Keros, Limnos
- Naxos KiteL Life, Mikri Vigla Beach
- Paros Kiteboarding Center, Paros
- Thalaseasports Naxos, Mikri Vigla Beach
Italy
- VKC Kite School IKO Center, Farra D’Alpago
- Kite’s Angels Beach, Marina di Grosseto
- Kitesurf Mazara Kite School, Mazara del Vallo
- PKS Kite Beach Fiumara, Grosseto
- Jamakite School, Marsala
- Sicily Kite Park, Marsala
- AWC Kite Center, Porto Corsini
- AK School, Otranto
- AVID Kiteboarding, Lake Garda
- Wind Riders, Lake Garda
- MB – Pro Center, Porto Pollo
- NewKiteZone, Reggio Calabria
- North Kite School Sardinia, Porto Pollo,
- 414 Kiting, Gera Lario
Kenya
- H2O Extreme, Diani Beach
Mauritius
- Club Mistral, Le Mome
Mexico
- Kiteboarding Baja, Los Barriles
- Girl On A Board, La Ventana
Morocco
- Ocean Vagabond, Essaouira
- Club Mistral, Dakhla
Netherlands
- KiteSafe, IJMuiden
- nl, Kijkduin
- Kitesurfles, The Hague
- Movement Sports, Kamperland
- Blow, The Hague
- KiteSurfSchool Challenge, Zoetermeer
New Zealand
- Airzone, Rangiputa
- Blue Adventures, Omaha
Peru
- PeruKite, Paracas
Poland
- pl, Chalupy
- SurfPoint, Jastarnia
- pl, Wladyslawowo
- Aloha Kiteboarding Center, Rewa
Portugal
- Eolis, Cabanas de Tavira
- Kook Proof Activity Center, Esposende
South Africa
- High Five, Bloubergstrand
- Windchasers, Langebaan
Spain
- René Egli Fuerteventura, Fuerteventura
- Kite Progress Tarifa, Tarifa
- KTS, Tarifa
- DeltaKiteSUP, Sant Carles de la Ràpita
- Es, La Manga del Mar Menor
- Club Mistral Golf De Roses, Sant Pere Pescador
- Bull Tarifa, Tarifa
- Costa Noroeste Lanzarote Kite School, Lanzarote
Sweden
- Kitelife, Malmo
Tanzania
- Zanzibar Kite School, Zanzibar
- Paje By Kite, Zanzibar
Thailand
- Kiteboarding Asia, Pranburi
- North Kiteboarding Club & Kite School, Hua Hin
Tunisia
- GlobalKite, Djerba
United Kingdom
- Paracademy, Portland/Dorset
- Airzone, Fareham
Uruguay
- Escuela De Kite Y Windsurf Laura, Laguna Garzón
USA
- SoCal Kitesurfing, Long Beach
- Kite Club Hatteras, Kinnakeet
- Action Sports Maui, Kahului
- Urban Surf, Seattle
- KGB, San Francisco
- New York Kite Center, Amityville
- Miami Kiteboarding, Key BiscayneKite415, San Francisco
Venezuela
- Venturi Kite Center, El Yaque
Vietnam
- C2Sky Kite Center, Mui Ne
Conclusion
The list and the kitesurfing directory give you a vast selection of niche kitesurfing schools you can check out for yourself. Most of them offer other sports like surfing, paddleboarding, and yoga. Some packages even match kitesurfing with cultural and educational activities such as language lessons.
Did we miss a kitesurfing school you know we should mention? Our comment section is open for your thoughts, and we’d be happy to update this directory for everyone’s reference.
FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)
Q: What to consider in picking the right kitesurfing school?
A: There are not as many, but the most important are:
- Location
- Wind conditions
- Cost
- Season
- Types of accommodation
- Types of lessons
- Culture/Place’s vibe
Q: What are the best kitesurfing schools around the world?
A: There are many excellent kitesurfing schools around the world. Some of the most highly regarded include Kiteboarding Club in Tarifa, Spain; Kiteboarding Asia in Mui Ne, Vietnam; and Kite Surfing Lanka in Kalpitiya, Sri Lanka.
Q: What should I look for in a kitesurfing school?
A: When selecting a kitesurfing school, it is important to consider factors such as the quality of instruction, the experience and qualifications of the instructors, the equipment provided, and the location and weather conditions.
Q: What type of instruction do kitesurfing schools offer?
A: Kitesurfing schools typically offer a range of instruction, from beginner lessons for those new to the sport, to advanced training for experienced riders looking to improve their skills. Instruction may include both on-land and in-water sessions.
Q: What equipment is provided by kitesurfing schools?
A: Kitesurfing schools typically provide all necessary equipment, including kites, boards, harnesses, wetsuits, and safety gear. However, it is always a good idea to check with the school in advance to confirm what equipment is included.
Q: How much do kitesurfing lessons typically cost?
A: The cost of kitesurfing lessons varies depending on the school and location. However, beginner lessons typically start at around $100-$150 for a single lesson, while multi-day courses may cost several hundred dollars or more.
Q: What are some important safety considerations when kitesurfing?
A: Kitesurfing can be a dangerous sport, so it is important to take safety seriously. This includes wearing appropriate safety gear, checking weather conditions and wind strength, avoiding kiting in crowded areas, and staying aware of other water users.
Q: How long does it typically take to become proficient at kitesurfing?
A: The amount of time it takes to become proficient at kitesurfing varies depending on factors such as your natural ability, the quality of instruction, and the amount of practice time you have. However, most people can expect to spend several days to several weeks learning the basics and developing their skills.
Related Resources
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