WADDELL CREEK

Most kitesurfing in Santa Cruz happens at Waddell Creek, a state park beach, with ample parking and a large crescent beach. Waddell is a great place for kiteboarding because it’s predominate wind direction is northwest, or side-on and its long curved beach provides a forgiving sandy beach for long down winders. The beach adjacent to the parking lot offers plenty of room for rigging kites and laying out lines, and the beach to the south offers ample room for those learning to fly trainer kites. There are other beaches which people kitesurf in Santa Cruz, but Waddell provides the safest access, the most predictable wind, and plenty of other kiteboarders for help with equipment questions or safety issues.

SEASONS

The kiteboarding season in Santa Cruz can be year around, but the true windy season is from April through October. Spring through Fall can offer wind five days a week or more, and it is quite possible that an entire summer month can pass with maybe three or four non-windy days. The geography of Santa Cruz creates a local sea-breeze or temperature gradient which can combine with a larger and more general northwest flow down the coast of California. The typical patterns sees five days of wind with high pressure to our north west, followed by a two day fog surge from the south. This cycle repeats itself over the course of the summer, sometimes you may see more fog, most times you see more wind.
 

Although the heart of the season lies in Spring through Fall, the die hard Santa Cruz kitesurfer will find wind in the winter. Northern California’s temperature gradient flips in the winter time, instead of summer’s warm inland valleys sucking in cold ocean air, the winter’s weakened sun is unable to heat the inland valleys, keeping them colder in relation to the moderately warmer ocean. This makes most days quiet, with little wind to be found anywhere in California. The exception is when a storm front moves in, which can create a windy day before, and a possible clearing wind after. These frontal winds are the only kiting in the winter and can make for cold, gusty and dangerous conditions, typically suited for only the most experienced kitesurfers.

EQUIPMENT

Santa Cruz can be a very windy spot. During the heat of the season, locals tend to use their 5 meter, 6 meter, 7 meter kites most often. Although a 14 meter kite may come in useful in the early spring and late fall, there are very few days between May and August where you would need anything larger than a 9M. Santa Cruz is home to Caution Kites, an international kitesurfing brand, and you will find an astonishing proportion of the Santa Cruz kitesurfing community flying Caution kites. Equipment and repairs are available at Caution, see their website for location and contact information: http:www.cautionkites.com

ETTIQUETTE / LOCALISM

Kitesurfing in Santa Cruz has always been about the surf, more so than the kites. What this means is that the culture of Santa Cruz is rooted in wave-kiting, rather than freestyle or the big air capabilities that kites can provide. There is an etiquette out on the water, which may not seem so obvious or clear to those new to the spot or the sport, but if you take some time to observe or talk with someone familiar it is very straight forward. If in doubt, go well down wind of other riders and stay clear of congested wave riding areas. The locals at Waddell are friendly, and the only people who seem to have problems are those who repeatedly inconvenience others. Keep your head up, and if you are unsure, find your own space away from others.

Our goal is to deliver the highest quality kitesurf instruction in the California Central Coast and Santa Cruz area. We focus on quality not quantity; so unlike other schools, we earn our money delivering the highest quality instruction and making sure that our clients walk away from each lesson with a feeling of accomplishment and satisfaction. Our instructors are some of the most talented kitesurfers on the west coast, and we believe that instructors with at least four years of teaching experience make a big difference in the learning curves of our students. Kitesurfing is our passion, and if you are anything like the countless number of our students, it will be your passion too.

 

It is our mission to help you master the sport of kiting, while having fun, and maintaining a safe, positive and productive learning environment.