Bahamas in September or October?

[headwound]

November is prity good in the Bahamas for wind,this November I will be teaching in Nassau until, the 17th of November and then to Spanish wells until the 30th doing the annual Spanish Wells kite camp,give me a hail your going to be in Nassau or Spanish wells.
see ya when I'm looking at ya.
cheers aj
cell 1(242) 422 0756
aj@cross-shore.com
http://www.cross-shore.com

[24Redhorse]

I will be looking for you. We just found out my wife is pregnant so the trip might only be a week or two since she can't be away form her doctor for a full month and she will be due in January. I will see what I can do to stay a little longer but I might have to play it by ear.

[Clarencephil]

Isn't October or November hurricane season ?

[headwound]

October can be prity active for close calls (huricanes), early November can have a few tropical storms and close calls that why this year I'm doing the kite camp from the 20th to the 30th late in November.
November is always good for wind.
cheers aj

[RickI]

AJ will take good care of you, kiting or whatever in the Bahamas. He hooked me up recently with Capt. "Action," the pro limbo dude who managed to find and take me to the "Lost Blue Hole." It really was lost too, for us anyway about 8 miles off island but Action found it complete with sharks, fish out the wazoo, blue waters fading to back inside the sink and intriguing free diving! Been trying for years but AJ got it done, thanks!

[24Redhorse]

It is looking like it will be the later weeks in November that we will be heading down there. Hurricane season is a blessing and a curse. A busy season and I live at my office and make great money. Slow season is great for kiting but I don't make any money. I am hoping for a mild/medium season.

[headwound]

form years past..Oct has been good for tropical storms.
Nassau is 7 miles by 21 miles you can chase the wind as it clocks around and ride all over the place ( depending on ya skill level).
Also that is when the wind starts to switch from ese to ene.
As I said November there is always at least one close call with a hurricane,the week leading up to the hurricane (if there is one is pity crazy) November the wind is normally 15 to 20kts out of the north,if a cold front comes through the wind clocks around a bit but then honks out of the north.
the reason I go to Spanish wells for November is because it's easier for me to teach in shallow flat water, cross-shore breeze, than it is for me to teach in on shore wind, deep and choppy water.(when the wind is North in Nassau the palce to ride is on shore there is waves and a flat water section there called go slow bend ,but no good for teaching)
after November the wind starts to move ene to east then i can teach in the shallow flat water in Nassau.
the Bahamas is like anywhere some days it can be unreal and some days it can be lame..
spring this year was a bit of a let down..but spring for the last 8 years has been sick.
I think that the best thing you can do is buy your ticket at the last min ,check the extended forecast before you come ..
if you want any advice on where to stay or if your a advanced rider and you need some local knowledge give me a hail.
cheers AJ Watson
( my contact info is on one of the post above this. )

[teo]

been in Nassau for the last 9 years and been kiting for about 5. Nassau has some decent kiting spots and like AJ was saying you can choose between different conditions (wave, chop and flat). October is when we "should" get the first "cold front" which usually brings 3 to 4 days of wind. Last October was fairly good with probably 10-15 ridable days. November was crap while December was really when it all started. Nassau would be your best bet if you want to do something else in case the wind doesn't collaborate. The family islands are definetely quieter, but Eleuthera, Abacos and Exumas are fairly alive with local markets, bars and some stuff to see. The most Southern ones might get more wind in summer then Nassau but not much to do. I've been to Long Island, Cat Island and San Salvador and they all have awesome spots but you will most probably be the only kiter out there and I don't know about you but riding solo is not much fun.....at least for me.

[24Redhorse]

I can and have ridden by myself and I am proficient at self lauching/landing. But like teo said....it's no fun.

I have only ridden in butter flat conditions once. Usually where we go is either 1' chop or waves so flat water riding is definitely fun. I am no beginner but not throwing kite loops as of yet. I have my backrolls and downloop transitions but I wanted to work on backroll transitions, 720, 1080 and depending on how much kite time I get in kiteloops. At best I get to kite twice a month just due to work, conditions and being married. So kiting for 3 times in one week will progress me what a months worth of kiting will do back here. Not to mention what 5-6 days will do.

I was planning on bringing my bigger board for the waves and just bought a 140cm for the inside stuff. If I have enough time I plan on working on my unstrapped directional riding but I don't think I will have enough time to get proficient at it.

All in all I would like to kite with a few people not 400 with all conditions available and be in a place that is somewhat convenient to get to and has all the amenities of home for the wife. AND not be a tourist trap.

Is that too much to ask for?

[alefevre1999]

I learned to kite a www.exumakitesurfing.com in Nov. 08' with Gary Sweeting. I have been visiting Exuma for 20 years with my family. Exuma is a very special island. It is a place that make visitors feel more like a part of the community than tourists.

I cannot speak to the winds in October but I have visited for a five day weekend the past 2 years for Thanksgiving and kited 8 of those 10 days. I would not trust the reported wind stats for the island. I have kited all day powered on my 12 meter to return home and see the meter reported 12 knots all day. I think it is sheltered. Since learning to kite I have visited Exuma 5 times and I would say 70% of the days were good for kiting.

Exuma is a long skinny island with many access points and very few kiters. I always hookup with Gary when I visit and we are often the only kiters on the water. The most I have seen is 4 kites on the water. It is a great place to progress as a kiter. The wind is very steady and there are many sites with flat water as well as small wind waves.

Gary runs a very good operation. I would drop him a line. I'm sure he could point you in the direction of a great long term rental. He has Slingshot and Caution gear for Demo and purchase. If you go make sure to visit the pig roast on Sunday at Stocking Island. Good Luck!