5 Top Kitespots in the Philippines

[nenette graf]

http://www.inflight.ph/grafs-5/

[nenette graf]

BEST SPOTS IN ASIA ARE FOUND IN THE PHILIPPINES,
PLEASE COME AND EXPERIENCE WHY IT IS MORE FUN TO KITESURF IN THE PHILIPPINES!

[MehYam]

Nice write-up, thank you.

[average rider]

"This is considered one of the world’s best spots for wave riding (side shore, right hander), with flat clear water, consistent wind at minimum 25-35 knots, incredible waves from a friendly 2m to a challenging 5m-6m"
Seriously you can write this and still sleep at night?
What about the people with not much experience who believe this and end up at best being really disappointed with their kite holiday or at worst getting very badly injured.
Boracay is a great spot and the North of the Phillipines can be a great spot too but please be honest.
It can rain alot, it is not consistent wind every day and the conditions are totally unsuitable for beginners.
Sorry to rant but this sponsored nonsense needs to have a balanced view....

[dt73775]

Seriously you can write this and still sleep at night?
What about the people with not much experience who believe this and end up at best being really disappointed with their kite holiday or at worst getting very badly injured.
Boracay is a great spot and the North of the Phillipines can be a great spot too but please be honest.
It can rain alot, it is not consistent wind every day and the conditions are totally unsuitable for beginners.
Sorry to rant but this sponsored nonsense needs to have a balanced view....

I am planning on heading to Kingfisher this October. I will let you know if it's worth it ........................

[caveman]

Hmmm... Am surprised that Bagasbas near Daet, Camarines Norte isn't even in the top 5. If you're into waves AND flatwater, this place has both.

[Saami]

"This is considered one of the world’s best spots for wave riding (side shore, right hander), with flat clear water, consistent wind at minimum 25-35 knots, incredible waves from a friendly 2m to a challenging 5m-6m"

Seriously you can write this and still sleep at night?
What about the people with not much experience who believe this and end up at best being really disappointed with their kite holiday or at worst getting very badly injured.
Boracay is a great spot and the North of the Phillipines can be a great spot too but please be honest.
It can rain alot, it is not consistent wind every day and the conditions are totally unsuitable for beginners.
Sorry to rant but this sponsored nonsense needs to have a balanced view....

I am planning on heading to Kingfisher this October. I will let you know if it's worth it ........................

I have been there several times and I can tell you that average rider is right - that description of Kingfisher is complete corporate bullshit. That single sentence contains a staggering amount of mis-information.

To start with, this is not "considered one of the world's best spots for waveriding", at least not by anyone with experience. I myself am only a moderately experienced waverider, but I have travelled quite a bit and that spot is nowhere near the top world spots. Sorry, that is just complete marketing BS. There are tons of spots with better waves, whether you're a beginner or a pro.

Next - "side shore" wind. Yes, most of the time - but a frank description should reveal the fact that the coastline quickly curves, such that the beginners (who they market to!) could find themselves swept out into a huge bay. OK, realistically the beginner will release the kite before that happens and swim for the shore - but in that case, it's bye-bye to the kite cause they don't have any rescue boat.

"Flat clear water" - halfway right. The water is clear, yes, but not "flat" unless you mean the small area on the reef right between the breaking waves - or unless you mean the times of day when the tide is so low that you cannot safely kite (another little fact that was conveniently omitted from that description).

"Consistent wind at minimum 25-35 knots" - sorry, no. Not consistent. There will be stretches of days with 25+ knots, followed by stretches of days with 10 knots, even in the prime season.

I could go on, but you get the idea. Average rider's description is much more accurate:

Boracay is a great spot and the North of the Phillipines can be a great spot too but please be honest. It can rain alot, it is not consistent wind every day and the conditions are totally unsuitable for beginners.

All that being said, it is not a bad place. When the tide, swell, and wind combo is right, it can be a really fun place to ride for a couple of days, for the experienced rider. As I said, I've been there several times and I wouldn't keep going back if it wasn't "worth it". However, I do some work in the area and have friends around there, so I have other reasons to go up there in the first place. I wouldn't travel halfway around the world to go to that spot though.

[dt73775]

Thanks Saami, Checked your input and yes its more hype than riding, will rethink were to go, thanks for the heads up.

What's up with the people posting this as the top spot - you think were not going to notice

[aircatcher]

"This is considered one of the world’s best spots for wave riding (side shore, right hander), with flat clear water, consistent wind at minimum 25-35 knots, incredible waves from a friendly 2m to a challenging 5m-6m"

Seriously you can write this and still sleep at night?
What about the people with not much experience who believe this and end up at best being really disappointed with their kite holiday or at worst getting very badly injured.
Boracay is a great spot and the North of the Phillipines can be a great spot too but please be honest.
It can rain alot, it is not consistent wind every day and the conditions are totally unsuitable for beginners.
Sorry to rant but this sponsored nonsense needs to have a balanced view....
I have been there several times and I can tell you that average rider is right - that description of Kingfisher is complete corporate bullshit. That single sentence contains a staggering amount of mis-information.

To start with, this is not "considered one of the world's best spots for waveriding", at least not by anyone with experience. I myself am only a moderately experienced waverider, but I have travelled quite a bit and that spot is nowhere near the top world spots. Sorry, that is just complete marketing BS. There are tons of spots with better waves, whether you're a beginner or a pro.

Next - "side shore" wind. Yes, most of the time - but a frank description should reveal the fact that the coastline quickly curves, such that the beginners (who they market to!) could find themselves swept out into a huge bay. OK, realistically the beginner will release the kite before that happens and swim for the shore - but in that case, it's bye-bye to the kite cause they don't have any rescue boat.

"Flat clear water" - halfway right. The water is clear, yes, but not "flat" unless you mean the small area on the reef right between the breaking waves - or unless you mean the times of day when the tide is so low that you cannot safely kite (another little fact that was conveniently omitted from that description).

"Consistent wind at minimum 25-35 knots" - sorry, no. Not consistent. There will be stretches of days with 25+ knots, followed by stretches of days with 10 knots, even in the prime season.

I could go on, but you get the idea. Average rider's description is much more accurate:

Boracay is a great spot and the North of the Phillipines can be a great spot too but please be honest. It can rain alot, it is not consistent wind every day and the conditions are totally unsuitable for beginners.
All that being said, it is not a bad place. When the tide, swell, and wind combo is right, it can be a really fun place to ride for a couple of days, for the experienced rider. As I said, I've been there several times and I wouldn't keep going back if it wasn't "worth it". However, I do some work in the area and have friends around there, so I have other reasons to go up there in the first place. I wouldn't travel halfway around the world to go to that spot though.

Then how are all these Philippines kitespots compare to their neighbor Mui Ne or Phu Quy island ,Viet Nam? Would you prefer travel halfway around the world to go to those hot kitespots ?which one would you pick?

[Saami]

Let me start by repeating that Kingfisher is not a bad place. If you're a wave addict, know how to ride and judge conditions, and you're in the Philippines and want to make a sidetrip, it is worth checking out. It's just that the hype is, well, hype - it's not honest info. What's wrong with just writing "this spot has some good waveriding when the tide, wind & swell cooperates" and be done with it? That would be a completely fair description and people would appreciate that and still come. Just leave out the "worldclass" exaggerations and "consistent wind" bullshit (and for heaven's sake, stop marketing to beginners unless you don't care about people possibly getting hurt!).

Then how are all these Philippines kitespots compare to their neighbor Mui Ne or Phu Quy island ,Viet Nam? Would you prefer travel halfway around the world to go to those hot kitespots ?which one would you pick?

I haven't been to Phu Quy but I have heard good things about it from people whose opinions I normally trust. The combination of wind, reefs, and some sheltered water sounds good. But again, I haven't actually been there. I mean to go at some point though.

I was in Mui Ne a few years back. I found the south end of the main beach to be a bit challenging (due to the water being very rough, almost washing-machine like at times, with a bit of a dumping shore break); but I was a complete beginner at that stage so I might appreciate it a lot more now. Back then the water conditions turned me off a bit though. That being said, I also followed the coastline north on a motorbike, and I remember that the beaches further north looked much better, with what I remember as some decent waves rolling in. I'd like to go back for that.