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Advice re school in Cabarete Dominican Republic

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ejoffe
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Advice re school in Cabarete Dominican Republic

Postby ejoffe » Mon Jul 10, 2017 10:46 pm

There are many schools in Cabarete some at Kite beach and some at Bonzo beach.
Laurel Eastman has been recommended repeatedly, but there are other schools which are less expensive.
In particular interesting is ION club which has a package for lessons, kite rental as well as windsurf rental (which is good for me)

Has anyone used ION ?
Do you have a specific recommendation for a school I should attend ?

Thanks,
E

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TracyS
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Re: Advice re school in Cabarete Dominican Republic

Postby TracyS » Tue Jul 11, 2017 2:03 am

Hola! I have a school smack in the middle of kite beach. www.kiteboardingcabarete.com. There are a few things to consider when choosing a school.

Location: There are a few places on Cabarete Beach that are in the "wind shadow" so you will end up walking down the beach to get to the wind zone. In my (maybe biased) opinion, learning is easier on Kite Beach because there is usually not a shore break. Kite Beach is also much less choppy because the reef is closer which protects our little bay. I learned in Cabarete Bay myself and as soon as I discovered Kite Beach I never went back! That being said, in the summer the beach on Kite Beach can get smaller making it a littler trickier.

Equipment: There is expensive equipment and there is cheap equipment. That price has to be worked into the price of the lessons. You can do quick easy research to look into that factor to see if the price coincides with quality of gear.

Hours: I don't care what anyone says, most people need about nine hours of lessons. Some schools sell you six hours, but you will more than likely need the other three hours to get up and riding. Six hours is cheaper than nine hours on paper, but it will end up costing you more usually in the long run.

Certifications: Some schools have IKO some don't. They have to pay for that if they do. I have seen good IKO instructors and IKO instructors that look like they just learned to kite. Same goes for non IKO. To me, IKO isn't the only thing that makes a good instructor.

In general, anywhere with a brick and mortar school is running a pretty legit kite business here, but you still get what you pay for as with anything. So, I think if you consider the above you will be able to make a sound decision.

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Re: Advice re school in Cabarete Dominican Republic

Postby Flyboy » Tue Jul 11, 2017 2:52 am

I love Cabarete & have been many times, but it is an insane place to learn to kite: beachgoers, little kids, dogs, crazy Dominicans kiting up & down the shorebreak, crazy visiting kiters kiting up & down the shorebreak, out-of-control learners drifting through the zone, kites crashing in every direction etc. Ion looks to be deep in Cabarete bay in the "windsurfing zone", so not possible to kite directly from that area. Kite beach has the advantage of pretty flat water because of the closeness of the reef, whereas Bozo has significant shorebreak to negotiate, but Kite Beach tends to be more packed & crazy than Bozo.

Having said all that, people DO successfully learn to kite at Kite Beach & Bozo - you need to be determined & persistent. I don't see the quality of the gear being much of a factor, but the quality & commitment of the teaching will be ... & I agree with Tracy - it's likely to take a minimum of 9 hours of lessons to successfully make your first few runs. Spending as many hours flying a trainer kite prior to going will give you a big leg up in the learning process.

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TracyS
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Re: Advice re school in Cabarete Dominican Republic

Postby TracyS » Tue Jul 11, 2017 3:02 am

Flyboy wrote:
Tue Jul 11, 2017 2:52 am
Spending as many hours flying a trainer kite prior to going will give you a big leg up in the learning process.
This! ^^^ Nothing trumps actually strapping a kite to your waist, but watch some Youtube vids on kite set up and wind direction also. It never hurts to absorb as much as you can before you get in the game! Have fun with whatever you choose. Hit me up when you are in town, especially if you come to kite beach...because I never leave! Hahaha :bye:

I also write a really nice blog with tons of info like grocery shopping, gyms, public transportation, where to exchange money, etc etc etc. Been writing it for 3 years, so I try to include all the info I like to know when I travel. www.cabaretecondos.com/blog

ejoffe
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Re: Advice re school in Cabarete Dominican Republic

Postby ejoffe » Wed Jul 12, 2017 8:09 pm

Thank you all for the great advice.
BTW what is the usual wind direction East to West or West to East ?

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Re: Advice re school in Cabarete Dominican Republic

Postby badgb21 » Wed Jul 12, 2017 8:14 pm

I had lessons there, many moons ago.
I chose a school that had a radio strapped to your helmet, so you could hear their instructions immediately. (The school has probably gone now)
Worked a treat and finally got me going!
Maybe there's one there now, with radios?

Wind Direction here:
https://www.windguru.cz/139


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