Kiting in South Padre

I will be at DBBB This weekend and then following fri-sun. I pretty much know all the spots in houston galveston area................aj

FYI SPI is about 9hrs from galveston............aj

I'll be in the Rio Grande Valley the from night of Tuesday 11/25 through Sunday 11/30. I'll be staying with my parents in a city near McAllen, but I plan be at SPI Wednesday, Friday, Saturday, and maybe Sunday (wind/weather permitting each day, of course).

The main areas to ride are North Flats, South Flats, and anywhere on the Gulf side of the island.

The North Flats area was flooded when I went 2 or 3 weeks ago, so everyone was using the South Flats. If the NF area is open and you want to ride there, you'll have to go to SouthPadreIslandKiteboarding's shop and buy a day pass ($10) or a year pass ($25). Or, you could just drive in and hope nobody notices you don't have a sticker :roll:. The NorthFlats are great because it's a privately owned area who only allows kiteboarders and windsurfers to enter.

The South Flats access is free during this time of year ($3 during the summer), just watch out for the fishermen and their lines. Lots of people use the South Flats -I've used it numerous times. XLKites usually has a van, a jetski, and some instructors out there, and everyone I've met there so far has been friendly. Last time I was there, a local showed up, anchored a jetski, told all the kiters to use it for rescues if needed, and left for the day. We ended up using it to rescue 2 kites, and 2 kiters (they were beginners).

Riding on the Gulf is permitted. Just keep away from the swimmers, give yourself plenty of room on the beach away from the beachgoers, and hop in the water as quick as you can after rigging up. Lots of people take downwinders from the Gulf-side access points near the Northflats all the way down the jetties. Last time I was at the SouthFlats I happened looked toward the Gulf and saw a tight line of about 7 kites in a row headed toward the jetties

As far as Corpus Christi, it has at *least* 13 launch areas which give you quite a few options with regards to launch area (sand/grass/dirt/mud), wind direction relative to shoreline, water conditions (flatwater/baychop/waves), and proximity to hotels/restaurants/stores. The most used launches by my buddies and I are North Beach (baychop), Mustang (waves), Packery Channel (flat water), Wildcat (baychop/flatwater) pretty much in that order.

If you have any questions, U2U me, or post here.