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The following information is an open source guide to kiting locations on the California coast - information can be added at any time as long as the information is placed into the following descriptive outline -

Beach Name:
Locale:
Legality:
Access:
Criminal Activity:
Length:
Width:
Crowdedness:
Prevailing Wind Directions:
Steepness:
Facilities Available:
Places to Stay:
Other Info:

RULES CONCERNING THIS THREAD

- 1. Please don't post anything other than beach location information on these threads using the above template.

- 2. Try not to double post a location. If you think something needs to be added to a certain location that has already been commented on then contact the person who posted it and send them a u2u with the relevant information - if they don't get back to you right away try and avoiding posting your information on the same thread - will start to create a mess.

- 3. If you post a location realize you are taking on the responsibility of following up on other peoples information that may be forwarded to you in a u2u.

If your not in California and you want to post a beach locale than start another thread: (your state) Beach Locations. You can use the same lead in as this one to make them consistent.

Thanks

Beach Name: Ocean Beach

Local: San Francisco, California

Legality: Static Flying only, there is a ban on any wheeled vehicles on the beach - wind powered included.

Access: Plenty of Parking on the North end of the beach. Stairs from parking lot give immediate access to beach - you will need to tote gear about 50 yards to waters edge.

Criminal Activity: None that I know of, never been acousted or had my car tampered with while there. I've locked my keys in my car twice so far - once with my cell phone right next to my keys.

Length: 3.5 miles

Width: 20 feet runnable at median tide (2 feet) 30 feet at low tide (0 feet)

Crowdedness (how many people for every hundred yrds): Weekday: 2 Weekend: 5

Prevailing Wind Directions (onshore/offshore-best direction): Onshore W most common, can be NW or SW. When Buggying and Landboarding was permitted there a due W wind allowed the most mobility, since the beach was oriented N/S. With a NW or SW wind higher speed can be achieved but with the sacrifice of speed in the opposite direction - rollercoasting.

Steepness (angle at runnable surface): 0 to 5 degrees.

Facilities Available: There are lots of restaurants close by - one in particular "Beach Chalet" (near the big windmill) has a restroom available for the North end of the beach while the South end of the beach has public restrooms at the Sloat intersection.

Places to Stay: Plenty of nearby hotels, but they will be pretty pricey - there are also youth hostels available.

Other Info: From early Fall to late Spring there are Snowy Plovers nesting in the dunes adjacent to the beach - lifegaurds aren't too concerned but there are local bird watchers that will make issue of anyone flying a kite near the dunes - located just South of the parking lot area at the North end of the beach.

For more detailed information click here - Ocean Beach Details

How bout kitesurfing locations? Can I put those....

Beach Name: Moss Landing

Local: Moss Landing, California

Legality: From what I've observed there are no legal issues here - there is a wildlife preserve in one section of the beach, but do not see any signs posted giving warnings other than the signs reading "stay out of the dune areas".

Access: The main area to park is at the end of Potrero rd. in Moss Landing. From the parking lot it is about a forty yard walk up and over a slight hill through a narrow pathway out onto the open beach, from there it is another twenty yards to get to the edge of the water.

Criminal Activity: None that I have seen. The car park is not visible from the beach so there "may" be a risk of theft.

Length: 6.5 miles

Width: 30 feet runnable at median tide (1 foot) 50 feet at low tide (-0 feet)

Crowdedness (how many people for every hundred yards): Weekday: 0.2 Weekend: 0.4

Prevailing Wind Directions (onshore/offshore-best direction): Onshore W most common, can be NW or SW. A due West wind will be a speed run from the South area of the beach to the North area where you start from. A NW wind will allow for the most even speeds in either direction. A SW wind will be hard to work with - unless you get massive upwind performance from your kite you will have difficulty getting anywhere.

Steepness (angle at runnable surface): 10 degrees at a 1.5 foot tide. 0-5 degrees at the lower tides.

Facilities Available: There are a few restaurants close by, other than that your on your own when it comes to restrooms.

Places to Stay: There are a few hotels in the area and an RV campground, no actual camping in the area - closest camping is in Montery, 15 miles to south.

Other Info: Kiting Activities: Buggying, Landboarding (sand is pretty packed at low tide), and kitesurfing (watch out for sharks, lot more seals in the area). If you do test yourself and go as far south as you can be careful of the hang gliders. At the 6.5 mile mark South from the starting point you will see hang gliders launching from a 40 foot cliff. Avoid this area altogether - the hang gliders WILL come very close to your kite, and you have to watch out for the baby and dog show that have gathered to watch the hang gliders.

For more detailed info click here - Moss Landing Details

Beach Name: Dillon Beach

Locale: 8 miles South of Bodega Bay

Legality: No lifeguards on duty (sign posted) leads me to think that park patrols are minimal as well

Access: From the main parking lot ($7 parking fee) it is a 15 yard walk onto the most open part of the beach

Criminal Activity: Very small isolated community - would say it is pretty safe

Length: Roughly 1 1/2 miles

Width: High tide - runnable (15 to 20 feet packed sand) but waves would sneak up pretty high in this / you will get wet - did not see low tide but would assume that if high tide was runnable that low tide most certainly would be

Crowdedness: Saw it on a Friday and had about 2 to 3 people per hundred yards

Prevailing Wind Directions: Depending on season - winter storms make their own direction - a NW wind will be your best friend

Steepness: Slight angle but nothing really steep

Facilities Available: Right in the parking area are public bathrooms

Places to Stay: Don't really know - it is a tiny town that didn't really look to have any hotels but there are camping and RV setups right near the beach about a 1/2 mile further down from the main entrance

Other Info: Very pretty scenery - folks there have little to no idea about powerkiting so be cautious around the public and put your best diplomatic hat on in case asked questions