Kiteboarding School – Gone With The Wind
Confessions of a Gables Windsurfing Instructor
The first time I saw kiters was at Matheson Hammock Park. I had just moved to Coral Gables a couple months earlier from South Georgia, and I was still adjusting to the “cultural differences.” But out of everything I’d seen in Miami so far — from Homestead to Hialeah — this was by far the craziest yet.
Kiteboarding – sometimes called kitesurfing – is an extreme sport where the participants willingly attach themselves to a giant kite and then use that giant kite along with a kiteboard (a glorified surfboard) to slide across the water like an X-games Jesus.
At first, I couldn’t imagine what idiot would want to do something so dangerous and potentially life-threatening – until I started kiteboarding and eventually became an instructor. It turns out that a lot of my initial impressions were wrong.
First, not all kiters are professional athletes or reckless Evel Knievel types. Most kiters I’ve met at Matheson Hammock Park are normal, everyday people with regular jobs. A few of them are actually in their 70s. And while it seems impossible, anyone can learn. In fact, a large portion of people who learn how to kite at Matheson Hammock don’t have any board sport experience and are in their 40s and 50s. You also don’t have to be in great physical shape to learn, though having a little bit of balance and some core strength does help.
Secondly, while kiteboarding technically is classified as an extreme sport it’s one of the safest and easiest extreme sports to pick up. Like with any sport, there is some risk, but your instructor won’t let you kite on your own until you’ve mastered basic safety skills. If you think about it, you’re probably safer learning how to kiteboard than driving home in rush hour traffic on U.S.1.
Learning kiteboarding takes an average of eight to 12 hours, depending on the person. If you have board skills and an understanding of the wind (hello sailors!) it might take less time. If you’ve never done any sport or athletic activity, it will take a little longer.
At the Adventure Sports Kiteboarding School in Matheson Hammock, lessons will run you $120 an hour, and they’re taught in two-hour blocks. So, you’re looking at $240 for a 2-hour lesson. But if you buy a pack of 10 hours (5 lessons), then the price is reduced to $100 an hour. There is also an intro lesson for $50 to see if you have the mettle to move forward.
You don’t need your own equipment to learn, but once you get up and riding, you’ll want to buy the kite gear. A total setup can run you from $2,000 to $4,000. But if you take lessons at Matheson Hammock and buy gear through Adventure Sports, they’ll give you a good discount.
Windy season in Miami is from November to April, so now is the perfect time to learn. The kite school is usually busier on
the weekends, so call ahead or schedule a lesson during the week. To get set up with lessons or learn more, call 305.733.1519 or go to adventuresportusa.com.
By: Katelin Stecz