Forums > Kitesurfing General

Advice on Safety bay from locals

Reply
Created by Richardkite > 9 months ago, 27 Nov 2010
Richardkite
WA, 3 posts
27 Nov 2010 6:55AM
Thumbs Up

Hi, just reading your forum and trying to understand if this place would be good when it is South Easterly. I am a beginner and have been trying to learn (slowly...) at Mullaloo, and taken a few lessons from Rob here. I want to kite somewhere this weekend (Saturday & Sunday) if the wind holds up - and probably ends up SE direction. Here is what the website: http://www.wasurf.com.au/kite_locations.htm says

................................................................
Safety Bay, WA

We operate 7 days a week, all year round. The team at the WA Surf offers kitesurfing gear hire, lessons, and advice at all levels, from kids all the way to advanced participants.

Safety Bay, Rockingham: why it's the best place to learn kitesurfing

There is a reason for the name. The on-shore conditions together with the sand spit create simply the best teaching and learning conditions possible. The sand spit extends perpendicularly out from the beach for 500 metres. Windsurfers and kitesurfers are separated by this sand spit, with the windsurfers to the left and kitesurfers to the right. This means no one is getting in each other's way. There is an established level of safety, organisation, and most of all, respect here.
The bay is perfect for learning because the safety of on-shore winds means no one's getting blown out to sea. You can also walk up the spit to get further up wind as you're learning. This is especially perfect for the kiter learning to body drag.
On the kitesurfing side, the sand bar slopes away very gently. This gives you a perfect waist- to chest-deep area to learn in. Learning to body drag down is just so much fun, and this makes it simple and easy to get out and walk back up wind.

The shallow bays are great for beginners as the reefs, islands and sandbars protect the sheltered waters providing ideal high-speed slalom conditions. Penguin Island and Warnboro Sound challenge the more advanced sailors with long exhilarating runs over short steep chop and open ocean swell.
A strong thermal sea breeze often referred to as the "Fremantle Doctor" arrives most afternoons during the summer months. Best sailing is from October to March with wind speeds normally around 15 to 25 knots. When the wind doesn't turn up there are many other attractions to suit the visitor. These include diving, sailing, recreational boat and jetty fishing, vast stretches of white sandy beaches, swimming with wild dolphins and visiting sea lions and penguins on the nearby islands.
Safety Bay is a great place to commence your Western Australian kitesurfing experience before you safari off to Lancelin, Wedge Island, Geraldton, Shark Bay, Margaret River and other internationally well-known locations.
...............................................................................

However I have picked up on some of your posts that suggest there is not much space and a lot of anti-beginner attitude here?

Just like to find a spot that can put up with a respectful but poor capability (so far..) kiter,

Thanks,

Richard

ApatheticEnd
WA, 995 posts
27 Nov 2010 9:17AM
Thumbs Up

No problem at all if you kite on the outside of the point. People are getting pissed about people trying to learn in "the pond". It's a super flat, shallow, protected bay inside the point. It's too shallow for safe learning anyway. It's a spot that is suited to intermediate to expert kiters.

Just park at the yacht club and walk straight out from there. Rig up and kite on the outside of the point and you'll be fine. It's a great spot that is used by plenty of learners and works in a SE. More experianced kiters will just head upwind from you. In a SW seabreeze though, it's bang onshore. Head around the corner to near Penguin island and you'll have a long, uncrowded beach (less crowded anyway), that is cross onshore most days.

Richardkite
WA, 3 posts
27 Nov 2010 11:12AM
Thumbs Up

Great - thanks for the advice, is there any kind of map that would make it clear for me as I am not sure where the 'pond' is - I've never been down there, so it might be obvious when I get there.

Cheers, Richard

Charl dv
WA, 2485 posts
27 Nov 2010 12:41PM
Thumbs Up



see that map where the number 1 is marked, you can kite there and it will be fine, do not kite on the inside of that spit though (in that cove bit)



Subscribe
Reply

Forums > Kitesurfing General


"Advice on Safety bay from locals" started by Richardkite