Has anyone any info about windsurfing at Ansa Vata Beach in Noumea...do they have quality rental kit or should i take my own...also what size kit is normally used..( I WAS THINKING ABOUT ONLY TAKING 1 BOARD; 101L FUTURA) .I have booked flights for mid june.I have read a forum on here allready but that was written about 5 years ago..Thanks for any help.
Hi KevKev
There is plenty of hire gear there and it is good quality, most boards & sails are within 2 years old although the learner gear keeps going until it is dead.
There are 2 main hire places right on the beach, the southern one has Naish and JP boards with Naish and NP sails, they operate out of a pavillion on the beach.
About 250 meters up the beach from him is a guy with a couple of vans full of gear he has RRD boards and Loft rigs. He is more respected by the local sailors and is pretty flexible on price and time. I have attached some photos of the gear in his trucks taken last september.
There are quite a few windsurf stores just across from Ansa Vata, Diablo Surf and NC Funboard are probably the easiest to get to, they are about a 10 minute walk from Anse Vata beach. The stores can organise trips out to the reef for wavesailing if you are keen.
When the wind arrives it is usually constant 15-25 knots, flat water with a bit of chop. Warm water and a few islands you can sail out to.
If you want any more info let me know, i go over every couple of years and love it over there.
It is a great place to hire a camper van and travel up to the north of the island there are heaps of great camp grounds where you can stay.
Cheers Chris
When I sailed there (over 10 years ago at the now defunct ClubMed) they warned that there were stonefish around and advised to wear some foot protection. Might want to bear that in mind.
Hey guys...thank you all for that .....looks like i will be spoilt for choice....cheers kevin. 
here are the locations on anse vata looking down from above club med
i don't have any photos of when it's windy cause i go sailing instead of taking photos
cheers chris
Hi Guys,
I am looking at going over in July for a week. Seems like a good selection of gear available. Do you recommend taking a harness or are they available as well in the hire cost?
What strength wind is happening in early July and do you ned a wettie?
Thanks.
Hi W Bailey
You don't need a harness as they have plenty there at the hire places, if you need a new one then it is worth buying one over there as the shops have a big range of gear and the prices a bit better than aus. They certainly have plenty more retail outlets than down here in Tas anyway.
Not sure of wind in July but there are weather records for new cal kicking around on the net.
The other hire place probably has more gear than the guy in the trucks, you can prebook the gear the day before you want it, to make sure you get what you want, just call down and have a chat to the hire places.
Cheers CHris
I sailed there a few years ago after our cruise ship took an unscheduled stop there(someone on board had a heart attack!) We did not come across anywhere else that had windsurfing around Vanuatu etc. But saw many great places for sailing just begging to be discovered. Oh to have a yacht and go cruising.
Stumbled upon Laurent Gauzere - Sp8ce Windsurfer Hire at Antse Vata, Great Local Guy! He used to be on the world tour several years ago and was very helpful and flexible with hire. I changed boards and went for an extra hour or so at a reduced rate. He is a Loft sails distributor and his hire rigs looked very new. On the day it was only about 10 - 15 knots which apparently is VERY unusual. Ended up on his biggest board 180L and largest sail about 6M which tells you a little about the average wind strength. I was hanging for a sail though and it was great even though conditions were ordinary. he has plenty of boards around 90 to 140l range from memory. email him for more info - go to the loft site for email details.
Laurent has a thick accent and a little difficult to understand his broken English but that was half the fun - learning from the locals all about the place. I can tell you the babes are gorgeous in NOUMEA French/ Polynesian honeys.
The beach was terrific - Clear water, Sandy, grass, shady palm trees, tap water and showers and ample parking close to water. Many NSW beach Councils could learn a lot about how to cater for windsurfers there.
Apparently over the other side near the big art gallery sail sculture thing is another great sailing place. Didnt get there as the ship was only in port for the day.
Enjoy. Now i'm feeling envious!
I stayed there two years ago and I know the spot, Anse Vata, quite well. I was in an apartment overlooking Anse Vata, Casa del Sole. I was there in March at the time at the tail end of the cyclone season. It's a great spot. They even vacuum the beaches after a storm. I took my own gear but found you could rent sails pretty cheaply. It's the entire rig (board +sail) that costs quite a bit to rent. I didn't have any trouble with the airlines taking my gear over and air calin gives you an excess baggage allowance anyway. I would however take my own harness and helmet at a minimum and maybe even my own harness lines. I also mailed back some stuff to minimize the amount of luggage coming home such as the mast extension and base. The beach is a bit rocky inshore and there's lots of coral around particularly down the western end of the beach so you want to watch out in low tide. You can reach back and forward to l'ile aux canards (duck island) quite comfortably, a bit over a kilometre. I had a 6.2m wave sail with me and it was good most of the time. If the wind has started to taper off you'll probably need something bigger. Laurent speaks English fairly well and was very helpful. I would conur with all of the other comments.
