Hi I am going with three newbie girl kiters, a newbie guy and a 1 year old who is yet to do her first lesson
any tips and advice very welcome!
we are staying at my island home the Pizza Hut Accom!
also anyone else going to be there shout out
yeow
Hi I am going with three newbie girl kiters, a newbie guy and a 1 year old who is yet to do her first lesson
any tips and advice very welcome!
we are staying at my island home the Pizza Hut Accom!
also anyone else going to be there shout out
yeow
are you going with Zephyr or by yourself? Zephyr 5k without flights.. fark... I rather go somewhere else in the world. But I dont know if its possible to fly by yourself?
Hi I am going with three newbie girl kiters, a newbie guy and a 1 year old who is yet to do her first lesson
any tips and advice very welcome!
we are staying at my island home the Pizza Hut Accom!
also anyone else going to be there shout out
yeow
are you going with Zephyr or by yourself? Zephyr 5k without flights.. fark... I rather go somewhere else in the world. But I dont know if its possible to fly by yourself?
Going with ourselves - taking our own gear and renting a place it is half the price!
I was there in 2012 with Zephyr after winning a comp on Seabreeze so some things may have changed since back then, but here are some of my thoughts. It's still the best kiting trip I've ever been on.
- Dining options are reasonably limited (there were only 2 when I was there, think there are more now) as are the hours some places are open. Best to plan ahead when and where you are going to be eating. The ladies at the info center there were handy for advice on this.
- The local shop is only open at certain times/days and is quite $$ , so I found it handy to bring as much allowed food with you as you can fit in for things like snacks, breakfasts etc. Also handy to have some stuff for a dinner too in case you misjudge timings.
- Take reef shoes. One of the guys on my tour sliced his foot on the second day and had to sit out almost the rest of the 10 day tour.
- Take plenty of sunblock. Sun isn't as harsh as back in Oz, but if out on the water a lot you will go through it quicker than expected.
- The Cocos Club is the spot to go for a few drinks to wind down the day with some locals and probably any other visitors on the island at the time. Great prices too and they also operated as a liquor shop when you may want to take a box of beers or something back to your accommodation.
- Crabs were everywhere. Early morning (or on a late walk home from the club) you might find a bunch of them on the roads but they'll skittle out of your way when they see you coming. Little red hermit crabs also seem to live in pretty much every shell on the beach.
- The islands not large but you might need some way of getting around. It's probably about 4 or 5km from your accommodation to where there best spot is for kiting the lagoon (www.google.com/maps/place/Air+Force+Rd,+West+Island+6799,+Cocos+(Keeling)+Islands/@-12.1959185,96.8606591,906m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m5!3m4!1s0x2f0ec5c4182700cf:0x24978c06c5a74264!8m2!3d-12.2046914!4d96.8435472) With Zephyr they had 4wds or bikes to use to get you there or back. I think there may have been rental options on the island but not sure.
- It's really safe. We never bothered locking anything up (car or house) while we were there.
- The lagoon (from the area above) is also only best for kiting at certain times each day. At high tide there can be no beach left to launch/land from and water will be over part of the track there. When it gets closer to low tide it can get a bit shallow in places with some of the coral ready to take out your board. But there is a sweet spot in the middle there.
- Wind can be variable there but I was lucky and kited every day from the afternoon I hopped off the plane to the morning of the day I left. If it was light in the morning it usually filled in as the day went on.
- If you've looked at any of the stuff on youtube or the visitors site you will have seen plenty of things for non wind days (or even on windy ones if you just need a rest day from too many days kiting). Snorkelling "the rip" should be a must do thing there but will need to be arranged a day or so in advance. Playing golf across the runway on Thursday is a crazy experience even if you've never played before. Or else go on a tour over to Home island for a great Malay experience.
Hope you have a great time.
For newbies just be careful of the tides. There is quite a tidal drift at the kite beach if you are kiting the wrong time of the day, and you can easily drift downwind away from the beach - if you have tendency to teabag alot then don't bite off more than you can chew (stay close to shore) particularly if you don't have rescue craft access. I've seen kites drift across the lagoon out into the open ocean toward Madagascar before!
Just a few more things to add. Buy an additional piece of luggage. Get a styrafoam container and fill it with food. Frozen meat on the bottom, veggies and fruit on top of that. If you still have room, eggs and some dry goods. If it's light and non perishable then it will be available on the island, so don't worry too much about those things. If you have any special dietary requirements (Vego,vegan,organic,fussy) then you will need to take much of what you like/need to eat as the produce on offer is basic.
You will need a Ute and a scooter from Cocos Autos. You will need to drive to the Yacht club to kite and if there are 6 of you then that's 5 in the Ute and one on a scooter. They doos supply baby seats so make sure you specify one.
The Ash/Kylie canoe tour to Pulu Maria and beyond is well worth it. A trip to Direction Island is mandatory and make sure you have snorkeling gear for this. The Home Island cultural tour is also worth while.
Sorry what were the dates for faff fest 2019 again?
Seriously this sounds like the worlds biggest f around. Ive had an easier time getting chinese bbq pork and a bottle vodka in a islamic village that didnt have running water
Sorry what were the dates for faff fest 2019 again?
Seriously this sounds like the worlds biggest f around. Ive had an easier time getting chinese bbq pork and a bottle vodka in a islamic village that didnt have running water
Wow as dave grohl said..... there goes my -
I was there in 2012 with Zephyr after winning a comp on Seabreeze so some things may have changed since back then, but here are some of my thoughts. It's still the best kiting trip I've ever been on.
- Dining options are reasonably limited (there were only 2 when I was there, think there are more now) as are the hours some places are open. Best to plan ahead when and where you are going to be eating. The ladies at the info center there were handy for advice on this.
- The local shop is only open at certain times/days and is quite $$ , so I found it handy to bring as much allowed food with you as you can fit in for things like snacks, breakfasts etc. Also handy to have some stuff for a dinner too in case you misjudge timings.
- Take reef shoes. One of the guys on my tour sliced his foot on the second day and had to sit out almost the rest of the 10 day tour.
- Take plenty of sunblock. Sun isn't as harsh as back in Oz, but if out on the water a lot you will go through it quicker than expected.
- The Cocos Club is the spot to go for a few drinks to wind down the day with some locals and probably any other visitors on the island at the time. Great prices too and they also operated as a liquor shop when you may want to take a box of beers or something back to your accommodation.
- Crabs were everywhere. Early morning (or on a late walk home from the club) you might find a bunch of them on the roads but they'll skittle out of your way when they see you coming. Little red hermit crabs also seem to live in pretty much every shell on the beach.
- The islands not large but you might need some way of getting around. It's probably about 4 or 5km from your accommodation to where there best spot is for kiting the lagoon (www.google.com/maps/place/Air+Force+Rd,+West+Island+6799,+Cocos+(Keeling)+Islands/@-12.1959185,96.8606591,906m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m5!3m4!1s0x2f0ec5c4182700cf:0x24978c06c5a74264!8m2!3d-12.2046914!4d96.8435472) With Zephyr they had 4wds or bikes to use to get you there or back. I think there may have been rental options on the island but not sure.
- It's really safe. We never bothered locking anything up (car or house) while we were there.
- The lagoon (from the area above) is also only best for kiting at certain times each day. At high tide there can be no beach left to launch/land from and water will be over part of the track there. When it gets closer to low tide it can get a bit shallow in places with some of the coral ready to take out your board. But there is a sweet spot in the middle there.
- Wind can be variable there but I was lucky and kited every day from the afternoon I hopped off the plane to the morning of the day I left. If it was light in the morning it usually filled in as the day went on.
- If you've looked at any of the stuff on youtube or the visitors site you will have seen plenty of things for non wind days (or even on windy ones if you just need a rest day from too many days kiting). Snorkelling "the rip" should be a must do thing there but will need to be arranged a day or so in advance. Playing golf across the runway on Thursday is a crazy experience even if you've never played before. Or else go on a tour over to Home island for a great Malay experience.
Hope you have a great time.
Legend thanks for advice much appreciated!!!
Just a few more things to add. Buy an additional piece of luggage. Get a styrafoam container and fill it with food. Frozen meat on the bottom, veggies and fruit on top of that. If you still have room, eggs and some dry goods. If it's light and non perishable then it will be available on the island, so don't worry too much about those things. If you have any special dietary requirements (Vego,vegan,organic,fussy) then you will need to take much of what you like/need to eat as the produce on offer is basic.
You will need a Ute and a scooter from Cocos Autos. You will need to drive to the Yacht club to kite and if there are 6 of you then that's 5 in the Ute and one on a scooter. They doos supply baby seats so make sure you specify one.
The Ash/Kylie canoe tour to Pulu Maria and beyond is well worth it. A trip to Direction Island is mandatory and make sure you have snorkeling gear for this. The Home Island cultural tour is also worth while.
Legend!!!
For newbies just be careful of the tides. There is quite a tidal drift at the kite beach if you are kiting the wrong time of the day, and you can easily drift downwind away from the beach - if you have tendency to teabag alot then don't bite off more than you can chew (stay close to shore) particularly if you don't have rescue craft access. I've seen kites drift across the lagoon out into the open ocean toward Madagascar before!
If you are on your own - not on tour - can you purchase boat rescue
Zephyr used to sell a sort of club membership for if you were there but not on one of their tours. Allowed you to use their shed to keep your kit at the beach and get rescues I think. Cant see it on their site now but couldn't hurt to ask them.
Zephyr no longer offer boat rescue for people thats not on the tour.
But you don't really need it. You can walk back in case of trouble on most parts of the lagoon. And if not you will end up in the bottom of the lagoon in any case.
Once you make it to the beach, just chat with the locals for pointers and tips. Its a really friendly and welcoming kite community on the island.
What dates are you on Cocos?