Discover California kiteboarding for
Wind, waves and westcoast lifestyle
California kiteboarding offers many choices. This ocean-side state provides endless kitesurfing opportunties. The only drawback is the competition for good beach/launch space. This state has the same population as the entire country of Canada, and, of course, everyone wants their piece of waterfront paradise.
The main areas of California kiteboarding include
Bay Area kiteboarding
locations, the Central Coast and Southern California. The Northern and Central parts of this state definitely have the most consistent wind. The wind is the strongest in the North and gets lighter, less predictable and less common as you go down the coast.
Wind and swell conditions for all California kitesurfing locations.
A decent wetsuit (4/3) should see you through the cold Pacific waters year-round. You can strip down a little in the summer months down south.
Southern California
The kitsurfing "season" in SoCal is June to September although Southern California wind is harder to predict than in other parts of the state.
A number of kiting locations exist south of LA in Long Beach. The best place for beginners is Belmont Shore Beach. Many of the other locations are for intermediate or advanced kiters only. With high demand for beach use unsafe kitesurfing could jeopardize the access for all kiters. Sunset Beach and Seal Beach have narrow dedicated launch spots. These places can get big waves so unless you can handle challenging conditions, these aren't the spots for you. The best wind is a NW.
Other advanced areas include: Topanga (North of LA) and Leo Carillo located in Malibu. Leo Carillo State Beach is where you will find a thermal side shore, wind (a south westerly). This beach is sandy and can get very crowded but the lifeguards accept beginner and advanced riders. The water is flat or chop so good for beginners.
Topanga has a very advanced kiteboarding launch (a helmet is advised). The wind is more consistent and steady than Leo Carillo but it does get crowded as its the nearest kiting location to the city.
For those new to the area check out the Southern California Kiteboarding Association www.scka.org for very very important information and rules necessary to know before kiting on these popular and busy beaches.
When visiting SoCal bring your large kites. If you want epic conditions you need to drive 6 hours north to San Francisco kiteboarding areas or 4 hours north to the Central Coast. From what I have heard the only really good thing about the San Diego kiteboarding scene is that you are a lot closer to epic wind and waves in in Baja, Mexico.
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