Silver Rock beach is the well-known spot when kiteboarding in Barbados. It is also one of the main spots for our kitesurfing lessons.
It’s located on the south-east of the island, just 10 minutes drive from the airport. The spot is a beautiful beach with soft white sand, palm trees and turquoise water. Due to its conditions, it’s the perfect spot for everyone kiteboarding in Barbados: beginners, freestyle lovers, wave riders and freeriders! Close to the shore the water has moderate chop and at low tide can be somewhat flat. This makes it fun for those looking to hit-off some kickers, and enjoyable for those beginning to learn. There’s also a section with fun little waves ideal to practice the first turns on a directional board. And then there’s the outside reef, where the wind and waves align perfectly to offer an amazing scenario for the wave riders.
You’re also going to have to share the water with the green sea turtles, an oasis full of them!
Need to know:
- Wind direction: Side, side-off shore
- The beach is 300 meters long, with enough space to safely land and launch your kite
- The spot is full of sea turtles. You will be able to spot them for sure!
- Limited by rocks both east and west of landing and launching sites
- Reef located around 200m far from the beach
- On a good day: Double overhead waves at the reef (1 to 3m high)
- On an OK day: knee to head high waves at the reef
- Small waves perfect for beginners close to the shore
- Clean faces, left hand waves
- South swells are the most common
- Cleanest, glassier waves at low tide. More messy, choppier waves at high tide.
- Depth of the reef: Mid tide: 6ft; Low tide: 5ft; High tide: 7ft. No danger of hitting the reef!
- When the wind is offshore, go to Long beach as the conditions should be better
LONG BEACH
Long beach, just 5 minutes driving from Silver Rock, is a wild kite spot you can’t miss when you visit Barbados. As you approach the beach, you’ll feel the magic of it: an untouched beach with just palm trees, white sand, turquoise water, wind and waves.
Kiteboarding in Barbados reaches a new level at Long Beach, with 1.5 km of Caribbean beach to get busy with. It’s the favourite spot for learners, with a lot of room to go downwind in uncrowded waters. It’s also top on the list for those who like to have a place to themselves and enjoy a spot with less people. You can be kiting just with your friends at any time of the year!
This is also the ideal place to hang out with your friends under the trees, enjoy a BBQ and kite. The perfect beach day in paradise!
Need to know:
- Side to side-onshore winds
- Enough space to safely land and launch your kite
- Limited by a cliff on the east side and rocks at the west side
- Cleanest waves when the wind is NE and middle tide
- Depth: 0.5m on the shore to 3m out
- Open ocean so the water is choppy
- Big shore break with south swell and high tide
- Reef located around 100m far from the beach
- On a good day: Overhead waves at the reef, head high waves close to the shore
- On an OK day: Head high waves at the reef, knee to head high waves close to the shore
- Left and right hand waves
- South swells are the most common
- Very fun waves close to the shorebreak at the West side of the beach.
- At the bottom of the beach (east) is less wavy, perfect for the freestylers!
- Another fun thing to do is to start a downwinder from Long Beach to Silver Rock, stopping at Surfers Point, which is a famous surf break. Get ready to venture down and play with some waves on the way!
Sandy Beach is the representation of flat water when kiteboarding in Barbados. Conditions for kiteboarding here are favourable when the wind blows in a S-SE direction. This usually happens more often during specific months of the year, mainly around February to May. If conditions align, we can also give lessons here.
Kiteboarding in Barbados is a special treat at Sandy Beach. You’ll find flatter water and also a reef with clean waves. If you close your eyes and picture a paradise beach, that is Sandy Beach: a bay with shallow crystal clear water, palm trees falling into the water, beach bars and of course, the wind! This place is a little secret for the kitesurfers, not many people know about it so most probably you will have the spot to yourself!
Need to know:
- You have to share the beach with other users, including swimmers and picnickers.
- There are fishing boats and other vessels anchored. Be sure to stay clear of them.
- When the tide is low the outside reef is too shallow. To enjoy the waves go during high tide!
- Flat water spot when the wind blows S-SE, otherwise the wind at the beach is very gusty.
- If you are lucky you can see baby sea turtles hatching as is one of the beaches where the green turtles like to nest.
