Kiteboarding Cairns - Australia

Kitesurfing Lessons – Go Private and Structured!

Andrew Bamford — Wed, 15 May 2013 10:11:41 +0000

So you wanna learn kitesurfing? Awesome! What’s most important is that you get off to a good start. Picking the right lesson structure and the right school can make a difference between getting up and going early or giving up after your first kitesurfing lesson.

Kitesurfing Lessons – Should be a Great Investment

Lets face it. Kitesurfing lessons do cost money. So you expect to get quality tuition right? Absolutely! Here are some of the things I think are essential when it comes to having good lessons.

Are Group Lessons Worth it?

I have to say, that group lessons quite often are a waste of time. Some schools will offer discounted rates for group lessons. They will say something like: “Hey, its super cheap if you get a group lesson with us. We are going to be out on the water for 4-5 hours and it will only cost you $xxx.oo.”

What usually happens? You will be sent on the water in a group of 3-4 people and one instructor. The instructor will have to try and teach everyone at once. Some people will pick it up quick and others will struggle.

In reality, everyone learns at their own pace. No two people learn at the same speed. Therefore, group lessons usually do not work. If you are a fast learner, you will be waiting for those that are struggling to keep up and if you are a bit slower in acheiving your goals you will always feel like you are not keeping up with the team.

Private Kitesurfing Lessons

Private kitesurfing lessons are awesome. You have one instructor and a set of clearly defined goals for your lessons. The instructor takes you through your lesson at your own pace. There’s no patiently waiting for your turn or getting left behind. Just solid one on one tuition.

Fact

The fact is you can learn much more in 2-3 hours with a dedicated instructor than you can going our on the water for a tedious and grueling 4-5 hours in a group. Quality one on one tuition is 10 times more beneficial that most group arrangements.

Learning in Pairs

Learning in pairs is an option that can work and we do offer this at KBC. However, it is paramount that the pair are matched up effectively. Two students can help each other to gain confidence. They can also observe each other and learn that way. However, anymore that two people for an instructor is a complete no-no.

Safety

Kiteboarding is an extreme sport and things can go wrong very quickly if you don’t know your safety. With proper tuition and an instructor at your side the whole time, the risk of any injury is minimised to almost nil. If you are in a group situation it s impossible for an instructor to be at your side the whole time and the chances of having an accident increase exponentially.

Learning and Growing from Other Kitesurfing Schools

I personally have spent the whole summer at WA working with the guys at Australian Kite School. I was extremely impressed with their method of teaching and learnt a lot. School manager Christian Bulota is a perfectionist at refining kitesurfing teaching methods. Something well needed with this rapidly growing sport.

At KBC we have taken many of their concepts and added them to our own methodology to come up with a system that empowers students giving them skills, independence and vision.

So, look out of an even more professional team at KBC this year. We strive for constant improvement!

Happy Kiting – Andrew

Affordable Entertainment – $20 Stand Up Paddle Boarding

Andrew Bamford — Sun, 12 May 2013 11:43:08 +0000

Hi Everyone

Its all the rage now. Stand Up Paddle Boarding. We’ve got stand up paddle board rentals all day every day at the south end of Palm Cove. These boards are super easy to use and really safe.

We use the right equipment for the job

We only use soft top boards for our students and rentals? Why? Because they are very safe and versatile. These boards are the perfect design for learning to paddle board. A nice and wide board with a nice soft top makes it perfect for those first coming into the sport.

New to Sup Boarding? Grab lesson!

If you are totally new to sup boarding, you are going to love our introductory lesson. Its great fun!! This is a great way to get your skills dialed. It usually only takes one lesson to get the basics under your belt. After that you are ready to go out on your own. Totally independent. So come and grab a lesson and feel the SUP freedom.

Gearing you up.

We want to make sure our customers get great deals. With us its about giving you a good deal on high quality equipment. That’s why we stock Vanhunks Standup Paddle Boards. These boards are beautifully crafted and designed to glide effortlessly through the water. So check us out about these. We are happy to give you a demo at any time.

Lets Get Out there

So, whether you are ready to take the sport by the horns and do it, or if you are just keen to have a play around, we can and will guide you in the right direction. Feel free to contact us, or check out our website for more information.

Palm Cove Water Sports

Andrew Bamford — Thu, 09 May 2013 05:00:52 +0000

Kitesurfing in Palm Cove is awesome! We have been down there most days and are super impressed with the conditions. We have a large wide beach to teach at in the south end of Palm Cove and miles of ocean with no one to run into. We are really impressed with the scene down here. The locals a really friendly and the whole place is buzzing with activity.

Kitesurfing has been pretty popular down here at Palm Cove but not really that well advertised. The good thing about Palm Cove for kitsurfing is that it goes off in anything from a southerly to a North easterly wind. We’ve found that when its a gusty rainy southerly wind in Yorkeys Knob, more often than not its a clean dry wind in Palm Cove. A perfect side shore breeze.

So, if you are looking for a Palm Cove water sports activity, come and have a go at kitesurfing. We have the whole place geared up so all you need to do is come down and give it a go.

Palm Cove Stand Up Paddle Boarding

Here’s another activity to add to your Palm Cove water sports list. We’ve got ample paddle boards down here for you and the family to get out on. We are offering hourly rentals, group lessons and guided tours. So come on down and give this a go too. Palm Cove is perfect for this. If you come early in the morning the wind wont be up, so this is a perfect time for learning to stand up paddle board.

However, once the wind is up in the late morning you start to get a few waves off the beach. Perfect for surfing! You may not be able to surf these waves on a surf board but you certainly give it a go on the stand up paddle boards.

So whether its kitesurfing you want to learn or stand up paddle boarding, we’ve got them both at an affordable price. Come and check us out.

Feel free to contact us!

Green Frog in the House

Andrew Bamford — Sat, 04 May 2013 22:42:00 +0000

Hi Everyone

Here are some photos of a little friend of ours that came round for breaky this morning. Just popped in the door to say hi. Apparantly its a white lipped green tree frog.

Palm Cove Sup Boarding – Incredible Fun – Incredible Value

Andrew Bamford — Thu, 02 May 2013 12:48:26 +0000

Hey Everyone Latest new is we are now running sup boarding courses, sup rentals and guided tours right here in Palm Cove. We are pretty impressed with Palm Cove as a stand up paddle boarding destination. This place has so much on offer. Waves, flat water and scenic trips are all right here in beautiful Palm Cove, Far North Queensland.

The last couple of days have scene strong winds at Palm Cove and a significant build up in swell. What this means is more supping action. We’ve been out off the beach having a great time supping theses nice little waves. Palm Cove isn’t always like this. More often than not, in the morning the sea it flat.

Perfect Conditions for learning to Sup Board

These conditions are perfect for learning to sup. Early morning Sup boarding in Palm Cove is magic. The sun has just risen and the wind is not yet up. If you are really keen to learn how to paddle board then you need to check out Palm Cove. We are running awesome introductory packages that run for 1.5 hours.

Where to Go for Palm Cove Supping

It all happens at the south end of Williams Esplanade. Whether you are on for a morning intro lesson or are keen to rent a sup for the hour, this is the place where we meet. Its literally outside Chill Cafe. Cross the road, look out to the right and there it is. If you want to know more on prices, then check out our online shore. This gives you a choice of products to choose from . So whether its an hour or two SUP rental, an introductory Sup Board lesson, or a guided tour out to beautiful Double Island, you’ve come to the right place. Please call us or click here to email us for more information! We would love to get you out there and introduce you to the incredible world of stand up paddle boarding. See you soon. Andrew

Nothing Beats an Awesome Kitesurfing Coach –

Andrew Bamford — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 21:28:28 +0000

2010 Freestyle world champ Andy Yates ripping it up at our local spot Yorkeys Knob Cairns. He made the front page of the Cairns Post as soon as the media got wind of his presence! Pretty cool aye!!! Check out this article for more info on our awesome freestyle and race clinics that were held last weekend at Yorkeys!

Hey Everyone We just had an awesome weekend. Ten keen participants turned up for the freestyle and race clinics held last weekend on the 27th and 28th of April. So here’s a bit of a low down on what happened.

Morning Racing

Saturday morning was a bit drizzly with hardly any wind, None the less, we got everyone registered for the race clinic and Marvin from Intheloop kiteboarding took us through the ropes of kite racing. A few of us got out on the water but the rain destroyed it. So it was off to the sushi bar and back to the beach for a check in at 2.30.

Perfect Riding Conditions

Bang! The sun came out and the wind cranked up to a solid 20 knots. The south-east trades were doing their thing. With Andy Yates (2010 world champ) on the scene and ready to give us some pro tips, we all headed up to Yorkeys Creek. The creek was in fine form. Super flat water resulting from the exposed sand banks allowed for perfect freestyle training. We had camera people and video going everywhere as all the crew lined up and kited the circuit. Andy Yates was standing right on the sand bank – perfect position to give great feedback to the students. Everyone who turned up had a goal. Whether it was a front roll, back mobe, back to blind air pass or a mean pop, the crew were stoked with the skills they were learning.

How the freestyle clinic rolls

The way it worked was like this: Everyone on the clinic just went hard core and bust out their specific goal. Then they would get called in to the sand bank for some pro advice from our kiting legend Andy. Andy’s tips were awesome. As the day grew on, the smiles grew bigger on the faces. Everyone was improving!

Chilling out at the end of the day

We finished off the day with a chilled out bbq and some great reflection on the events of the day. Sunday was a bit on and off with the wind, so we were more than happy to get through the course on the Saturday. This event has proven to be a great success and we are already amped for the next one.

Awesome Kitesurfing Coaches

Both Andy and Marvin are awesome kitesurfing coaches and we are super stoked to have them come up and help our crew. Thanks so much guys! Special thanks to everyone who participated, the Townsville crew, the guys from Mission Beach, the Southern Aussies, Local Crew and anyone else who came along just to enjoy the vibe!! Wanna See how the crew went? Check out these Photos Bec Jones took! That’s it for now!

Wanna Know more about Kitesurfing – Feel free to contact us

SUP Guys and Gals! Paddle Board Mania

Andrew Bamford — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 16:01:01 +0000

Stand Up Paddle Boarding in Cairns

That’s right!

We’ve decided to get the ball rolling with stand up paddle boarding. Stand Up Paddle Hire, Stand Up Paddle Lessons and Stand Up Paddle Tours. As of 1 May its happening in 2 locations:

Palm Cove - for Rentals, Lessons and Guided Tours

Yorkeys Knob – for Rentals and Lessons

Let us guide you in to the wonderful world of stand up paddle boarding.

Whats it all about?

We’ve got 3 awesome products on offer:

Stand Up Paddle Board Rentals

If you have paddle boarded before then this is a great option for you. for as little as $22.00 you can grab one of our paddle boards and go for a cruise. We offer this product by the hour. So just rent them as long as you want. The longer you rent, the more of a discount we will give you too!

Stand Up Paddle Board Introductory Lesson

If you have never used a paddle board before, come and do the group introductory lesson with us. We will be holding these at Palm Cove every day. There are two sessions on offer. the 6.30 session and the 8.30 session. So come on down and check it out. You will love it. We will take you through all the basic skills you need to know to become an independent stand up paddle boarder.

Guided Paddle Board Tours

This ones still in the pipe line, so watch this space. Our goal here is to take you on the tour you will always remember. This is for those who already have paddle board skills. You don’t need to be an expert, but you do need to know how to paddle. This is the perfect progression for those that have already done a lesson with us.

So there it is, just a quick blog on our latest venture. We are super excited about this. We love paddle boarding and look forward to getting you out on the water. Don’t hesitate to contact us if you need to know more info or want to make a booking.

Andrew

5 Cool Season Starters to Get You Excited

Andrew Bamford — Fri, 12 Apr 2013 12:59:51 +0000

Just a quick update. The Cairns Kitesurfing season is only a matter of weeks away and we are getting more and more excited by the day. Anyway, here are some of the cool things we have in store for you this windy season as well as our latest developments:

Kiters Friend – Free E- Articles

Sign Up! IT’S FREE! You will be sent the latest information on whats happening, gear reviews and kiteboarding spot reviews as they are released. So click the download button to get more info! You’ll also be the first to know about any sweet deals we have on offer!

Ozone Catalyst 2013

The new Ozone Catalyst 2013 has hit the shelves and it is sick. This kite is a massive hit for entry level kitesurfers right through to wakestyle enthusiasts. Ozone have turned the Catalyst into an open C shape that also has great stability, wicked low end, massive depower and sweet relaunch capabilities.

We will have this kite on offer every day once the kite school is open and will be using it in our kite school too of course. So look out for the sexiest kites in the sky this year in Cairns.

Official School Opening Date – 1 May

Our official date for the kite school to open will be 1 May. That been said, we will be open for those keen to get in some early lessons from 24th April, so feel free to make your booking.

Freestyle And Race Clinic

2010 Freestyle World Champion Andy Yates will be in Cairns to take our freestyle clinic on the 27th and 28th April. Also, Marvin from Intheloop Kiteboarding wil be running a Race clinic. Both of these guys are expert coaches. This will be an awesome weekend, so hop in and sign up. Its only 50 bucks a day!

Palm Cove Kiteboarding

As of 1 May, we will be open for lessons in Palm Cove. That’s right! We are now teaching from two locations. Yorkeys Knob and Palm Cove. Palm Cove is a great place to kite with even more wind than Yorkeys Knob. Check out this article for more information on Pam Cove.

New Website Layout

As you can see, the website has had a massive face lift with a new logo, background design, layout and an online shop. We are dedicated to publishing high volumes of quality content, so please go ahead and comment on our latest blog articles.

Happy Kiting

The Team at KBC

Ozone Imp – Trainer Kite Review

Andrew Bamford — Wed, 10 Apr 2013 15:54:29 +0000

Are You Into SIMPLE FUN?

I would like to introduce a great all round kite for those that either just want to have fun flying an awesome two line kite, or those wanting to feel out what it is like to fly a kite before they decide to jump int and use a power kite or try kiteboarding.

Ozone Imp – Lively Trainer and Fun Kite

The Ozone Imp is a lively powerful kite. It comes in the following sizes : 1.3 metre, 1.6 metre, 2.0 metre, 2.5 metre. These kites are measured in square metres. So, a 2 metre kite has 2 square metres of area or canopy

Perfect Kite for Children

The good thing about the Ozone Imp is that children love to fly it. It is the perfect kite for kids to fly and will keep them amused for hours. Like children, adults love to fly this kite too. But be warned…. fly this kite once and you will be hooked. The feeling associated with controlling the Ozone Imp is fantastic

The Ozone Imp is a safe kite to fly. It has enough pull to make your arms feel like they are holding some power, but it is not going to harm you in any way.

Stunning Design and Fine Engineering

The Ozone Imp looks amazing in the sky, but take a closer look at it and you will see that it has been designed and built to take the knocks. This kite is also designed to fly through the sky flawlessly. As you fly it you will notice how it glides through the wind window effortlessly and with ease.

Without a doubt the Ozone Imp is lots of fun and exhilarating to fly at the same time. If you invest in an Imp, with a bit of care, it will last you for many seasons, giving you endless hours of kite flying thrills and Joy. So get out there and have a go on the affordable yet high quality Ozone Imp.

If you are looking for a trainer kite but think that the Ozone Imp doesn’t quite have the power you are looking for then check out the Ozone Ignition.. another step into more kite power. Need to know more? Click here to find out more.

SO AFFORDABLE – BUY IT!

Ozone Ignition – Trainer Kite Review

Andrew Bamford — Tue, 09 Apr 2013 01:39:08 +0000

The Ozone Ignition is an awesome trainer kite. Trainer kites are both useful and a lot of fun. In fact they have two main uses in my mind. These are: An Introductory Kite for land boarding and kitesurfing and a Fun Kite to enjoy the art of kite flying. Even though I’m fully hooked on kitesurfing with a real kitesurfing kite, I still love to play on the trainer kites. I especially love the Ozone Ignition. Its great fun!

A Trainer Kite that teaches you about a kite’s power

If you are new to flying kites, what better way to introduce yourself to power kite flying than to get on an Ozone Ignition. The Ozone Ignition is easy to learn to fly. With its great stability and instant depower, kite flying is a breeze.

The beauty of this kite is that it actually teaches people the basics of kite flying. A short amount of time on this kite and you will start to understand how a kite flies, how to generate kite power and also how to depower the kite.

Trainer Kites are awesome for kids

The Ozone Ignition Trainer Kite is an awesome way to get kids into kite flying. Whether you kitesurf yourself and also want something to keep the kids buzzing with excitement or if they are keen to get involved in power kiting, the Ozone Ignition is a great way to start out.

The Ozone Ignition comes in a range of sizes

If you haven’t heard, kite size is measured in square metres. The rule is- the larger the kite, the more pull and power the kite has. The Ozone Ignition comes in the following sizes. 1.6 metres, 2.0 metres, 2.5 metres and 3.0 metres. A good all round size is about 2.5 square metres.

The Ozone Ignition is safe

Lastly, the Ozone Ignition is very safe. If the kite’s power becomes to much just let go of the bar and the kite will flag onto the centre (third line). This is a safety line that keeps the kite attached to you, but at the same time ensures the power in the kite is eliminated.

Any more questions? Please feel free to contact us or browse our kitesurfing website for more information.

BUY IT!