Turks and Caicos resorts are known for giving their guests the royal treatment. From fully equipped chef kitchens to private balconies to direct access to beautiful Caribbean beaches, many five-star resorts on the Providenciales island do their best to make your Turks and Caicos vacation memorable.
However, while the resorts are masters of hospitality and luxurious comfort, they might not offer the fun activities you want for an island escape. Don’t get me wrong. If you want to be pampered and relax, any of the Turks and Caicos resorts will have you covered. But if you need a break from tanning, dozing on the beach, or floating in the shallow beaches, you might need to step off the resort grounds.
That’s actually the beauty of visiting the Turks and Caicos islands. Your vacation can be equal parts relaxation and heart-racing excitement.
Have you ever tried kiteboarding?
Kiteboarding (or kitesurfing) is among the most popular activities on the Turks and Caicos islands, but it is rarely offered by your resort. Fortunately, there are some great companies and excursion packages that offer kiteboarding on the Turks and Caicos islands.
Kiteboarding for Beginners
Kiteboarding is a surface water sport where a rider (the kiteboarder) harnesses the power of wind using a large controllable kite, which propels them across the water on a kiteboard.
While professional athletes treat kiteboarding as an extreme sport, kiteboarding is perfectly safe and fun for nearly anyone—including children and seniors. However, it is ill-advised to learn on your own. It’s important to learn from a PASA- and IKO-certified kiteboarding instructor to be truly safe as they can provide a complete picture of the sport, rather than bits and pieces of information should you learn on your own.
Big Blue Collective’s kiteboarding program is designed to help beginners get started with the sport by tailoring instructions specific to the individuals. Since your Turks and Caicos hotel and resort most likely doesn’t offer lessons, Big Blue can help put your on the water safely.
Kiteboarding Lessons
Every instructor will approach the first lesson differently, but all certified instructors will stress the same thing: safety.
The bottom line is to keep yourself and the people around you safe. Before you even get on the water, your instructor will teach you how to make good assessments and decisions based on the weather. Once your instructor gives you the “okay” to go on the water, there is no guarantee you will be up and riding, but you will have a foundation to build up your skills.
Kiteboarding equipment
A kiteboarder harnesses the power of the wind with a large controllable power kite to be propelled across the water on a kiteboard similar to a wakeboard or a small surfboard, with or without straps or bindings.
Common kiteboarding equipment includes:
- Power kite
- Flying line
- Control bar
- Kite harness
- Kiteboard
- Safety hook knife
- Helmet
- Personal floatation device
- Impact vest
- Board leash
Managing all the above equipment shows how important it can be to have a good instructor guiding you at the very beginning of your kiteboarding adventures.
Where to Kiteboard on Turks and Caicos?
As a beginner, choosing where to kiteboard is as important as having a good instructor. Every beach has its own character in the way the wind and water moves and just because a beach seems to be popular with kiteboarders, they might not be the best places for beginner kiteboarders.
Long Bay Beach
The best place to learn and do your first launch is Long Bay Beach. The lessons can be accessed near the Shore Club entrance, one of the premier Turks and Caicos resorts on Providenciales island.
Big Blue instructors teach primarily on Long Bay Beach because its orientation creates the ideal wind and water conditions for beginners. The sand is powder soft and the water is only waist deep for hundreds of yards. This means instructors can walk next to you while you learn and give you pointers and corrections right when you need them.
Getting to Long Bay Beach
There are multiple ways to get to Long Bay Beach from your Turks and Caicos resort for your kiteboarding lesson.
Shuttle (Free)
Big Blue offers a complimentary shuttle to any guest at a Turks and Caicos hotel and resort in the Grace Bay area.
Taxi
All taxis on the Providenciales island know where the Shore Club Entrance is. Just tell the driver “Long Bay Beach, through the Shore Club Entrance” and you’ll get there in no time.
Driving
If you’re driving yourself, you simply need to get on the Leeward HIghway, the main road running the stretch of the island. You’ll most likely need to head east (away from the airport) since the entrance to Long Bay Beach is near the south eastern side of the island.
Look for the Shore Club resort and turn into the entrance. Continue to the end where you will make a right turn followed by an immediate left. Park where you can but don’t leave any valuables in the car.
Head to the beach access and you will see Big Blue Collective immediately to your left.
Leeward Beach
Getting to Leeward Beach from a Turks and Caicos resort is simple and easy. However, while it is the start of many wave “surfaris” and the end point of “backcountry” kite safaris, Leeward beach has strong currents and a lot of boat traffic. Leeward Beach is better for intermediate to advanced riders and is not the best place to get your first launch.
Grace Bay
Grace Bay is another popular kiteboarding location, however it is for EXPERTS ONLY. The water is deep and riders must be accomplished in riding upwind and relaunching their kites in the water.
I’m Ready to Kiteboard on My Turks and Caicos Vacation. Now What?
Contact Big Blue Collective and schedule your first lesson! Our instructors have decades of combined experience and are ready to help you on your first launch.