FAQ's for Kite Beach, Cabarete, Dominican Republic: Check list when traveling to Kite Beach Dominican Republic (this information was compiled through experience as Lodge Manager) 1. Pass Port required 2. cash...this is a cash country...most bars and restaurants will not take a credit cards 3. Bank cards work as long as the bank has electricity. You can take out about $100-$150 per. 4. The exchange is 38pesos to the dollar at the banks...35 pesos to the dollar at the restaurants 5. Best thing to do is bring cash and change it at the bank the first day you are here...low to no crime here so having cash is not a big deal. 6. No pot in this country, lots of coke, but if you do it in the bars, you'll go jail. 7. Rent-a-friends are $50-$100 a session...staying the night is negotiable. If you have questions or  problems, don't call me. 8. The only way you will get ripped off is if you get involved with drugs or the girls that stay the night...so stash your stuff before leaving the house...If you have a problem, don't call me. To book your trip or schedule lessons, call me: 809-849-2147 methodlodge@gmail.com  

Kite Beach Wind, FAQ's and Action

From the perspective of The METHOD LODGE Owned and operated by KITEs Method Producer, John Holzhall. www.methodkites.comKite beach wind is solar driven which means that later in the day is better riding and more times then not, the wind cranks after 4pm. This leaves riders plenty of time to catch some morning surf or re-cooperate after a night of reggaeton (Latin Reggae/Hip Hop). Generally the day's heat rises and cool trade winds fill in providing side on-shore winds of 20 knots. These same trade winds push water onto a well defined outer reef, providing riders with chest to head high waves, flat water inside and rolling blue water swells on the outside. When the trade winds fill in, there is no shortage of good riding! Q. Why is there no wind? A. Fronts or tropical lows disrupt the High Pressure. When this happens, the chance of good wind decreases.With that said...don't give up on wind at Kite Beach...be available from 3pm-7pm these 4 hours usually rock! Q. How many days of wind are there on Kite Beach, Cabarete. A. 200 strong trade wind days. 65 ride-able light trade or days. 50 North West or Clearing wind Days. 50 no wind days. Q. What is the windiest time? A. Summer, but storms happen all year, so August and September can be stormy as well as January and February. Q. Is kite Beach the same as Cabarete? A. No they are different towns and much different wind. The town of Kite Beach is next to (West) of Cabarete. Although they are side by side, they are very different. 1. Cabarete Bay is a natural wind shadow, a great place to dine and drink on the beach because it faces North West 2. Trade Winds come from the North East, so when you are in Cabarete you basically have your back to the wind, the land, trees and buildings offer shelter. 3. Wind shadows are just that, places the wind does not reach 4. Wind shadows are not generally where wind sports take place Kite Beach/ Punta Goleta 1. Kite beach is a North East facing beach/point (Punta Goleta) 2. Kite Beach bears the full brunt of the trade winds 3. Kite Beach is too windy to enjoy a lobster and wine on the beach is a "shelf" just in downwind of a "point", Punta Goleta. Points receive a lot of weather.        

Kite Beach Wind Video

Saturday, May 2, 2009

  FAQ's for kite Beach RD: Check list when traveling to Kite Beach Dominican Republic (this information was compiled through experience as Lodge Manager) 1. Pass Port required 2. cash...this is a cash country...most bars and restaurants will not take a credit card 3. Bank cards work as long as the bank has power. You can take out about $100-$150 per. 4. The exchange is 35pesos to the dollar at the banks...30 pesos to the dollar at the restaurants 5. Best thing to do is bring cash and change it at the bank the first day you are here...low to no crime here so having cash is not a big deal. 6. No pot in this country, lots of coke, but if you do it in the bars, you'll go jail. If you have a problem, don't call me. 7. Rent-a-friends are $50-$100 a session...staying the night is negotiable 8. The only way you will get ripped off is if the girls stay the night...so stash your stuff before leaving the house...If you have a problem, don't call me. For mor about training with John Holzhall, kiteboarding's premiere Coach click here... http://www.kiteboardcenter.com/contactus.html Directly east or upwind of Kite Beach is Cabarete Bay. Kiters will be impressed by the quality and quantity of food in Cabarete. This beach is packed with great restaurants offering every type of food and beverage. In Cabarete, everyday is Christmas and every night is New Years Eve. The food in Cabarete is just rewards after an afternoon of catching all the waves, eating under a canopy of Palm frongs helps complete the tropical vibe. Kitebeach on the other hand gets quite at night, unless Extreme Hotel has one of it's legendary raves or the Method lodge has a local style pig. What is there to do when there is no wind? Kite beach is a triple threat! Great Kiting, Good surf and Excellent Spear Fishing. The Method Lodge is more of a University than just a kite school, these lessons happen daily: - Every level of Kiteboarding for new riders and those who want to Coach the KITEs Method - Kite boat rides and Classes - Spear fishing and surfing tours About Kite beach Q. Is the water crowded? A. Yes and No. Two factors make the near shore area of kite beach very crowded. 1. Advanced riders seem to like to ride together. 2. The traditional way of learning takes up a lot of room. On the other hand, the reef has very few riders and there is miles of super reef, upwind and down wind of kite beach. So, if you like blue water or waves, you got the place to yourself. If you like riding in front of the beach...get ready for a lot-o-traffic! Q. How many days of wind? A. 230 trade wind days, 100 days of light to onshore winds, 35 days of North West or clearing winds. June July and August are the most consistent, the other nine months have good trades mixed with waves and rain. Storms (cold fronts or Hurricanes) generally kill or cut the trade winds. Map: The KITEs Method Resort sits on kite beach, 18 degrees off the equator and faces North North East. The Kite beach is a short 20 minutes from Puerto Plata International Airport. Miami is only an hour and 20 minute flight. Kite beach is only a part of the story, the town of Cabarete borders kite beach and is famous for it's laid back eclectic party scene and cuisine. - Cabarete Bay is a natural wind shadow, a great place to dine and drink on the beach because it faces North West, it is sheltered from the trade winds. Trade Winds come from the North East, so when you are in Cabarete you basically have your back to the wind, the land, trees and buildings offer shelter. 1. Kite beach is a North East facing beach/point (Punta Goletha) 2. Kite Beach bears the full brunt of the trade winds 3. Kite Beach is too windy to enjoy a lobster and wine on the beach because it is a "point" which receives a lot of weather. Kite Beach FAQ's What riders really need is input from a single guy who knows how it goes after mid-night. With no where else to turn, they chose me. They are plenty of other guys who know the party scene better than me, but non of those guys were coherent enough to write a story. I quickly did some research and discovered the following: After midnight: Cabarete transforms into a truly unique party scene, many restaurants become laid back "lounges" where fine wines and stories flow. Other restaurants come alive with the sounds of Hip Hop and Reggaeton. This setting is a far cry from the dark smokey clubs of the cities. Cabarete disco-techas operate under a canopy of stars, the Rum and Mama Wanna (Dominican Yager Mister) flow as people bounce from club to club along the beach. Chicas: Life and everything in it is relative, take for example a woman's sexuality. In the DR, women work hard to perfect their sexual potency, many would say it is a priority, even an obsession. Other places in the world it is common for girls to dress down and walk around with no make up, their love is not for sale or rent. Even the suggestion could land you in a world of hurt. In the DR, the opposite is true, rarely will you meet a girl who is not wearing designer jeans and sporting extensions and a fresh manicure. Women spend hours on hair, out fit and makeup and yes, more times than not, their love is for rent. To call these girls prostitutes would be callous; Rent-a-Friends is a more fitting term. Cabarete has it's share of rent-a-friends, but the Red Light district of Sosua is the home of the working girl. Cabarete is really a family town which is clean and safe. Sosua, on the other hand is the heart of the action for the seasoned kiteboarder. Most Red Light Districts are seedy and populated by thugged out pimps. Not so in this town, Sosua has a number of fine clubs which boast a 10-1 hot girl to guy ratio. Prostitution is legal in the DR, pimping is not. Bottom line, a lot-o-chicas are selling what they shak'en. Would your girlfriend be comfortable at these clubs? Probably not, but they fun places to kick back and have a few drinks after a day of kiteboarding. These clubs are the polar opposite to the standard Western/Anglo night clubs. In Sosua, simple eye contact with a woman can land you some action. Lily white guys can quickly be overwhelmed by aggressive chicas eager to trade affection for dollars. Most guys simply have never been in the position to turn chicas down. It is a must in Sosua. Here is a quick how to: 1. The Finger wag 2. No means no, don't feel bad about saying "No" to a hot chica. Lame excuses like, "I would but I have a girl friend" , "Not now, maybe later" are a sign of weakness. 3. Don't smile, if you don't like a girl tell her to beat it! The older heavier girls have to sell harder for obvious reasons, don't let them steam roll you, be strong, say No! My advice: There is more to life than sex, these girls all have PHDs in Latin freak dancing. They are happy to simply dance with you as long as you let them know up front that you are interested in "Dancing and nothing more" " bailar y nada más"...drinks and $500 pesos ($15USD) is usually more than enough. If you do fall in love, start the negotiations early, always demand breakfast in bed and express interest in having her pump your kite the next morning in a Brazilian cut. Dates are rumored to run from $20 for the most seasoned traveler to $100 for the lily white tourist fresh out of momma's house. Be cautious: (this is not personal experience, but rather the experiences of Lodge Quests) Always stash your electronics and cash before you go out, you never know who you might return with! Always give the girl's license to the Watchman, she can retrieve it after you check that you have everything!  

Method Coach

Become a KITEs Method Coach - $1199 includes the Method ALL Kite and the KITEs Method E-course.

20 hour Coaches Course on Kite Beach, Dominican Republic complete with the ALL KITE - $1199. Contact us to reserve your space.

The  KITEs Method Coaches Course has evolved. We now have the entire Method online in Text and Video. Most importantly, the course includes the Method ALL Kite. Guaranteed to give you more range with less gear  for your school.  We Guarantee that you can do twice as many lessons with half the gear! One Kite becomes Six Kites with the Method ALL Bar.

Get Fit...Have Fun...get Sun

  Paleolithic Diet + Paleolithic Exercise = Fun and Fit for Life! Book your trip now! Join 'Maui John', Paleo Expert and Ocean Sports Top Coach, for an eye opening week of fun, sun, sport and Paleo foods on the North Shore of the Dominican Republic. Cabarete - Method Kite Lodge SUP - Paddle Board Cove from franky sommer on Vimeo. We customize Paleo Camps to fit the Clients needs, abilities and expectations.  All sports are Coached by Maui John, Ocean Sports Top Coach. Camps include any combination of the following sports. Paddle Boarding, Kite Boarding, Fishing, Spear Fishing and Kite Boat Fishing. Contact us to schedule your camp. Accommodations range from "camping" equipment supplied, "budget rooms", "spacious ocean front condos" , "deluxe ocean front Pent House". Contact us to customize your trip. No matter if you want a relaxing day of foraging and  Paddle Boarding through the National Park or if you want to challenge radical wind and waves. Wind and Water are the two most powerful forces on Earth. Riding these forces make for exciting action. It does not matter your level, age or experience, we have a package for you. Learning to be a Paleo/Waterman is a great journey into another  way of living, perhaps the finest way of living. Diet (foods are listed in the order...closest to the water's edge first) Ocean Side 1. Sea Grapes - These trees grow directly on the beach, they bear a small grape with a large seed. Sea grapes quench nicely. They are consider the Waterman's Grape Gatorade 2. Coconut The Coco is the Crown Jewel of Waterman Food. The meat is a great food as well as the base ingrediant for seasonings and candy. The water is the life blood of Watermen. Packed full of electrolites...excellant for re-hydrating. The husk is dried and jused for fire starter and the shell or nut has too many uses to list. 3. Sea Almond These trees also grow directly onn the beach. The leaves are used to make tea as well as great fire starter and compost. The Almond falls in a casing which is edible, then sun dried for 3 weeks. Each casing contains one nut. The Above foods can all be gathered and eaten immediately upon exiting the water. In fact, A Waterman never passes from the ocean to the house with out picking and eating Sea Grapes and usually a Coconut as well. Near Beach Foods. The following are easily gathered within 200 meters of the shore line. 4. Surfer's Tabacco 5. Lemon Grass 6. Noni 7. Sugar Cane 8. Mango 9. Banana 10. Passion Fruit 11. Papaya 12. Platanos 13. Orange 14. Lime

Quality down winder from Kite Beach to Sea Horse Ranch..."lots of waves and the wind fills in all the way" says Maui John..."as I got to the east side of Sea Horse Ranch, I was shocked at how beautiful that place is...massive estates with private beaches...very nice" . The trip is 4 miles and takes about 30 minutes depending on how many waves you ride.

Hurricane Katia is going to bring moderate to large Surf to the North Coast of the DR, this storm is a non issue for us as it moves North. Bermuda is going to get slammed as usual, but what makes Katia unusual is the formation of a Tropical Storm off  East Coast of North Florida. The East Coast has the potential to get "Pressure Washed" as Hurricane Katia pushes the smaller tropical storm against the East Coast. Watch  a Tropical Low spinning in the Gulf of Mexico near the 100 hour mark. This Low is going to come across North Florida soaking the area, as it enters the Atlantic, Hurricane Katia is going to slam it back onto the East Coast...Could be a nasty, wet Holiday Weekend for the East Coast .

Looks like quality action this weekend. Hurricane Katia is rolling towards the North Shore of the Dominican Republic. Paddle Boarders are looking for another "perfect storm" situation.  Katia will stay north of the North Shore, leaving us on the weak side of the storm again. Look for large  Swells to roll in on Saturday followed by off shore winds. Maui John holds a 1 storm lead in the SUP CUP- Big Wave Challenge "...this is gonna be a good storm...' says Maui John "...Kite Beach is set up perfect for this swell direction and we will be in the Lee the whole time...we are gonna have good surf with off shore winds."

  The 2011 Hurricane Season is peaking, another massive storm is just a week a way from the North Coast of the DR.   http://www.stormsurfing.com/cgi/display.cgi?a=natla_height It looks like the North Coast of the DR will be in the LEE (weak side of the storm) again. Look for large surf to roll in this time next Monday with moderate off shore winds.   This could be another great SUP - Paddle Boarding storm. Irene brought some quality action and wave heigths were large enough for the 'SUP CUP - Big Wave Challenge' to happen. We expect the same for this storm.  Again, the North Shore of the DR will be on the weak side of the storm, which could make for excellent Big Wave SUP action and possibly a few days of Kiting.

The Storm  was a bit rough for the North Coast of the Dominican Republic...banana trees got taken out and some people lost signs but this was a small price to pay for the two good days of  surf and the one "Big Tuesday."  Paddle Boarders in Cabarete and Kite Beach were happy as wave heights grew and the Big Wave SUP CUP happened, Maui John was the only Paddler to Pass the Break. "...a couple of guys were trying to push out on 'lay down boards', but they didn't make it...that worried me a bit." says Maui John. "...but I was watching the OP2 channel all morning and I felt like it was working...I hit outside OP2, I had a good session there before moving over to Method...it was a good day...no lost gear, no broken leashes and no poundings" says Maui John. He went 5 for 7 and took the storm easily. Wave heights were estimated to be 8-12 feet.