Kiteboarding is one the fastest growing sports in the world, and South Africa is no exception. You can always find a handful of enthusiastic kiteboarders at the world-class kiteboarding destinations in Cape Town’s southern peninsula.
A word of warning, however: the southern peninsula is recognised as being more dangerous than the northern peninsula, as such it’s only recommended for more experienced kiteboarders.
PE is known as South Africa’s Windy City, but those who live in False Bay reckon that it doesn’t come close to the winds they live with almost everyday. The best time of the year to kiteboard in the southern peninsula is in summer, from October to March, as the wind is particularly persistent.
The average wind speed is approximately 15 knots (27.7 kph), but it’s not uncommon for that to increase to 30, 35 and sometimes even 40 knots (74 kph).
According to destinationkiteboarding.com, the best kiteboarding spots are beyond False Bay, around Cape Point and into the Atlantic side of the peninsula. Long Beach (between Kommetjie and Noordhoek) is particularly popular as it caters to all levels of experience, although beginners are advised to keep away from Crayfish Factory, which is out on the point.
Witsands, south of Kommetjie, and Misty Cliffs, near Scarborough, are also popular with kiteboarders, windsurfers and surfers. Scarborough Beach is only recommended for more experienced boarders as the area is prone to sudden gusts and big swells.
In the Cape Point Nature Reserve, Platboom beach offers the kind of boarding that makes the (expensive) entry fee into the park worth it.
Heading back into False Bay and prime kiteboarding beaches include Glencairn, Fish Hoek and Muizenberg. Kiteboarding at these beaches is restricted to certain areas, however, as they are also popular with bathers. It’s also advisable to pay attention to the shark spotting flags as these are areas of high shark activity.
Quick fun facts:
The kiteboarding speed record is held by Frenchman Alex Caizergues with a speed of 50.57 knots (93.6 kph)
The kiteboarding distance record is held by Louis Tapper who travelled 2000 km in 23 days.
Eric Gramond travelled 419.9 km from Fortaleza to Parnaiba in Brazil in 24 hours.
Kirsty Jones travelled 225 km from Lanzarote in the Canary Islands to Tarfaya, Morocco, in approximately nine hours.
Natalie Clarke travelled 240 km across the Bass Strait from Stanley, Tasmania to Venus Bay, Victoria in Australia, in 9 hours 30 minutes.
Jade Scully is a copywriter excited about writing copy and stories, blogging about the world and editing. She currently and regularly publishes her stories on a number of blogs. Jade loves animals and hopes to begin writing copy for the animal rescue charity TEARS as her contribution to the cause.
