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wind

  • Predicting a Sea Breeze

    We've recently had a pretty annoying lack of decent winds especially when we add in the factor of trying to run our school and kitesurfing lessons.

    Early May we had a good run of suitable winds and managed to get a good amount of students through their 2 day (and even 5 day) courses.....then this fine weather we are presently enjoying, great for the BBQ's  killed the winds!

    Frustrating for our uber keen students but also extremely frustrating for us as a professional full time kitesurf school trying to arrange cover with instructors etc on a slight "chance" of some wind....it also ultimately means no lessons, no money!

    So what is a sea breeze, well the simple answer is that the land heats up quicker than the cold air over the sea, it then rises and the cold air over the sea rushes in to replace the rising warm air.

    See the image below to better explain this.

    seabreezeNOAA

    Fortunately for us as we live so close to the beach that does regularly produce these breezes (Porthcawl & Aberavon S.Wales) we can jump on it as and when the wind may just build enough. This can be even more frustrating for students waiting on there lessons to be run and wondering why we are getting the odd sessions in whilst we are saying it's not suitable for them, what they don't see is the hours stood on the beach just waiting for the wind to pick up..just another 2-3 knots please!!

    It is normally required to be a nice warm sunny start to the day with the classic "The Simpsons" clouds in land (the big white fluffy ones! With no clouds out over the sea. If we are lucky we may get a decent 20 knots or so for a few hours, the problem is predicting when this may happen.

    It's worth noting that in general we are extremely lucky that we do indeed get any sea breezes at all, the further west you head into Pembrokeshire etc they rarely get a sea breeze. It's basically that the beaches and more importantly the hills/forestry etc inland from the beaches help produce these favourable conditions.

    For our kitesurfing lessons we ideally need 4-5 hours of at least 15mph winds pref from a westerly direction (onshore/cross onshore) Factor in tides also and it starts to get very difficult to bring all the requirements together. When it happens we take it for granted and then...it's gone again!

    Check the clouds in the distance over the land/hills in this photo....and clear blue skies over the sea. Typical of a sea breeze.

    11855757_10153399601406294_274538311844245402_n

    Typically in the past, a sea breeze would kick in around 12pm as the land inland heats up and would then last until approx. 6pm when the land begins to cool back down again. So a good 6 hours of useable conditions.

    The last few weeks however the winds have been all over the place with occasionally a breeze just barely enough for a quick 30-60mins or riding and then as quick as it arrived it's gone! Even equipped with my Hydro Foil board it's barely been enough most times.

    If anyone ever comes up with a way to predict a Sea Breeze then they will most certainly become extremely wealthy very quickly....or at the very least an extremely happy kitesurfer!

    In the past we have had days of sea breeze at say Rest Bay but nothing at Aberavon 7miles away, only for it to then stop and switch the other way around, for no apparent reason.

    The bottom line is....we can't really predict a sea breeze, we can make an educated guess but little more than that.

    Anyway as I right this it looks quite likely we may be getting a change in weather here very soon and hopefully we will all get to have a great summer of warm sunny windy conditions.

     

  • Why choose your Kitesurfing Lessons in Porthcawl, S.Wales

    So why choose Porthcawl / Aberavon for your kitesurfing lessons?

    Huge empty sandy beaches Huge empty sandy beaches

    After many years kitesurfing and at most of the popular kitesurf beaches around the UK I will always return home thankful that we live and kite in the area that we do.

    The local beaches at both Porthcawl and Aberavon are only 15mins apart but between them they offer so much choice. One of the biggest pluses is the huge sandy beaches (SAFE) they both offer...miles of open sandy beach and normally pretty quiet as well (other than a few high days during the summer like B/H etc)

    Safe in our hands Safe in our hands

    Porthcawl and Aberavon are also extremely easy to get to...each literally only a few minutes off the M4

    There is a core group of kitesurfers in the area and then also a regular crew from "over the bridge" from places like Bristol and the Midlands etc
    The local guys and girls are very well known for being extremely friendly and always keen to offer help to both newbies and kitesurfers visiting the area.

    11800111_10153380731706294_4540240138085461213_n

    The predominant wind direction is SW and cross onshore, there are usually waves..not always big but can make life harder for those not used to them. BUT once you are capable in the surf it will mean no two days are the same and it will turn the beach into one big open playground with the waves as ramps to boost off or rip to shreds!

    Click here:
    Summer with Blast Kiteboarding in S.Wales Video

    We are extremely fortunate to actually live in the heart of Porthcawl, a small seaside town and offering a few beaches working on different wind directions and small enough to be able to walk to all amenities such as the shops/bars/cafes/restaurants etc and you know what? We wouldn't live anywhere else.
    We offer kitesurf lessons 7 days a week from March-November here in Porthcawl and Aberavon and only use current up-to date equipment from many of the best brands on the market. All our instructors are fully qualified to the highest standards and possibly equally important...are extremely passionate and motivated about this incredible sport....and this passion is infectious! There are not many instructors with more enthusiasm then our head instructor Richie!

    Click here:

    Kitesurf Lessons in Porthcawl S.Wales with Blast Kiteboarding Video

    Porthcawl has many excellent B&B's and all close to the beach (watch this space for more exciting news regards Kitesurf Accommodation for 2016 season).

    We can offer a full range of lessons tailored to suit your needs whether you choose the most popular two day course or 1-2-1 lessons specialising in wave riding (Marc is current 3 x British Wavemasters Senior Champion)

     

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