I have an opportunity for a last minute trip and would love some feedback on where to go. I had a cancelled surf trip so now I have 4-5 days next week, and I’d love to push my downwind journey over the hump. I’m a few months into the SUP journey and I think I’m right on the hump of “competent beginner” if I can get a few days of good conditions.
Flying out from South Florida so ideally Caribbean. Just needs to be somewhere with some downwind infrastructure like shuttles, board rental or a lesson would be nice too. I guess Hood River could be in striking distance but would lose more time to travel. Claude AI says do Cabarete.
I kite and wing too so I will find a way to have fun if I end up struggling on the SUP.
Thanks in advance!
Cabarete is the best Carribean spot I’ve been to for wing, kite and parawing (and good surf), but not much of a downwind scene. There is a run that I’ve downwinded with a wing, from La Boca to Cabarete bay, but its really not that long and the sideshore wind alignment isn’t ideal. You can extend that run, but the logistics become cumbersome. So if its downwind that you’re after, I’m not sure Cabarete is your spot.
Ive done a lot of Caribbean spots and I can’t really think of any that would be great for downwinding like La Ventana, Maui or Gorge. There is a downwind race in Guadeloupe (I think it might be going on now), but I went down there once and while its a nice island I wasn’t very impressed with the setup or conditions. There was a ton of Sargassum too, which was a drag (literally) - so look out for that if you are going to the Caribbean in general.
I haven’t been, but the conditions in Colombia look amazing and I know thats a pretty easy flight from SoFla. @OmarFoilCol
Puerto Rico?
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Hey guys -
Our windy season it’s kinda on and off right now, I think El Niño is favoring windier conditions when in past years by this time of the year would be less windy or even some rain. Past couple weeks been firing up here, but next week looking no wind (but good for prone foil), so can’t recommend my home spot atm. Best time to come here is between january and march even april. May stays good but with more risky days.
I was in Curacao like a month ago family trip no foiling, but conditions were really seamed to be really good, seems like theres a good crew of downwinders there, logistics are doable as well since there’s roads all the way in the coast.
Here’s a contact: +599 9 675 5532 / Hilda Curacao SurfSpot, maybe they can help you setting up the logistics and even rental of equipment.
She told me may and june it’s good season there - They are close to Colombia but we start getting rain weather that holds the alisios winds, and they still get some more dry weather and alisios winds more directly. I would think the side of the island they do their runs on willemstad is protected from sargasum, but ask that as well.
Let me know how it goes!
Would you consider Cabarete good for UpwindDownwind sessions on Wing/Parawing?.
Never been there but seems like the westerlies sideshore winds would be good for that.
The main setup in Cabarete is Cabarete Bay, which is a very wide and deep bay with a reef about 1/2-3/4 miles offshore. Oversimplifying, but winter is swell season with lighter wind and summer is wind season with more inconsistent swell. I usually go in the late winter/spring when the seasons overlap.
Ive found that when conditions are strong wind, things can get messy outside of the reef, but fast and chunky bumps reform for long (up to 0.5 mile) “downwind style” rides inside of the reef that you can loop all afternoon. Chunkier just inside of the reef, then more mellow bay style connecting as you get closer to shore. Just because you are inside the reef doesn’t mean flat. When wind is lighter but there is swell, the reef can be a perfect clean foil wave with plenty of depth for a foil but in these conditions it often flattens out a bit inside of the reef. The wave stands up with some steepness and feathers or crumbles, but it doesn’t really pitch and its been some of the best wave riding I’ve gotten on foil but the loop is shorter. Parawing and wing are the right tools in either conditions.
So it really depends on the conditions during your stay. Not always downwind style riding, but there is generally either swell or wave riding to be had.
Honestly, the downwind run that I mentioned above is novel but not really worth the logistics in my opinion (at least when I’ve been there - maybe it is sometimes). The best riding is around Cabarete Bay. Kite Beach is just northwest of Cab Bay but its shallower and reefier (and dominated by kiters).
Its a thermal spot, so usually wind picks up mid day until 5 or so. Morning is glassy and there are tons of good surf breaks if there is swell.
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Jupiter area seems to get decent small DW conditions, have you considered buying a bigger foil and just driving up there?
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