First Time Kitesurfing in Cape Town - A Mind Blowing Experience

I can finally understand why all the big air kiters are crazy about Cape Town returning there year after year. Spectacular place, amazing food and scenery and insane wind conditions almost every day.
We kited at:
*Blouberg (Kite beach, Dolphin beach etc)
*Misty Cliffs - 1 hour drive from Blouberg
*Platboom beach - Cape Natural reserve (€20 admission fee and open until 7pm or 8pm depending on the season)
*Hermanus - unreal location 2 hours drive from Blouberg
*Langebaan - It's beautiful but there was no wind despite the good forecast so I didn't kite there during this trip. Also I am a huge fan of big waves and kickers so it's not my first option :)
Blouberg has various spots like Dolphin beach and kite beach.
Just find the spot that is the least crowded to begin with. Then you can start paying attention to the waves and learn how to time them.
Usually Dolphin beach was the busiest although there are always places with less people.
My favourite spot with less people was the west side of the beach close to High Five kite school.
Be mindful that 30 knots in Cape are not 30 knots. The forecast was always lower than expected so when you see 25 prepare for more than 30 :)
At the beach parking lot it usually doesn’t look as windy as it really is. Make sure to observe the other kiters and what sizes they ride with and walk down to the beach to feel the actual wind.
The sunset session is usually the strongest one.
Save some energy for the golden hours!
Remember where you parked
Everything looks the same from the water so keep a landmark as an anchor point.
You will be surprised how easy you can loose the point of reference
Leave your 12m at home!!
I brought all my kites but never used my 12 and barely the 10m.
-- Useful tips for wifi and working remotely --
Load shedding can be a nightmare especially if you are not prepared for it.
Download the Loadshedding notifier APP and add your area of interest.
This way you will know when to expect the power cut off.
Buy a SIM card and always charge your devices when you have electricity.
When searching for accommodation make sure your landlord provides a separate power supply for the router ;)
-- Driving --
We were nicely surprised to see great roads everywhere in the cape and chill drivers overall. No stress on the road at all even though they drive on the opposite side than what we are used to.
Avoid driving at night - we heard plenty of stories about people throwing stones on your windows or oil on your windscreen for you to stop and hijack your car.
-- With Kids --
We loved the Waterfront in Cape Town as it was easy to keep Nefeli busy.
We also visited Bugz twice as it’s one of the best playgrounds / theme parks I have ever seen. The Giraffe house was nice to spend a couple of hours and bring your own lunch but I wouldn't place it as a highlight.
Overall we spent a lot of time in malls that have playgrounds as public playgrounds were very limited.
-- Food --
Try the grilled ostrich at Kloof street house in Cape Town is by far the highlight. Hard to describe in words you just gotta try it.
* The Biscuit Mill (Open market during the weekend. Great people and lovely vibes. We had a great time visiting for a couple of hours)
* Catch 22 - Delicious Seafood make a reservation for a great sunset view
* Blowfish - Excellent Sushi and great seafood - make a reservation for a sunset dinner.
-- Good to know --
UBER works great in the country. The rates are very good and the drivers reliable. Airport to Blouberg cost €12,00.
It's kind to leave a tip. Waiters don’t earn much and heavily rely on your tips.
Most of the times the service was exceptionally good. Friendly staff and the food was arriving quite quickly.
Overall it was a 5***** trip. We learnt so much about the country and the people and we loved the interaction with locals.
For kitesurfing it's just the place to be. An important school if you want to advance and push yourself outside of your comfort zone.
I personally feel that I improved and became a better rider in many ways.
-- What were the cost --
* €710 - Great flight with TurkishAirlines from Athens. Short layover of 2:45' hours in Istanbul. 40kg luggage per person allowed without including the kite gear. +€180 for a 32kg kitesurf bag roundtrip.
* €48 / per day for a 2 bedroom apartment in the WestBeach (booked via AirBNB)
* €22 / per day for car rental (HYUNDAI i10) (www.rentacheapie.co.za) - Enough space for 2 people to travel around with kite gear.
* €10 per person for a very good meal in a restaurant (Burger price with fries €6, Fish and chips €5)
* €1,20 / liter of gas
* €1,20 for a cup of coffee and €2,50 for a beer in a bar
With a €2000 per person budget you can easily visit CapeTown, drive around and eat outside most of the days.
Super market was also quite cheap so if you take advantage of the fully equipped kitchen in your Airbnb then you can further cut some costs.
Thank you for watching!

[@woosports]

This is epic. Thanks for sharing your experience with the world, Tomasz! 🤙

[@JustGoKitesurfing]

Thank you for watching and for building such amazing products that makes this experience even more special! Huge fan! #WooRocks

[@erbartlett]

My kid loves climbing on my kite bags when I’m packing :)

[@johnjoedaly]

Love it! This video has convinced me that I need to go 👍 One of the few kite videos to S.A. that actually shows a bit of family life on the trip.

[@JustGoKitesurfing]

Thank you for watching and really appreciate your comment 🙏I had to cut a lot of family moments to keep this not too long 🤣 You should definitely go and when you do, don't hesitate to shoot me up for more family tips ;)

[@AlkisSpiliopoulos]

What a nice vid. Good vibes only!! Για ελάτε προς Αγ Ηλία με καλό νοτιά. Θα περάσουμε καλά !! 🎉

[@MrMrmidnight]

Good video! Thanks for sharing it with us!🤙🏻

[@JustGoKitesurfing]

Thank you so much for watching! I really appreciate it!!🙏

[@gstav]

Μπράβο κατσαπλιάδες 😁

[@moffmo]

Loved seeing the stoke in this video!! All the screaming 🤣

[@JustGoKitesurfing]

Thanks for watching Matthew 🙏 I've really never felt such a rush of adrenaline before! Cape Town offered some really special feelings! I understand now why people are so obsessed about this place!

[@moffmo]

@@JustGoKitesurfing I need to get out there myself. Once I can kite loop, will think about it seriously :D

[@devincorreia7931]

Oh yes love the energy!

[@JustGoKitesurfing]

Thank you so much 🙏 And you provided the best home for these experiences to take place 😁🚀

[@igetpaidtocode]

Crazy kitesurfing session tomasz!!! Beautiful place

[@JustGoKitesurfing]

Thank you for your kind words 🙏 It’s indeed a magnificent place

[@johnteki]

Really cool video!!!

[@thodorisv.7646]

Τρομερό Βίντεο μπράβο!! Ζήλεψα

[@JustGoKitesurfing]

Ευχαριστώ φίλε! Του χρόνου :) Ετοιμάσου 😁

[@nx9537]

Just subscribed! Fantastic video. Really helpful info below. Definitely on my list.

[@JustGoKitesurfing]

Thank you for your kind words 🙏

[@fysalides1]

Bravo!! super! very informative video! Αν εκανες με το 7άρι εγω που ειμαι 60 κιλα ...δε παω καθολου η μαλλον δεν χρειάζομαι αετο! θα με παιρνει ο αέρας!!! Τα λέμε Ναυπακτο καθε καλοκαιρι εκει ειμαι!!!

[@JustGoKitesurfing]

😂😂 καλά τα λες!! ένα 5αρι η 6αρι θα χρειαζόταν! Ευχαριστώ για το comment - Cu in Nafpaktos 🤘

[@thebreak247]

Wow what an epic video 🙌

[@JustGoKitesurfing]

🙌Thank you so much!! Means a lot to me... Makes the whole time and passion that goes into this totally worth it 🙏🙏

[@ChinamanMike]

Amazing one of the best videos I've seen on CPT. What drone did you use for this trip?

[@JustGoKitesurfing]

Thank you for your positive comments Mike! Was an incredible experience. I used DJI Mavick 2S 🙏🤘🤩

[@andreaspoke8273]

Only Kitesurfer understand. Pull that bar right and than left little bit is a exiting thing.

[@JustGoKitesurfing]

😄How much happiness simple things can give!! 🤩

[@yan060910]

great video, I can't wait to go, scheduled for January 2024, you have a good level of kiting

[@JustGoKitesurfing]

Thanks buddy! Happy that you planned it for January ❤️ Get ready for an experience of a lifetime 👌👌 I will be there again from Dec 12 till Jan 9th 🤩

[@vikingh3008]

Fantastic 🤙🤙🤙

[@JustGoKitesurfing]

Thanks for watching!! ✌️

[@aschwinvoermans4764]

Well edited!

[@JustGoKitesurfing]

Thank you :D I appreciate the comment 🙏

[@hauke4067]

Great Video! Thank you for all the details! :) One question: Would you choose to stay at westbeach area again? Blouberg is a nice place to kite, but all the other spots are quite far away.. Cheers!

[@JustGoKitesurfing]

Hi Hauke! That’s a great question :) Actually for our second trip we are considering staying closer to Dolphin beach to save us some time from driving to Misty Cliffs and Cape Town. There were not many options to do with kids at Blouberg so we were leaving to different excursions every day. I would certainly consider other options than Blouberg to save some time driving around ;) I hope it answers your question! Cheers 🍻

[@christiaanventer8183]

oh! the lights flickering in the video is because some countries have electricity at 50Hz and other 60Hz, and your camera recording would have to change between PAL (25fps, half of 50hz) and NTSC (30fps, half of 60hz) (or just manually set the camera fps) Glad you enjoyed Cape town! I don't do nearly enough touristy things around here (but I'm also looking at starting kite surfing around Blouberg)

[@JustGoKitesurfing]

Had no idea about these setting buddy. Thanks for sharing these insights with me. I record default 30fps with GoPro and with DJI Mavick - will certainly look at it on this on the next video 🙏 If you do start kitesurfing, embrace yourself for a strong addiction 🤩

[@dajbucha]

Oh wow and you learned kitesurfing 4 years ago and pulling kite loopa that high ? Do you kitesurf on daily basics ?

[@dajbucha]

If not hot many days u kite per year I do kitesurfing for about 10 years and im way worse than you 😅. Unfortunately i had years with 7-10 days of kitesurfing :/ I learned kiteloops last year on bigger kite now i need to try them on smaller one with bigger wind but its kinda scary haha 😁. Btw im in cape town to. Kiting in langebaan. We did garden route What an amazing country. One of the best tripa of my life Cheers dude ✌️✌️

[@JustGoKitesurfing]

Thanks for watching! Great comments🤘 The first years I kited in the Netherlands and usually it would be like 2-3 sessions per week if lucky with the wind! The past 6 months I moved to Greece with my family to try and kite as much as possible - I managed to score more than 100 sessions in 7 months so that came with loads of progression 😂🤩🤩 I spent hours analyzing videos and tutorials from Pros and lot of time visualizing the moves. Don’t rush the kite loops, it’s not a matter of years but actual time spent training on them! When you feel comfortable enough you can push yourself a bit harder🤘 For at least a year I was very reluctant to pull a loop higher than 6 meters! I don’t feel like there’s something to prove but nice crossing your own limits one step at a time ;) CapeTown definitely had a special moment in my heart! Happy to read your excitement and your amazing memories! Keep sending it 🤘🤘🚀 Cheers man 🙌🙌🙌

[@supermeiki]

Supercool….be back in few month……which boardsize u use ?

[@JustGoKitesurfing]

Thank you for your kind words 🙏 The board is 137cm!

[@adamlasry5225]

My friends tried kitesurfing in Dakhla, Morocco 🇲🇦 A great value no other African country can beat. My French and British friends said Morocco is a lot cheaper and closer to Europe. 🇲🇦 Morocco 🇲🇦

[@JustGoKitesurfing]

Thank you for your comment. I think it’s really about what style of holidays and experience you seek overall. Dakhla is in the dessert, South Africa has astonishing forests. They are two magnificent locations but I don’t agree in comparing them towards which is better ;) If you have been to both then happy to hear your experiences

[@adamlasry5225]

@@JustGoKitesurfing I was merely relating the experience of my European friends who could be in Dakhla for a weekend. Paris to Dahkla is only 4 hours and 40 mins I am told. A short hop. And Dakhla is very cheap given it is only a tiny town in the Moroccan Sahara. I live in London, UK. It would be about 6 hours for me. Doable over a long Bank holiday. South Africa would be almost double that time. Geography plays an important role. And I haven’t told you about the beautiful city of Essaouira, Morocco. Look it up on you tube. Only 4 hours from London.

[@interfoliaeducation2466]

Which version of the Woo are you using? Great Video:)

[@JustGoKitesurfing]

Thanks for watching! I am using Woo 3.0 with the Garmin Forerunner 245 which is one of the simplest / cheapest Garmin watches

[@MrViolity]

Nice video! Which watch are you using?

[@JustGoKitesurfing]

Thanks a lot buddy 🙏 I am using the basic Garmin Forerunner 245. Works pretty good with WOO and it's a very affordable watch👌

[@mottitsch]

Maybe a stupid question, but.. Considering traveling alone to cape town, where to leave all the things lite wallet, mobile, aso? I havent seen yet any kind of sunbeds or bars on videos/pics, therefore i am really wondering how to manage things going to the water..

[@JustGoKitesurfing]

It’s not a stupid question :) While kitesurfing we always brought only what’s absolutely necessary to the beach and everything in the car was always hidden. People that live close to the beach usually walk only with their kites and pumps to the beach without any phones or walllets. There are no sun beds or bars indeed. There are kite shops close to the beach though. Blouberg is a safe place to be although I would never leave personal belonging exposed. For example don’t leave your kite bag with any valuables on the beach.

[@mottitsch]

@@JustGoKitesurfing many thanks for your explanation 😊👍🏾

[@JustGoKitesurfing]

@@mottitsch you are more than welcome! I had with me a surflogic lock to place my car keys. surflogic.com/shop/key-locks/key-lock-maxi/ I saw many people do the same ;)

[@JustGoKitesurfing]

@mottisch quick update. By using the Surfpad Lock we had 2 of our 3 rental cars stolen in front of the kite beach. The cars were located by the rental companies via tracking system but some of our kites were stolen :/ After consulting the locals here's the safest thing to do if you go by car to the beach: Take a waterproof case and put the key inside and carry the key with you in the water! Don't use the SurfPad Lock for any reason.. You learn something every day...

[@mottitsch]

@@JustGoKitesurfing omg, thats so sad, hope you did get coverage by your insurance for that?! One thing i wanted to discuss is the robustness of the surflogic safe. Because i did already buy a similar safe from Abus before, which appeared to me maybe bit more robust. If you still have one surflogic we could compare the weights. The Abus weigth is 750g, maybe you or anybody else can weight the surflogic.

[@justinsmith4562]

Would be better if it was a flat water spot

[@JustGoKitesurfing]

Hehehe! Flat water is definitely a nice to have :)

[@Switcher795]

Get a surf board

[@JustGoKitesurfing]

I had one ☝️ but you need the right wave conditions to have fun with it …