| Flying High With Cozumel Kiteboarding! |
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| Thursday, 18 May 2006 | |
There is nothing like flying over the waves in Cozumel... Cozumel takes its name from the Mayan cuzamil - meaning Land of the Swallows - due to the birds frequenting the island. But now there is a different type of graceful bird in the sky overhead. Kites. Huge, nine to twenty meter multi-color kites. The island’s “blue Jell-O” water and variety of conditions make it an ideal spot for practicing the fast-growing sport of kiteboarding. Raul De Lille, the island’s resident water sports champion, speaks about the “endless possibilities” for kiteboarding in Cozumel. Raul is a Cozumel born and raised world champion and Olympic windsurfer. In 1999, kiteboarding came along, so he “took the ride”. In 2001, already one of Mexico’s best kiteboarders, he became certified as a kiteboarding instructor. Now he has given up competition and enjoys focusing on training new kiteboard addicts. He is quickly becoming one of the most sought after coaches in the industry.
He likes to kiteboard and instruct in three main locations: the Country Club beach, the Lagoon or the Wave Ranch. The first two are towards the north of the island, on the west side. The Wave Ranch is on the Other Side. All offer white sand beaches with few passersby to disturb the concentration. Raul has partnered with Lisa Evans and Nicole Ferroni, the owner-managers of Cozumel guest house Casa Viento, in the Country Club Estates. Aptly named the “Windy House”, Casa Viento is a kite compound with accommodations available in the main house or fully furnished private apartments. The compound features a pool, barbeque, secure gear storage, wireless internet connection, laundry and massage services. Perfect for relaxing after a hard day of kiting. He recommends his students stay there since “the hosts are nice - really open and friendly – and the prices are not at the high end”. He adds that - most importantly - “within walking distance you can be kiteboarding”.
For beginners, coaching, including equipment and a Waverunner, costs around US$300 per day. There will be a maximum of two people per session, so you will receive genuine personal attention from a real kiteboarding champion. You will get a good discount on the nightly rate at Casa Viento too. Comments (0)
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Cozumel, he says, is one of the best locations for kiteboarding. It beats the
Mayan Riviera coast due to its geography. Being an island, you can find
offshore, onshore and side shore winds all within driving distance on any given
day. This is where Raul’s “endless possibilities” come from.
Raul,
along with Lisa and Nicole, offers packages for locals and tourists to learn to
kiteboard. You will need a day of dry kite practice before you will be ready to
go into the water. Raul insists “kiteboarding is easy, anyone can learn it”, but
he goes on to warn that you should take lessons from a certified instructor, “it’s
like scuba-diving, you need rules and safety or you can get hurt”.
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