Continent |
Caribbean |
Country |
Turks and Caicos Islands |
Next Big City |
Providenciales |
Next Town |
Five Cays Settlements, Leeward |
|
Type: |
Ocean |
Rider Ability: |
Beginner, Intermediate, Expert |
Features: |
Parking |
Water
Type: |
Shallow, Flat, Chop, Medium wave |
Hazards: |
None |
Quality: |
Crystal clear |
Best Tide: |
No information |
The water is fairly smooth and is shallow for over a mile offshore. There is some decent size ocean swell on the outside by the reef and a protected area closer to the beach.
Beach
Type: |
Sand |
Size: |
Big |
Hazards: |
Shells |
Beach Users: |
None |
The beach is long, wide and sandy, making it ideal for beginners and self launching. It is important that one launches from Kite Beach because further down the beach the break is covered with broken conch shells. The location is very remote, quite possible to be the only one on the beach during a windy day. The beach stretches for miles, yet there are only a few homes located on the beach. Wild dogs roam the beach and the local rancher walks his horses on the beach in the early morning.
Weather
Spring:
|
Shorts |
Summer:
|
Shorts |
Fall:
|
Shorts |
Winter:
|
Shorts, Shorty |
The water is warm requiring only a pair of shorts and a rash guard to protect yourself from the hot sun.
Wind
Best Months: |
January, May, June, July, December |
Wind Type: |
Frontal, Trade |
Best Direction: |
SE |
Main Direction: |
N, NE, E, SE |
Good trade winds during summer with 15-25 knots. During winter frontal winds. The wind on this side of the island blows sideshore/onshore and is steady due to the fact that there are no hotels to interrupt the flow of mother nature. During winter storms you can experience winds from the North that blow offshore at this spot. Theoretically, you can launch a kite from anywhere on this long stretch of beach. The beach curves slightly at the mid section where the main kite launch is located. This allows most kiters to take advantage of sideshore conditions instead of those dreaded onshore winds.
How to get there
Transport |
Car |
Access
|
Short walk |
Get to the Turks and Caicos Islands. Once there, you can rent a car and hit Long Bay. Long Bay is a long sandy beach that is located on the southeast side of the main island of Providenciales. It is about a 15 minute drive on dirt roads from the hotel area.
Extra information
At this time there are no special rules or curfews regarding kiteboarding in the Turks and Caicos. Just remember to respect the locals and the owners of the homes along Long Bay.
Nightlife
There is a growing nightlife on Grace Bay (north side of Providenciales). There is a large amount of construction from all the expansion and growth in the Turks so more and more amenities are appearing on a monthly basis. Check out the local Irish Pub 'Johnny Buoy'.