NY Kite Center

Before moving to Florida 3 years ago, I spent years going to the Kite Center. The instructors are top notch and their location next in the Great South Bay is fabulous for kiting. Smooth water and solid winds. Great people, well stocked shop and plenty of equipment. And for beginners plenty of Jet Ski's and shallow water to help you along.

The Crew at NY Kite center run a very good scene there with an excellent place to learn to kitesurf or wingsurf in pristine flat conditions on the great south bay in Long Island. I've kited there with them many times over many years and not only are they great for lessons but have great gear on hand and can get most anything you like at competitive pricing. Their the only full service kite center within the tri state area and I highly recommend them.
Harry

If you are reading this review, I'm pretty sure you are thinking about learning to kiteboard. Whenever I go someplace new, I generally read reviews first and see if that person's views are similar to mine. I'm 73 years old and my first concern was: "is it safe?" From the owner to the instructors, they go out of their way to always make sure you are in a safe environment. Five stars for safety. Secondly is it hard to learn? I guess that depends on a lot of factors but one thing that makes it much easier is where they teach you in the "Great South Bay". There are many places out there that you can stand up so you're not always treading water. I recommend that you do a two-person lesson because you do need breaks not only to catch your breath, but also to observe other students. That is how they teach at NY Kite Center.

I learned to Kite here. Everyone is top shelf. John the owner has mad skills and he’s always around supervising and giving riding tips. Marietta helps coordinate (always smiling) and the instructors are great. Steve was Awesome. He really helped me progress

I’ll start off by saying I really liked this place, 10/10,The staff is solicitous, professional and dedicated, the instructors are upbeat, enthusiastic and highly proficient, the equipment is high quality and the atmosphere is friendly, positive and encouraging.While the building itself is unpretentious, it has everything one could want in terms of location and space (feel free to ask Marietta about the building’s storied history).Your classroom is the Great South Bay where the water is generally warm, flat and shallow enough to stand.

Your transactions are internet based and require up front purchase. I was put off by the prospect of paying in excess of $1K up front for lessons that were not firmly scheduled from a place that I had no opportunity to examine beforehand (think of those tango lessons you were given as a gift and never took). Due to an extreme dependance on weather and tidal conditions, there is no way to make confirmed appointments in advance, and lessons are scheduled day to day, often with 18 hours notice or less. You do not need me to tell you that you don’t want to be out flying a kite in a low lying open area during a thunderstorm. One is expected to provide dates of availability and if conditions permit, the school will notify you the evening before. Once I had become a familiar face and had established trust, I was able to notify them of my availability and pay on arrival for my lesson. This trust worked both ways, and I developed an appreciation for their judgment and use of sophisticated weather prediction software in conjunction with a deep knowledge of local weather conditions. Hopefully this will help lessen the barrier to initial impersonal contact through the website, which makes bestowing that level of trust challenging.

I am not the world's most gifted athlete; for me, it took the initial triad of lessons and an additional 2 outings to get to the point where I (61 year old overweight male) could confidently and consistently get my fat butt up out of the water, although I was unable to do much more than that at this stage. Depending on your experience and athleticism, your experience may be similar.

I am not at the point where I can safely kite-surf on my own, but that is definitely my goal. I probably will never catch much air nor do extreme stunts, but I can foresee a time where I can go to a beach with a bit of wind and be able to ride along the beach without drowning or being swept out to sea. The center houses a retail space where there is an ample inventory of up to date equipment, and the staff is helpful.

Your equipment expense is in the same ballpark as skiing/snowboarding. However, in terms of total out of pocket,, there is a decided advantage to kite-boarding. Skiing suffers from there being a limited number of places where it can be done and the need to buy lift tix. In comparison, there are innumerable places to kite surf, and there are generally no fees to launch and recover. Once you have purchased your equipment, you are done. With the appropriate wet suit, you can kite surf any place with open water and wind. Your kite, air pump, board and lines can be carried on a large backpack that will easily fit in the trunk of your car. The only other things required are a wet suit, harness and a helmet.

The harness is absolutely critical, as holding onto a bar to carry one’s weight, as with water skiing, would be impossible. I recommend the Kite Surf College YouTube channel, though there are many others.

If you want to do this, you are gonna have to put yourself out there, be ready to take a dozen lessons at least, and be ready to accept cancellations the day before. But, once mastered, this presents a convenient, carbon friendly and extremely photogenic outdoor activity. And this is a terrific place to learn.