I can definatelly tell you that downwinders and wave riding in Cabarete are the nirvana of Kitesurfing. All you have to do is to let the wind push you downwind for kilometers. You can practice new jumps and fun stuff or enjoy riding waves after waves without having to kite back upwind.
Cabarete Downwinders
The downwinders we do near Cabarete are Wave Riding sessions, we start from La Boca River to Cabarete or Cabarete Bay to Encuentro, a disctance of about 7 kilometers.
The La Boca – Cabarete downwinder is easier because we are closer to shore and kitesurf on the beach break, you can always kitesurf a little bit offshore if ever you find that the waves are too big.
The Cabarete Bay to Encuentro downwinder is offshore and we have to go around the reef point of Kite Beach so we are kiting on the reef all the way to Encuentro, often in shallow water over the reef.
Improve your wave riding skills!
To participate in the Cabarete Downwinders, you need to be an experienced kitesurfer and feel confident in wave riding either with a kiteboard or surfboard.
Salty Addict also offer Wave Riding Clinics in Cabarete Bay where you can learn how to pass a shorebreak and catch some waves on the reef offshore, plenty of water on that reef section, no worries. The inside of the bay has no waves so it’s a stress free learning curve, you can always kite back to shore when ever you want and land on a nice sandy beach.
Waves are bigger from late fall to late spring than much smaller going into summer. Wave riding is not as difficult as it may seem. But safety is super important when wave riding therefore good coaching, knowing how to choose your wind and waves conditions and lots of practice is the key to having amazing sessions.
Join the Salty Addict tribe
Experience epic downwinders and find out why the locals always say “See you on the reef “
About surfing at Encuentro Beach: Located between Cabarete and Sosua, this Dominican Republic North Coast reef break is well known for its quality of waves. Playa El Encuentro is the best surf spot in the Dominican Republic. Here’s why …
Consistent swell all year round
The winter cold fronts bring the biggest swells from the north but spring and fall can also deliver bigger swells as well. Summer is also a great time to surf, especially if you like medium to small size waves and super warm water!
September Swell at Playa El Encuentro. Photo by David Velasquez
Cabarete lifestyle at its best!
Encuentro beach has had a long history of controversy over the years; but it looks like the beloved surf jem will finally get a fresh new start. Things may look a little bit different from the way they were in the past but luckily, some of the schools and surf shacks as well as our beloved restaurant, Pura Vida, are still on the premises. The beach itself and ocean is easily accessible and you will find the vibe at Encuentro Beach to be very peaceful. Also, a community lifestyle where locals and visitors hang out in harmony, with DJ playing on Sundays, friendly events and surf competitions.
WSL QS 1000
Speaking of competitions! The Men’s QS 1,000 pre qualification in Playa El Encuentro took place last January in preparation for the WSL Cabarete Pro 2022 that was held in March. Thanks to the Carambola Surf House and The Search DR, we had a world class surf competition on the North shore of the Dominican Republic. The event was an amazing oportunity for local surfers to participate in the QS 1,000. As you can see, the crowd was ecstatic about local Pro surfer Manuel Selman winning first place!
Lodging options in Encuentro Beach
Salty Addict offers lodging options just steps away from the surf beach. You can choose to stay at one of the tropical lodges, appartements, condos or villas in Encuentro Beach, Kite Beach or one of our many holiday rentals or the all inclusive resort in Cabarete Bay.
Why people love surfing at Encuentro Beach
It’s an amazing place to learn surfing.
Surfers and kitesurfers keep comming back to this tropical paradise to keep on learning and progressing.
The locals are friendly! Yes you can surf with the pros!
Our surf lesson and rental packages, advanced coaching and surf trips.
Afternoon kitesurfing in Encuentro Beach or in Cabarete Bay, with lesson and rental packages for all levels.
Excursions, Paddleboarding, Yoga and much more!
Ready to score some waves!
Find out about how we can help you plan the best surf holiday ever.
Want to take your kiteboarding skills to the next level. Salty Addict offer clinics for Intermediate to Avanced Kiteboarders. Most of our kite clinics last two hour, kiteboarders usually participate to one clinic per day or register for 2-3 or more clinics during a 7 days period.
With just a few hours of clinics, you’ll be able to improve your kiteboarding skills. Intermediate to Advanced kiteboarders will enjoy practicing what they’ve learn between each clinics. We also offer video and photo sessions, great tools to progress or share this experience with your friends.
Find out about our Kite Clinics
From refresher kite clinics all the way to Basic Jump and Wave Riding.
The best wind season in Cabarete is summer, June through August. The summer Caribbean trade winds bring consistent side onshore wind conditions ranging from 12-25 knots or 14-29 mph.
The wind direction in early morning is side offshore then sideshore and quickly switch to side onshore in late morning. Afternoons are quite windy so you will want to switch to a smaller kite size to enjoy the thermal winds.
Early kite session – Kite foiling, wing foiling.
Late mornings are great wind conditions for kite and wing foiling, especially in the summertime because the waves are at their smallest, so when you see those foilers on the water … this is your queue to start setting up your kite gear and get on the water for an early kite session.
Freeride kitesurfing – Kite lessons.
You’ll enjoy the gentle wind conditions and share those turquoises blues with just a few other riders. Beginners kitesurf lessons usually starts not too long after.
Be aware though! … The sun is really hot at this time of day so you will want to put up some really good sunscreen, wear a long sleeve rashguard and hat before you head off to the beach.
Freestyle kiteboarding session.
If you are into freestyle, you’ll definitely want to score a nice early afternoon kiteboarding session on the flat water and try all those new tricks you’ve been waiting to land!
Perfect waves to learn strapless kitesurfing.
Summer is the best wind season in Cabarete. It’s also the best time of the year to learn kitesurfing as well as the best season to improve your wave riding skills. The average wave size range from 0.8 to 1.2 meters or 2 1/2 to 4 foot. Rest assured, you’ll always find nice waves on the reef and the steady trade winds makes it the perfect combo for strapless kite surfing.
Downwinders and epic sunsets.
The smaller waves conditions are also great to go on a downwinder so you can ride waves after waves. Sunset sessions are also pretty epic! … A must add to your Cabarete bucket list!
One great way to familiarize yourself with strapless kitesurf is to sign up for a wave riding clinic. Surfing is also great to learn about waves, better understand the dynamics of the ocean and ease into your comfort zone.
Improve your skills with Kitesurf and Surf lessons.
Is it the end of travel as we know it? The beginning of 2020 started with Pura Vida lifestyle; “perfect waves on a surf trip to Tamarindo, Costa Rica… amazing kitesurfing sessions in Colombia’s windiest kite spot, Cabo de la Vela … unforgettable stand-up paddleboarding excursions on the pristine waters of Los Cabos, Mexico …” The list of travel destinations goes on and on as we got used to having access to just about any destination we could dream of.
We were blatantly unaware that travel would suddenly come to a complete halt!
I will never forget that last carefree evening back in early February 2020; dining with friends at Nectar, one of our favorite restaurants in Cabarete bay. As usual, our typical friendly gatherings consisted of a melting pot of world citizens, surfers and kiteboarders that previously met at one of the local beaches. We were all enjoying ourselves, talking about how great the surf and kitesurf sessions were that day and when would the next swell come in. We were simply celebrating life!
Back then, we all knew of that coronavirus but none of us had the slightest idea about the immensity of the situation and how fast it would also affect our lives. Needless to say, two days later, the coronavirus was pretty much all over the worldwide news and unfortunately became part of our daily lives as well!
I sometimes wonder if knowing what was coming, we would have taken the opportunity to go on that kite safari or another trip on the top-rated bucket list travel destinations.
The pandemic led to an ongoing chain of events bringing sudden changes and new rules every other day. Ocean lovers are used to having to navigate true all kinds of situations and continually adapt to changes in weather forecast, swell changes or wind shifts. This last year has been like a never-ending storm where one has to stay far offshore, enduring all kinds of weather, waiting for the calm after the storm to safely return to shore. I don’t know about you but this one has been a tough one to navigate!
The way we travel.
Who would have imagined that we would one day have to wear a mask at the beach! And what about all the countries that are not yet reopened to tourism? How are the locals and their families surviving? How many of our favorite local businesses will still be there when we return? There are still lots of uncertainties?
One can say it’s the end of travel as we know it. Time will tell what will travel be like in a year from now.
New travel trends are emerging, one of them is slow travel; taking longer holidays, taking the time to get to know a new place and connecting with local communities. Sustainability and responsible travel are now considerably higher on traveler’s priorities and slowing down has also allowed us to reflect on future travel plans and how to travel with purpose.
Embrace the wave!
The ride is far from over and until then, we need to take care of ourselves physically and mentally. The first thing that comes to mind is escaping to nature, the beach and the ocean. Nothing beats the healing power of the ocean, relaxing under the swaying majestic palm trees and drinking coconut water!
Kudos to all of you that have decided to embrace and enjoy life through these tough times. Do whatever you need to take care of yourself and never stop doing what you love most!
The ocean will always be there and we’ll be waiting for you whenever you are ready to travel again. Don’t hesitate to contact us if you have questions about planning your holiday. Our travel advisor will be happy to help!
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Salty Addict is recruiting, please share the news!
Brand Ambassador – Work online from any location, promote Salty Addict on social medias, Facebook, Instagram, travel or Sports Blogs. You must have a great network of friends in sports such as Kiteboarding, Surfing, SUP or other boards sports, Yoga or fitness teacher, or you like to organize groups travel trips such as Kiteboarding Camps, Surf – SUP Camps, Yoga and Fitness Retreats.
Surf Guide / Work Holiday Experience – We already have highly qualified Surf Instructors, we are recruiting Surf Guide to interact and socialize with our Surf Camp guests. Your stay can be from one week to many months. Shorts stays are for individuals that already know our surf spot Playa Encuentro. You will welcome our surf students and guests, guide our intermediate surfers and take them surfing with you. We are looking for mature responsible individual with good surfing skills, must be able to surf unbroken waves, safety oriented individual with experience/ qualification in surfing or related water sports such as river surfing, kayaking, SUP-Surf, kitesurfing. Preferably bilingual French – English with Spanish knowledge. You can also earn extra income if a photographer, videographer.
Our Surf Guide will also promote Salty Addict threw the year on social medias, Facebook, Instagram, travel or Sports Blogs. You must have a great network of friends in sports such as Kiteboarding, Surfing, SUP or other boards sports, Yoga or fitness teacher, or you like to organize groups travel trips such as Kiteboarding Camps, Surf – SUP Camps, Yoga and Fitness Retreats.
Submit your candidature via our contact form Contact Us
Tell us about yourself and why you would like to collaborate with usDates you are available to travel to Cabarete, Dominican Republic in the next yearInclude your Facebook link or pages including the groups you belong to (sports, yoga, fitness)Instagram account (s)Related sports experience or sports associations you are a member ofExperience in social media, blog, marketing, communicationTravel experienceWork experience or collaboration/ brand ambassador if any Your contact info
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