Cabo Verde - Waveriding begins here
18 December 2006 dans Kite Surfing Cape Verde
HEADING TO CABO VERDE, by Paulo Parracho
Cabo Verde is an archipelago of ten volcanic islands, situated in the Atlantic Ocean, about a few hundred kilometres from the coast of Senegal, Western Africa. Most of the islands are mountainous and green. Some of the islands are very dry, windy and flat and the people live peacefully on fishing and farming and in the past few years tourism had really started to grow, especially on the Isle of Sal. Compared to the rest of Western Africa, the life standard is quite reasonable but can be tough for some Cape Verdians. The minimum (unofficial) wage is about E 200 a month for a 48 hour work week and the cost of living is about 75% of the mid-European countries. Santiago is the main island, but due to the geographical situation (flat), the Isle of Sal has the international airport. For instance, from London, England you will spend approximately five hours by aircraft to get there. The official language is Portuguese, but the dialect is Creol. Some people speak English but most people speak French and Italian. The weather is comfortable all year long with the winter season (November-March) averaging between 20-27 degrees Celsius and in the night you might need a sweater. The winter is windy, the trade winds from the Sahara will blow almost every day from 15-27 knots. In the summer the temperature is high for European standards, lets say over 30 degrees with hot nights. The wind will drop 50% in the summer. There is hardly any rain in Cabo Verde, just a few drops in the year. In the winter the swell will attack mostly the west part of the islands with sometimes monstrous waves. In the summer the waves are traditionally calmer. So the kitesurf season is from mid September until May but the best months are January, February and March. Check the Island of Sal for details of the spots and what riding ability you need to hit the different launches in Cabo Verde.
Ilha do Sal: “The island looks like Mars…but on Mars the experts believe life is possible” - once told as a joke as airliner descended for landing on the Isle of Sal. Ok, there is not much green on the island, but the Jurassic Park scenery with its volcanoes rising out of the desert, rough lava coastlines and sandy white beaches stretching out for miles gives the island a beauty of its own, you might fall in love! The island is not so big, its almost 30 kilometers long 12 kilometers wide, you will spend only 20 minutes in the car from the airport to your hotel. Also all four kite spots are not more than three kilometers apart from each other. Espargos is the main city but you will probably not spend much time there. The tourism, kitesurfing and most of the nightlife happens in Santa Maria, in the south of the island. Santa Maria is a friendly village with a very scenic center, a fishing peer, a long white sandy beach where the large hotels are located. You will find all you need here as a tourist, also as a non kitesurfer (so you can bring your partner). The Santa Maria nights are long and full of life with a lot of restaurants, a cinema and discotheques which close only early in the morning. It is possible to rent an apartment or small house directly on the beach so you can wake up and experience your morning kite session while your (girl)friend has a nice time on the beach or swimming pool. In St. Maria village there are 2 spots for kitesurfing, Albatross and at the large hotels. Check the area guide for details.
Albatros: The wind here is side-off, sometimes sideshore from the left so the water is really flat. Because of the flat character of the land the winds are quite constant. Sometimes when the swell is more south, there is a point break really clean over a length of approx. 500 meters and not too high. If the swell is there, it’s really a great place to learn waveriding without any danger. If anything happens, the wind- and kitesurf centres are well organized and are equipped with a rescue Zodiac, the costs for a rescue will be about E 35. The beach is OK and there is enough place to launch your kite. It is located near fine hotels and pensions and walk able from the center of Santa Maria.
Salinas (KiteBeach): For most of the kite surfers Kite Beach is the best place to go kitesurfing on the island. Somebody… we don’t know who… named this beach Shark Beach, however there has never been a shark seen here and for sure there has never been an attack. So don’t let this name keep you from hitting these waves rolling over the reef parallel to the beach. The only animal you might encounter is a friendly (but huge) turtle. Kite Beach is about 5 minutes driving from the center of Santa Maria, it’s a spectacular ride through the desert. If you don’t have a rental, ask for a pick-up to get you there for about 6 Euro. The wind is side on to cross on (from the left) and most of the time not really gusty. There is a coral reef about one hundred meter from the coast which creates a nice wave for jumping or waveriding. The wave is not dangerous and there are no crazy currents so it’s a great place to learn, get better or just have a good session. It’s never too crowded because the beach is so long.
Santa Maria West: At the west side of the village, at the sandy beach with the large hotels is the other spot. This is where Cabo Verde Kite center is located with Rod as your host. The wind is side shore from the left and there can be a nice shorebreak. Usually there is a lot of kitesurfing going on and it is a great place to learn kitesurfing. The kite center is within walking distance of your hotel. If you walk for about 1 km southwards towards the shipwreck, you will find another spot called Ponta Sino. The winds are more onshore due to the curve of the bay and the waves can be tricky. Don’t go there as a rookie!
Ponta Preta: When the ocean swell is westerly, the surfers in St. Maria wake up and nervously start arranging their gear on their cars, you will see locals walking the streets with surfboards under their arms…. the town changes. For some geographical reason on the ocean bottom the swell at Ponta Preta is pumped up higher and releases it’s energy on this point break with a spectacular, world famous result. Breathless… is what you will be gazing at when a set of waves comes in. Its starts to break a few hundred meters out off the black rocks and rolls clean and hollow over a length of 300 meter untill it hits the white sandy beach in the form of a killer shorebreak. This is the spot where the Kite Wave Masters is held, it’s the backyard of Josh Angulo, 2003 PWA World Champion. It is possible you will see Bjorn Dunckerbeck and many other international (former) wind- kite- and surf champions. This place has a great insane atmosphere. The wind is mostly cross offshore or dead off and sometimes sideshore from the right. This, combined with the huge waves which can easily reach 5 meters and breaking sometimes just before 10 meters from razor sharp rocks stops most kite surfers from going out. Ponta Preta is not a place to learn kiting nor a place to learn waveriding because the smallest mistake can cost you your kite, board or worse. Only try this place if you feel comfortable in over (double) head high waves with sometimes gusty winds… and a lot of co-wave users like (wind)surfers, body-boarders… respect the line up. Don’t lose your board because the rocks will eat it and don’t lose the kite or somebody in Brazil will find it. By the way….when the ocean swell is less than 2 meters Ponta Preta is as flat as ice.
How to get to Sal A lot of tour operators have arrangements with airline companies and hotels. From Europe Cabo Verde Airlines an TAP Portugal fly frequently to the island. The cost of a return flight will be a minimum of E 500. Check the internet databases for the TAP flights or call a travel agent for the flights on Cabo Verde Airlines because they are not listed in some databases. Once arrived on Ilha do Sal it is easy to get to Santa Maria. Probably you will be picked up by your hotel but if you aren’t just ask for a taxi. You will pay E 7 in the day and E 10 in the night for the ride. Soultriping Cabo Verde,
Where to stay in Sal The stay in Santa Maria does not have to be expensive and you have the choice between a luxury hotel directly on the beach (all-inclusive if you want), or you can take a simple room with bathroom for about E 35 a night. Where to rent a car If you prefer to have you own car (a pickup can drive you with all your gear to the spots for not more then E 10 return), you have the choice to rent through Hertz RentaCar, AVIS or a few small companys. The car you rent will have to be a 4×4. If you rent for minimal 1 week the prices for a big jeep will be around E 60 for 1 day. A smaller jeep (Like Daihatsu Terios) will be about E45. Hertz RentaCar is located at the Crioula Hotel. With Hertz email reservation and service is proven OK.
If there is no wind Lets say something very weird happens…. there is no wind. Almost impossible but if this happens you will need a different workout. Visit the Fitness Santa Maria . They have all you need for: Weight-training (machines, dumbells, barbells and free weights) Boxing or, Thaibox Gymnastics Bikes, Rowing machine African drums It is located just in the center so ask somebody… you can’t miss it. A daily session will be about E 6.50. It is open daily from 08:00 a.m. untill 10:00 p.m. However between 01:00 p.m. and 03:00 p.m. all shops and the fitness is also closed. Sunday it opens at 10:00 a.m. and closes at 01:00 p.m.
HAVE A NICE STAY!