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Durado PR

 
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skideeppow

Since 26 Aug 2011
518 Posts

Addicted



PostWed Aug 17, 22 11:32 am    Durado PR Reply with quote

Hi,
I am trying to find the good wind and wave months down in Durado.

I called a kite school down there and they couldn't tell me (I found this to be very odd).

Any info would be appreciated.

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jwnd

Since 22 Oct 2014
16 Posts
Bellingham
 



PostWed Aug 17, 22 4:08 pm    Durado PR Reply with quote

Friend living closer to Arecibo (maybe 25-30 miles west of Dorado) reports best wind December/January to July/August and best waves October to May. He says there is roughly less wind in the fall and smaller waves in the summer. Winds are usually low 20s with 30s more rare.
Not a very exact report but hope that helps with general planning.

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shred_da_gorge

Since 12 Nov 2008
1251 Posts
Local, not Low Cal
XTreme Poster



PostWed Aug 17, 22 10:44 pm     Reply with quote

We spent two weeks over last year's Christmas/New Year in Puerto Rico, starting in San Juan area, then Isabella. We didn't get to Dorado.

There is a big kite club at Playa Ocean Park, and a few individuals operating lessons and rentals out of there too. I was told there was kiteboarding (and operations) in Luquillo and Fajardo areas (northeast corner) but couldn't locate them and didn't see wind when we went back to that region to explore the El Yunque Rainforest. There is not much elsewhere, and nothing on the west or south of the island - bring your own gear (big kites), or you'll be screwed.

The wind is generally better on the west end of the island, and into the early months of the year, or during storms. The prevailing winds are from the northeast. Shack's Beach is the wave spot, and in Lift's backyard (supposedly - no retail outlet there). Not far away is Playa Jobos, which I enjoyed with a 10m. It has a gentle break and safe launch, not as tricky as Shack's. It was there I also met some of the pioneering local kiteboarders - they told some great stories, but were more content to hang out and drink beers.

Personally I wouldn't return to Puerto Rico for a kitesurfing vacation. It is expensive and the infrastructure is terrible - don't expect reliable Internet... or power, for that matter. We got screwed on car rentals, and there is no public transportation. At one point we managed to locate a rental car in the Isabela area at the nearby airport. I planned to walk there (four miles), but our B&B host insisted that I would likely be hit by a car if I tried. She drove me, and she was correct - just driving on those skinny roads (rural areas) was challenging enough.

We did find a reliable taxi driver in San Juan, and found taxi service to be pretty trustworthy there in general (there are published rate tables). I paid him ~$150 (?) to drive us across the island, and he asked if he could bring a friend to keep him company on the drive back. As we neared our destination, his buddy said, "Hey, remember that really nice couple that took us out to eat that time?", after which they started pointing out the 'good' eating establishments, and offered to drive us there after we checked in and dropped our things off.

I can look up the B&B we stayed at in Isabela, and some of the kite establishment contacts in Playa Ocean Park area. We stayed in San Juan the first night then rented in Carolina area because most of San Juan proper was overpriced and overbooked. (I think my wife used Air BnB and a few other services).

We did enjoy the vacation and experience overall. It actually started as a joke to go there for my 55th birthday, because I was conceived there on my parents' second honeymoon. (We looked into tax/retirement situation as well, which looked pretty good... on paper).


   Shack's Beach.JPG 

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Arb2me

Since 14 May 2019
28 Posts

 



PostSat Aug 20, 22 5:55 am     Reply with quote

I went down to PR last December and had a blast. Was planning on going to Maui, but it turned out PR had similar wind statistics and would be half the price. Kite foiled on a 6m 9/10 days that I was there (10th day could have been foiled in a 12). First in San Juan and then near Isabela. I did drive by the section of coast that Dorado is on and it did seem to catch a lot of wind. My understanding is that the wind blows consistently outside of Hurricane season with spring being the most reliable months. The big waves are generated by big storms in the North Atlantic so winter months will be the best thing if you want groundswell.

Like the previous poster said, infrastructure isn’t great compared to the rest of the US but it is still better than most if not all Latin American countries. I did find the food to be good and the people to be fun and friendly. Biggest downside was how long it took to get there as there are no direct flights from the PNW. Fastest flight with connections was 12 hours.

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