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Where's the sun? South Padre Island Kiting report
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Pictures for this entry can be found at http://philippschonger.spaces.live.com/photos/
Where's the sun? South Padre Island Kiting report ....
Well.. it's howling outside .... wow... maybe we're not used to this compared to the mellow rain and wind in Seattle ... but it's a storm outside right now, so I'm taking some time to update all of you on our kiting adventure here in South Padre Island, TX.
4 days in South Padre and 3 days of kiting so far ... unless I wanted to go out today also and kill myself in 35 to 40 knot stormy weather I could have kited every day. So... for anyone who wants to come down to South Padre Island, TX, for kiting, here are the stats for the last couple of days since we've been here so you can come prepared ...
Thursday - Cool, 14m, 1.5mm Shorty
Friday - Cold, 10m in the morning, 14m, in the afternoon, 4/3mm Wetsuit
Saturday - Very Warm, 18m all day, shorts only
Sunday - Rain, Storm, Very windy, .... No kiting for me, but otherwise 6m condition if you really wanted to go.
Anyways, if you want to come to South Padre Island, TX, be prepared for all kinds of conditions. Today some guys were out in close to 40 knot and above gusts and strong rain. I wasn't that desperate to get a session so I'll wait until tomorrow. Just thought I should update everyone who is considering coming down here anytime soon. One day you might need your full suit when it's blowing from the North, the other day you might only wear shorts when it's blowing from the South. Sometimes you'll be on your 7m, then other times on you 18m. Supposedly they have had more rain in the last couple of weeks than they would get in one full year, so this isn't typical. In other words, it's not as tropical as we were hoping just yet, but maybe it's too early to judge after being here just for a few days.
Stingrays? Well... we first heard about them in Corpus ... but now after talking to some more locals, there are more hiding in the shallow sand than you want to know and supposedly Stingray season is about to start. If you don't know what they are, take a look at the pictures in the latest album http://philippschonger.spaces.live.com. The picture was taking in front of one of the motel rooms where someone placed a dead stingray in front of someone's door. It was pretty freaky when I walked around the corner and saw the animal laying there on the side of the pavement, ... especially after just talking to Mariela about it and hearing from people about them in the afternoon. When you walk in the water you should slide your feet through the sand so to not step on one of the Stingrays. They can poke a hole through your leg and inject a venomous poison that can be very painful, ... so they say. As you might remember, one of them killed Steve Irvin "The Crocodile Hunter". Irwin was fatally pierced in the chest by a stingray spine while snorkeling at the Great Barrier Reef, at Batt Reef, which is located off the coast of Port Douglas in Queensland. Check out the story at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_Irwin#Death
Anyways, besides the weather and the Stringies J.... I mean Stingies ... we're having a good time. It's low season down here (... maybe 'cause the weather :~( or the Stingrays ...) so we're checked into the Budget Host with a Jacuzzi tub for $30 bucks a night. It feels great after kiting with the cold Northerlies here. There's a bunch of cool kiters here from Waddell, CA as well as Wisconsin (Lake Michigan). Forecast looks promising for the rest of the week with less rain and it should get back up into the 80s. If you come down here, you can find some great hotel deals, and I think they might even be better in November, but remember, the weather pattern at least at this times is all over the place.
Oh... and I almost forgot ... if you don't like Stingrays, you can always go on the Gulfside and do huge downwinders ... ah... wait a minute, there's Stingrays too and after talking to the local kite shop here on South Padre Island, there have been some shark sightings over the last few days and someone (I am not sure if it was a surfer or a swimmer) got nibbled on last week.
Well... just thought I'd give everyone the lowdown, let me know if you have any other questions. Mariela and I are looking at our next destination ... sunny ... warm .. windy are the requirements. If you have any suggestions, let us know. We're very flexible. Costa Rica, Brazil, etc., Caribbean ... Let us know your thoughts.
Until then...
- Philipp & Mariela
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