Waves Village: Kitty Hawk Kites Kiteboarding Resort
The Lure
Beaches here rank among the top in the U.S. If waves aren’t your thing, take a short walk over to the sound where miles of shallow (2 – 4 feet), calm waters lie. The Outer Banks also has a selection of the best downwinders in the world. Super regular, stable and flat, shallow conditions, as well as thousands of newly qualified kiteboarders, prove that this is without doubt one of the best places in the world to learn.
The Set Up
Surrounding the Waves Village Kiteboarding Resort is miles and miles shallow water, that not only heats up quickly, but has a hard sandy bottom with few shells. Even before beginners can stand up on their board they can stand in the water and usually sit down on the bottom with their head above water while they slip into their footstraps. Over 70 consecutive miles of oceanside coastline and dozens of miles of clean soundside launching/landing areas create an almost incalculable number of routes for downwinders, which are the fastest way to progress. Marsh areas and small islands in the sound provide a natural obstacle course for more experienced kiters and also create ‘slicks’ that are completely flat and wave free. Some of the most sought after spots to look out for include Candian Hole north of Buxton on Hatteras Island, Pea Island (from Waves Village to New Inlet), Planet of the Apes and Nags Head at Windmill Point and Jockey’s Ridge. On the oceanside check out Scurves and just north of Rodanthe as well as oceanside around the Buxton and Cape Hatteras lighthouse area. S-curves and Rodanthe in particular provide some of the best waves on the east coast.
Wind Water and Weather
The winds here are remarkable. Because the OBX runs mostly straight north – south and the wind mostly blows from the southwest (during summer months) and northeast (during winter months), it allows kiteboarders to ride on nearly any day, oceanside or soundside. The best time of year is the spring and fall/autumn, although the winter and summer can also be excellent. Learning can be done all year, however summer is usually more popular when a wetsuit isn’t needed. Bring your entire quiver of kites. In the same week you could use all of them! The Fall and Spring are typically the best times for waves. Summer high temps reach the mid-high 90s in July and August. Winter temps can plunge to the midteens in January and February. Night temps can drop (12-18 degrees) so bring a sweatshirt, but you probably won’t need it during the summer. Water temps are fairly dependant on the time of year. February low – 5ºC / 42ºF, August high – 27ºC / 81ºF
Get Around
If you’re staying in Waves Village you’re in the centre of the ‘tri-village’ area of Rodanthe, Waves, and Salvo. Nags Head is 30 minutes north and Avon is about 20 minutes south by car or 90 minutes by kite! Nearly everyone that flies in rents a car from the airport, although some come in RVs and stay at camp-sites. There’s one road (highway 12) so the entire area is extremely visitor friendly to navigate. There is some distance in between towns and travelling from town to town on Hatteras Island can take some time, but usually about 15 minutes between each.
Accomodation
Waves Village Kiteboarding Resort has 1,600 sq foot condos with on-site restaurants, shopping and free activities during the summer. Condos include: private balconies with an unobstructed view of the water and sunset, private hot tub, community pool, cable and HD, free Wi-Fi, hot water outdoor showers, changing rooms and much more. Weekly kid’s day and outdoor movie nights play on a huge inflatable screen. You can camp elsewhere but there are no hotels within 20+ minutes of the site; however, there are many vacation rental cottages available in the tri villages of Waves/Rodanthe/Salvo. For some of the best and most wide ranging choices of accommodation options in this area, check out www.sunrealtync.com and www.hatterasrealty.com.
Food and Drink
There are supermarkets, however Rodanthe/Waves/Salvo only has a local grocery and market. Many people do eat out since they’re on vacation, and there are ample places – expect to find nearly anything you want!
No Wind
Simply too many activities to list. Plus, we’ve gone on about the kiting so much we’ve run out of space to list no-wind activities here!
Airport
The closest airport is Norfolk International. It is about 90 minutes away from the Outer Banks. Raleigh Airport is about 3.5 hours away. You’ll want to rent a car if you fly into one of these airports.
