BayAreaKiteboarding.com

I may be moving to the Bay Area, and if so, wondering what your opinions are as to the best area to move to for kiting.

I'm not going to get into what kind of kiting I want to do, or that kindof stuff, just want to know your opinion. Regardless of any other factors, if YOU had to pick a place to live, where would it be.

East Bay (Oakland, Alameda, Berkeley) is central to most all kiting in the Bay with local spots within 10-20 minutes, the Delta during the summer for world-class kiting 45 minutes away, Crissy Field and Ocean Beach usually 25-40 minutes away, 3rd Ave. 30-40 minutes away, other coast kiting 45 minutes to 1 1/12 hours away. All of this depends on traffic, but the EB is most centrally located, I think.

Yerba Buena/Treasure Island
:)
But i am biased


and there are also several other kiters that live here as well

if YOU had to pick a place to live, where would it be

???

berkeley for all the reasons Ollie said. It's easy to hit up tons of weekday sessions and then YOU have a great variety of killer locations to choose for the weekend, sick days, etc.

good luck with your choice!

Not to mention that's Berkeley's just cool like that, you know?

I'm the new guy here, but I'm stoked on my choice so here's my two bits....after weighing all the options I moved to the city. I'm less than ten minutes from Crissy and Ocean Beach, which in my opinion are far more green, scenic and awe-inspiring places to ride than what you find in the East bay or on the peninsula. The water and launches also appear to be much cleaner...my guess is you may appreciate this stuff coming from Kauai. I also found the locals at Crissy to be super friendly and receptive in contrast to 3rd Avenue where there seems to be a bit more " localism " and attitude in the air...ie newbies in full safety garb hassling me and my bros because we weren't rigging our kites in exactly the same fashion as they were....

Sherman is great but typically a weekend spot when a bit of extra drive time isn't critical, at least for me.

Aside from the kiting, the city offers endless possibilities and there is always something to do. Good luck with your choice!

Cheers,

Evan

Ocean Rodeo

Converting the World one rider at a time.

Hyperflex wetsuits: http://www.hyperflexusa.com/hyperflex_amp.html

Stay where you are Kaui is heaven on earth, but it's nice here to.
Nor-Cal clean wind dirty water lover's dont care, personaly i love clean water and wind, get used to riding with whitey. Get a wet suit, its frigin cold bro!! Leave your sleepas!!!

I like to kite as close to home as possable because to me lifes to short to spend driving...
I think trying to apply "The minimum 2:1 rule" is always a good idea; twice as much FUN (kiting, etc) as HASSELS (commuting, etc), this rule is also good to apply to vacations, jobs, etc..

For that reason alone I'd take 3ed ave as a 1st choice : San Matio is close to the ocean and blows pretty often 3/4 of the year. Yes, the water is muddy but the wind is most often rideable around 3ed. Living on the coast simply isnt an option due the work requirments and it's often too fogged in.. The Delta region is SICK when its ON but the party is over for a good part of the year.. The East bay might be closer to "everything" but lacks waves (which I'd like to ride MUCH more often then I do living in the East Bay)
Where ever you go I should think you'll find a great community of folks to play with!
Enjoy the Aloha!!
G.

3rd Avenue where there seems to be a bit more " localism " and attitude in the air...ie newbies in full safety garb hassling me and my bros because we weren't rigging our kites in exactly the same fashion as they were...

Wow, nice generalization.

Converting the World one rider at a time.

Not with that attitude.

jrg wrote:

3rd Avenue where there seems to be a bit more " localism " and attitude in the air...ie newbies in full safety garb hassling me and my bros because we weren't rigging our kites in exactly the same fashion as they were...

Wow, nice generalization.

Converting the World one rider at a time.

Not with that attitude.

Sorry for the generalization and I apologize if I offended you. I am sure that there are great people that ride at 3rd and that perhaps we ran into the exceptions rather than the rule. I am sure though that you also would have been put off had you just arrived at a new spot and been made to feel very " unwelcome ". To be clear, I have no issues with newbies or safety gear - just unnecessary attitude and bad vibes.