Pioneering Kiteboarding

Along The Delaware Bay

As of Summer of 2018, I found myself drawn to the beauty, thrill, and lifestyle associated with the magnificent sport of Kiteboarding/Kitesurfing. So during mid-June of 2018 I’ve finally was able to save enough money to buy all the equipment I needed to enjoy this incredible sport. The equipment used is a twintip Wakeboard, a Harness, a Bar with lines, a Kite(which tended to be the most expensive), and a pump(used to inflate the kite). I learned and picked up the “feeling” and sport super quickly, around 4 sessions out on the water and I felt pretty  confident. It usually takes most riders around 40 hours or so of riding time to master the basics of Kiteboarding. So which I consider myself a natural if I’d say! In the early days and sessions of Kiteboarding I spent the majority of my time riding with the local Kiteboarding crowd down near Dewey Beach in The Rehoboth Bay, locally known as Tower Rd. This spot is in my opinion the best beginner spot and Kite-friendly, all because of it’s incredibly shallow waters(which varies around 4-5ft in most of the bay) which makes it extremely easy to learn because beginners tend to crash the kite in the water a lot and is super easy to just basically get comfortable with the sport. Tower Rd is definitely Delaware’s premier Kiteboarding hub and local scene. But of course there were other spots that I’ve also rode during my Kiteboarding journey and experienced so far which exhibit different riding conditions and different “energies or feelings”. Most of the spots that I’ve rode have definitely  been rode before by other Kiters and still provide awesome riding conditions when the wind is right. Such as Lewes Beach and Cape Henlopen Fishing Pier which are other local Kiteboarding spots in the Rehoboth Beach area that I have found myself in love with all because they provide mainly Flatter waters, especially at The Cape Henlopen Fishing Pier. Where this portion of the Delaware Bay is protected by outside jetty’s and major shipping channels that run through the bay. Also to mention this spot can be rode in a lot of different wind directions because the shape of the Cape . Although not very important to the local Kiteboarding scene, but “The Point” or also known as, The tip of the cape, does close seasonally during the summer months (from March 1^st- September) for reasons I’m not sure of honestly. Not that it effects the rider mostly because even if the wind was coming directly from the West, I wouldn’t even think to go and Kiteboard up at “The Point” instead I would automatically think to go to Tower Rd, where a west wind would be ideal. Although the thing with Tower Rd, is that the best wind direction tends to be from the South-South West, which proves to be the most cleanest breeze at this spot.  Which is superb!

Alright so now we have actual Lewes Beach. Now the worst part about riding at Lewes Beach is that during the summer months or the tourist season, Lewes Beach actually  prohibits Kite Launching on the usually crowded beach. Not saying that Kiteboarding is completely prohibited, it’s just prohibited to ride within the swim zone or land or launch there. In the most common situation when riding Lewes Beach, is to actually walk either up the beach or down the beach towards the “jetty” which borders the Cape May-Lewes Ferry and is usually the best riding sport during and East wind within the whole state in my opinion because of how this jetty blocks all the wind swell and chop coming in from the east while still providing unaffected winds. Therefore proving the most flattest water on the windiest of days which is ideal for big air jumping and freestyle tricks. Definitely a freaking awesome spot to check out if your thinking about where to Kite in Delaware.

Okay so now that I’ve covered the more known, and downstate Kiteboarding spots. It’s time to talk about the spots that I’ve discovered and have never been rode before, at least to my knowledge.  The Delaware Bay is an immense body of water mainly used as a major shipping channel for large commercial tankers. With a decent amount of small unincorporated towns and villages, and fishing spots along the Bay, It started to beg the question as a novice Kiteboarder and semi-local bay native. Since I live in Smyrna,  Delaware, as it certainly is a long trip to get downstate to go for a session. I begin adventuring off towards the salt marshes and small towns along The Delaware Bay near me. Towns such as Woodland Beach, Port Mahon, Pickering Beach, Bowers Beach, Kitts Hummock, and as far north as Augustine Beach. Which I bet all of these small towns you probably never heard of in your life, and if you did, you probably imagine a bunch of old guys that are retired who spend most of their time in their fishing boats through the endless guts of marsh and along the bay throwing out crab pots, or fishing. And doesn’t  imagine some crazy, adventurous Kiteboarder like me to show up with $2,000 worth of Kitesurfing  gear who’s looking to have the time of his life!

 But one town individually sticks out the most, and means a lot to me as a Kiteboarder and honestly the only Kiteboarder that I know of in this portion of the state. That bayside paradise of this unincorporated town is  Woodland Beach, Delaware. Just 8 miles east of my town of Smyrna, and 9.7 miles from my house, is probably my biggest hit and best discovery when its comes to spot searching. Woodland Beach isn’t just a normal stretch of sand and a spot known to the local Kiteboarding scene. Here, there is no Kite scene, there is hardly a beach (if any would be during low tide that is mainly bordered by reed’s and Cattails at high tide), and is commonly known as a fishing and crabbing town. With only a few hundred people living here and not a single business. Woodland Beach is only accessible during low tide and sometimes is impossible to get to and from during high tide due to the only road in and out of town gets completely submerged underwater. Life is a lot different here then it is 8 miles back in the Weed-infested and poverty stricken town of Smyrna ( okay I probably exaggerated a little). The residents here have  to plan their daily routine according to the tides, and honestly proves to be a high safety risk when it comes to medical attention. But on the flipside, or in my point of view. Just imagine your going for a beautiful sunny, breezy  Sunday ride out to Woodland Beach, and your riding over the marsh where there’s Cattail reeds on both sides of you blowing through the wind, And up ahead you see a patch of trees overlooking the infinite saltmarsh. Then as you get closer to town you see up in the distance a beautifully massive, neon colored kite soaring fluently over the reeds and on the bay. Then as you round the corner and enter the small town, you see small houses with fishing boats in their yards looking out towards the bay, and as you drive out into a big open (usually) parking lot, you see off to the north a huge nuclear powerplant that sits up along the NJ side of the bay about 15 miles up,  and look down towards the beach and see me, Kiteboarding peacefully and tranquilly out a quarter-mile offshore and see my beautiful kite moving up and down and it’s then when you gain a new perspective on the Delaware Bay and how these small towns in pure isolation live and interact with the bay.

Kiteboarding at Woodland Beach is an experience like no other. The launch and landing situation is of high risk and should primarily be done in the safest possible way which is drift-launching if possible, but self-launching from the beach can be super easy and simple during low tide and normally doesn’t pose a risk. But in high tide or stronger winds(anything above 20mph) can become harder to launch or land. Launching and landing here during high tide means that the beach is about 80 percent underwater and is up to the reeds usually. Also to note that the water here is deep, and definitely should not be Kiteboarded if you’re a beginner or if you aren’t completely comfortable with going out in deep water. That doesn’t stop me though as an adventurous and local Kiteboarder. I’ve been riding at Woodland beach for almost year now, Summer, Fall, parts of Winter, and now Spring. So I think it’s safe to say that I know the good spots and the dangerous spots when riding here. For example, while riding, you really want to stay south of the boat ramp, an never ever north of the pier because of the remnants of the old historical pier which are still standing and create a high-risk when riding on that side on the new pier. Riding in between the new pier and the boat ramp should only be rode during North, or NNW winds. I would never jeopardize getting yanked onto the rocks(which has happened when I was dumb and got cocky once). I’d say I’ve learned my lesson! But seriously, Woodland Beach can be fun if the wind and tides are right. I’d say the best wind direction here is probably North, East, and even South East. While I prefer North winds at low tide because it creates the best kickers of my life while heading out, South East winds open up more riding area down beach where there is a secret cove the honestly is the best section to ride at Woodland Beach because at low tide its super shallow and perfect kickers that help when trying to boost big. Oh and yeah boosting huge here has its pros! Just imagine yourself riding in 20 knots when you go to yank the kite and get sent 25ft up and your looking out over the town, and the miles of salt marshes, and down the coast and then gliding smoothly back down to the water where you make a perfect landing and ride away with the biggest smile on your face! Yeah boosting big at Woodland Beach is the best thing in the world in the world to do and gives you “a birds eye view” of your surroundings. It’s the best thing ever!, Even in high tide, or as the tide is rising, I’ve scored awesome waves and kickers rolling in further offshore especially during North winds. Although the winds here mainly blowing WNW which is slightly offshore and make conditions gusty and near impossible to ride. But when the winds are right, Kiteboarding here is certainly worth coming out for! You must be an experienced Kiter with a good emergency plan if you plan on riding here. This is an Advanced spot and isn’t recommended for learning.

Aside from my local spot knowledge. I’d like to share a bit of how I think about me Kiteboarding here will hopefully one day help pioneer, create, and help get recognized as a future Kiteboarding destination. As being the first person to have ever kite Woodland Beach, I do experience a lot of confused and amazed faces from the beach. People who either live, or come to visit Woodland Beach, and probably never would of expected to see somebody doing such a unique, extreme, and exotic sport in such a remote and rural area. So therefore I do get a lot of questions from the onlooker on the daily. Like, “what do you call that?’, and “How are you able to do that?’ and a lot more basic and normal questions that I’d ask some guy  if I saw him doing that. I feel as the more I ride here, the more I help show and push out the sport to others. It’s sort of my way of being an ambassador for the sport, it’s just that all I have to do is go out there and ride, and in return, it naturally helps promote the sport. If you’d ask me, “Do you think Kiteboarding will ever become a normal sight here at Woodland Beach, or the Delaware Bay?’ I’d say absolutely, give it 5, 10 or 20 years, if that long, you’ll see dozens of people out there shredding at Woodland Beach and other spots that I haven’t discovered yet that are right in my backyard. Kiteboarding is a sport for everyone. Men, women, kids, elderly(which is primarily the local kite scene downstate), and even the disabled. It’s relatively an easy sport to learn, and requires just dedication and intention to ride. I believe Kiteboarding is the future of watersports not just in my area, but as a whole. As of right now, Kiteboarding is the fastest growing watersport in the world, and through people like me, who happened to live in very unfamiliar areas, have the biggest job in helping to promote the sport. So yes, I do think Kiteboarding will one day be known more frequently as a normal activity, not as an extreme, cool, sport that only rich people can afford to do. I’m not rich, I don’t even own a car. I’m just a stupid teenager who spent his life savings on used Kiteboarding gear instead of a car because I felt that it was somehow destined for me. I guess I just have an addicting passion for kiteboarding that’s all. But truly aside from all the hype around the sport, I see Kiteboarding as a beautiful feeling that I can’t live without. To me, Kiteboarding gives me a unique perspective on life and the wind that really helps to give me something that I can say is apart of me and who I am. I don’t know… it’s just something about Kiteboarding that makes me feel a freedom and happiness that I cant explain. It’s unparalleled to anything I’ve ever experienced. It’s a beautiful feeling when I’m out there harnessed to the wind and powered up behind a kite that’s pulling me on a board strapped to my feet smoothly across the water and wind that really creates a feeling and perspective unlike anything else. I love Kiteboarding and can’t live without it in my life!

So as of this upcoming spring and summer of 2019, I have yet to discover many other secret hidden spots along the Delaware bay as I mentioned before. Like Bowers Beach and Pickering Beach, Delaware, which are my next spots that I’d hope to start spreading Kiteboarding in, and help promote the sport there too. Who knows? There could also be another adventurous teenaged Kiter out there who already beat me to it… But I highly doubt that! Anyways here’s to SEASONTWO! The Season That Matters! And The Season For Discovery!

Much love, Thanks for reading!

 Jack Clyde