Waddell
Waddell is a long sandy beach, with rocks in the impact zone on the right side of the beach. On low tide, you can see the rocks. On higher tides, you gotta know where they are or you will pay some dues. Big airs on the inside of the surf zone are not recommended to people who don't know where the rocks are.
This is a popular beach with hikers, windsurfers, surfers, sharks, seals and tourists. Please understand that we are just one of the many users of this incredible resource. As a matter of fact, we are one of the newer users and should show respect for the ones who have been playing here longer. When launching on days when the wind is light and there are other beach users be careful where you launch. Always check for little kids running around who donít know much about kites. When self launching, make sure no family is walking towards your set up.
When you are not using your stuff, roll up your lines, and stack your kites. Make sure to put sand on the kites: it blows hard and while you are getting warm in your car, it sure would suck to see that nice new kite tumbling down the beach.
Don't ride w/a board leash at Waddell. If you can't body drag back to your board, you have no business riding here. A board attached to you while waves are working you over is nothing but problems/accidents waiting to happen. Speaking of body dragging, think about this long and hard: do you want to be trolling in the red triangle??? Don't go for big tricks on the outside.
You must be proficient at jumping both ways, strong upwind skills, self-landing and launching, good kite selection and basic knowledge of waves. You should be a very good swimmer. You should be at least a strong intermediate kiter. If the wind dies, you will need to self land downwind and walk back to the main beach.
Wind and Water
Be aware that you are entering the food chain when you enter the water at Waddell. This is the south apex of the Red Triangle.
You are not the biggest creature nor have the sharpest teeth.nThe water is always cold, and you need a 4/3 suite at the min. Some days, when it's been flowing for weeks and the upwelling is going, your feet and hangs get numb after a few hours of kiting. Many people wear hoods to help conserve body heat.
Because the air is cooler and denser, the wind has more punch on the coast. This means that when a sensor is reading 20, you will most likely be lit on a 8m kite. Before you toss up a big kite ñ see what others are riding.
People come here to ride waves. If you just want to do freestyle and go high on your jumps, please find another spot to play.
The waves here are big, fast and have a lot of punch. While the bottom is mostly sand, going over the falls will put sand down your wetsuit and into your ears . The white water has a lot of energy, and you better have solid jumping skills to clear it..or your body will pay the price.
Let's break it down by season.
Winter raging storms with massive swells and big south/se winds. Only extremely experienced people should venture out. You will most likely have the water all to yourself, except for the big fish Be proficient in self launch/landing. Don't go out further then you can swim in.
Spring and fall the winds cranking 4/6/8 meter kites are common and the waves have a lot of punch to them. Ask the people whose ribs have been broken by the powerful waves. The beach works on all direction swells NW to Sweet South swells. Fall is especially busy time for the landlord - aka whitey.
Summer the winds are howling and the waves have mellowed out a bit. South swells from South Hemi storms still come through and make the place epic wave riding. This is the season when a lot of new people are on the water. This is a good lead in to wave rules.
Wave rules
People riding waves are trying to get upwind to line up for the next wave. When you are approaching someone, person upwind keeps kite high, person downwind keeps it low. Donít go out lit/overpowered and ride with your kite near the water at all time: you will use way too much real estateIf you can't kite w/your kite 45 degrees off the water, you are on the wrong size kite. If you are having a hard time staying on the water w/your kite overhead, you picked the wrong size kite. When you ride waves, your kite will feel 1 size bigger then it actually is apparent wind caused by wave speed is one of the reasons.
Person who is riding the wave has right of way. If you are going out, you have to give right of way to kiter going down the line. Turn around and go back to beach until they have finished destroying the wave
Person upwind of you has the right of way to the wave. People who are more qualified, and can rip the wave, have the right to good waves over rookies. Trust me on this one, you will earn much karma by giving waves to the shredders.
First person on the wave has the right of way. Before you jibe onto a wave, check to make sure that someone is not lining up for it from the outside.
If you get on the same wave as someone else, my advice is let have the wave and get out of the way.
Waddell has multiple peaks ñ places were the wave breaks. Leave the peak in front of the parking lot to the experienced local people. Go either upwind or downwind It's a big beach. Once you have paid your dues, can ride in a line up of many people, know how to stay out of the way, know the names of ? the people on the water, then you may consider riding the main peak.
If you came here to do freestlye, don't do it in the surf zone. Go away from the waves, or way upwind/downwind. If you are going to try new moves off wave faces like kite loops which use up a lot of space when blown check to see that you have lots of room.
Contributed by Zeev Gur, 2004
This is a popular beach with hikers, windsurfers, surfers, sharks, seals and tourists. Please understand that we are just one of the many users of this incredible resource. As a matter of fact, we are one of the newer users and should show respect for the ones who have been playing here longer. When launching on days when the wind is light and there are other beach users be careful where you launch. Always check for little kids running around who donít know much about kites. When self launching, make sure no family is walking towards your set up.
When you are not using your stuff, roll up your lines, and stack your kites. Make sure to put sand on the kites: it blows hard and while you are getting warm in your car, it sure would suck to see that nice new kite tumbling down the beach.
Don't ride w/a board leash at Waddell. If you can't body drag back to your board, you have no business riding here. A board attached to you while waves are working you over is nothing but problems/accidents waiting to happen. Speaking of body dragging, think about this long and hard: do you want to be trolling in the red triangle??? Don't go for big tricks on the outside.
You must be proficient at jumping both ways, strong upwind skills, self-landing and launching, good kite selection and basic knowledge of waves. You should be a very good swimmer. You should be at least a strong intermediate kiter. If the wind dies, you will need to self land downwind and walk back to the main beach.
Wind and Water
Be aware that you are entering the food chain when you enter the water at Waddell. This is the south apex of the Red Triangle.
You are not the biggest creature nor have the sharpest teeth.nThe water is always cold, and you need a 4/3 suite at the min. Some days, when it's been flowing for weeks and the upwelling is going, your feet and hangs get numb after a few hours of kiting. Many people wear hoods to help conserve body heat.
Because the air is cooler and denser, the wind has more punch on the coast. This means that when a sensor is reading 20, you will most likely be lit on a 8m kite. Before you toss up a big kite ñ see what others are riding.
People come here to ride waves. If you just want to do freestyle and go high on your jumps, please find another spot to play.
The waves here are big, fast and have a lot of punch. While the bottom is mostly sand, going over the falls will put sand down your wetsuit and into your ears . The white water has a lot of energy, and you better have solid jumping skills to clear it..or your body will pay the price.
Let's break it down by season.
Winter raging storms with massive swells and big south/se winds. Only extremely experienced people should venture out. You will most likely have the water all to yourself, except for the big fish Be proficient in self launch/landing. Don't go out further then you can swim in.
Spring and fall the winds cranking 4/6/8 meter kites are common and the waves have a lot of punch to them. Ask the people whose ribs have been broken by the powerful waves. The beach works on all direction swells NW to Sweet South swells. Fall is especially busy time for the landlord - aka whitey.
Summer the winds are howling and the waves have mellowed out a bit. South swells from South Hemi storms still come through and make the place epic wave riding. This is the season when a lot of new people are on the water. This is a good lead in to wave rules.
Wave rules
People riding waves are trying to get upwind to line up for the next wave. When you are approaching someone, person upwind keeps kite high, person downwind keeps it low. Donít go out lit/overpowered and ride with your kite near the water at all time: you will use way too much real estateIf you can't kite w/your kite 45 degrees off the water, you are on the wrong size kite. If you are having a hard time staying on the water w/your kite overhead, you picked the wrong size kite. When you ride waves, your kite will feel 1 size bigger then it actually is apparent wind caused by wave speed is one of the reasons.
Person who is riding the wave has right of way. If you are going out, you have to give right of way to kiter going down the line. Turn around and go back to beach until they have finished destroying the wave
Person upwind of you has the right of way to the wave. People who are more qualified, and can rip the wave, have the right to good waves over rookies. Trust me on this one, you will earn much karma by giving waves to the shredders.
First person on the wave has the right of way. Before you jibe onto a wave, check to make sure that someone is not lining up for it from the outside.
If you get on the same wave as someone else, my advice is let have the wave and get out of the way.
Waddell has multiple peaks ñ places were the wave breaks. Leave the peak in front of the parking lot to the experienced local people. Go either upwind or downwind It's a big beach. Once you have paid your dues, can ride in a line up of many people, know how to stay out of the way, know the names of ? the people on the water, then you may consider riding the main peak.
If you came here to do freestlye, don't do it in the surf zone. Go away from the waves, or way upwind/downwind. If you are going to try new moves off wave faces like kite loops which use up a lot of space when blown check to see that you have lots of room.
Contributed by Zeev Gur, 2004
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