Banana Hammocks - The Kiteboarder Magazine

shop talk
Bertrand’s favorite break is just steps from the
front door of the camp. Photo Gromet
Smack
allowed from the Kahului Harbor to
Kanaha to Lanes (Ho’okipa). Help
preserve this valuable area by making
sure you are aware of the rules and
regulations when visiting Maui. Even
better, support their efforts by joining
for a $25 annual membership fee which
allows them to purchase the insurance
necessary to carry the FAA waiver,
print MKC safe riding guideline
brochures, and maintain their website.
www.mauikitesurf.org
Indo Kite Camp
Owner: Bertrand Fleury
Nickname: Bert (because my name is too hard to
pronounce for some people!)
Age: 30 Location: Indonesia
Years Riding: Since 1999
Favorite Conditions: Perfect sideshore, good size
waves, and enough wind for my 9m or 7m WH kites
One of kiteboarding’s first pro riders, Bertrand Fleury
first discovered his Indonesian island paradise in 2004.
Together with girlfriend and pro rider Tuva Jansen, he
bought land there in front of a perfect break on his first
trip and they completed building their home in 2009.
In 2010, he launched Indo Kite Camp which caters to
experienced riders looking to improve their game in
the surf.
What motivated you to settle down in Indonesia, build
a home, and start your wave riding camps The first
time I traveled to Indo, I knew that I wanted to spend a lot
of time here. The conditions are perfect and everything is
very close by. The place is beautiful, the people are so nice,
and the food is excellent, so what more do we need We
also appreciate that Indonesia is very cheap, so it is easy to
have a good life here.
How hard is it to get to your place It’s not hard, but it
does take some time. You need to get to Bali, DPS, and
then take a little local plane (40 minutes) to our island.
From there it is a two hour taxi ride to our house. It’s a very
beautiful trip since you get to see lot of the island and the
nice villages on the way.
Why is your location never mentioned in your
marketing or photos We want to try to keep it protected
as best as we can, so our clients will get less crowded
riding! We don’t see the need of telling everybody the exact
name of the spot —if they want to know, they can come to
the camp!
What does your camp offer and what’s the price We
only take two clients a week (if there is a group of friends,
we can take up to four) so we can give good feedback and
help to the riders. We film every session and in the evening
we go through the footage and take a look at what each
person can do to improve their riding. We also take our
clients surfing, fishing, and sightseeing to the villages. We
include massages and beautiful Indonesian food in the
package which is 850 Euro ($1,100 USD) for one week or
1,450 Euro ($1,890 USD) for two weeks.
Why do you only offer advanced camps This is an easy
place to learn how to ride waves since the waves and wind
are perfect, but because our spot has waves and reefs, we
do think you will enjoy this camp much more if you have a
little bit of experience and have done some surfing before
as well, since there can be days with no wind, but that are
perfect for surfing!
Are the camps offered year round or seasonally What
are the typical conditions We only do the camps from
September through November. This is the best time for the
wind. The wind season here is very short. Most days I am
well powered on my 9m, some days on my 7m. The waves
are reef breaks and most days are head-high. We have one
spot that serves up a perfect wave to get tubes; it’s pretty
short but hollow. The other one is a long left with perfect
sideshore wind so it is great for doing turn after turn.
What brands do you represent I am now riding for
Wainman Hawaii and I am very happy with the gear. They
have a big range of boards that all work great! At the camp
I have some kites and boards for guests to demo.
How do you handle your camps if there is no wind You
can never guarantee wind anywhere, but the great thing
about this place is that when there is no wind, that means
sick surf, so most people are happy anyway. If they don’t
want to surf, they can go snorkeling, fishing, or just chill
out and take a massage. We can also always play poker!
What else is there to do where you are, especially
if there is no wind or swell There is not much of a
nightlife here, but this is a place with a bunch of surfers,
so in the evening people hang out at the restaurants and
play poker, pool, or watch movies.
Any words of wisdom you want to share with our
readers Come and join us next year — you will get to
ride the best waves of your life.
Photo Max Minnerop
This winter Island Riders will once again
be running kiteboarding trips to the BVI’s
and the islands of the Bahamas from
January through March. If you’re looking
for a great adventure travel experience
where you can kite in your boardshorts,
check these trips out. They take you south
to explore the endless blue waters of the
Caribbean and show you all of the best
places to kite along the way. The fourth
Annual Island Riders BVI catamaran trip
will be running in late January and early
February and will feature all of the usual
stops like the Bitter End Yacht Club on
Virgin Gorda, Sandy Cay at Jost Van
Dyke, and Anegada. The Bahamas
kiteboarding trips to the Abacos Islands
and Bimini will be in late February and
early March with plans to have both a
sailing week and a land-based week for
those not interested in staying aboard the
boat. www.island-riders.com
Pro Kitesurf (www.Kiteboarding.com) has
teamed up with Naval Air Station Corpus
Christi (NASCC) to run a kiteboarding
school for the Navy in Texas. The new
facility will by fully stocked with new 2011
Naish kites and Crazy Fly boards and
offer discounted lessons to our Naval
servicemen and women. Lessons are not
limited to Corpus Christi personnel but will
be accessible to all active, reserve, and
retired military people. Corpus Christi is
known for its consistent year round winds
and has been home to many kiteboarding
events including the Velocity Games, US
Kite Racing Championship and the IKA
Kite World Races.
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