Water Sports in Cabarete
The eXtreme Hotel attracts all kinds of visitors who want to enjoy Water Sports in Cabarete The wind and waves are a consistent gift from mother nature, making Cabarete a go-to destination for kiteboarding, surfing, windsurfing, and SUP. Dominican Republic has such a lush and diverse landscape so there are many rivers and lagoons for wake boarding, water skiing, snorkeling, spearfishing, and scuba diving as well. If any of that sounds appealing to you, than you may want to try your favorites of all the different Water Sports in Cabarete. There is often debate about which of the Water Sports in Cabarete is the best. The top two in question for the best water sport in Cabarete is always between Kiteboarding and Surfing. Surfing takes 1 hour to learn, but a lifetime to get good at, while Kiteboarding takes 3 days to learn but 1 week to start doing tricks. In my opinion it depends on your personality type and what makes you say “WOW” If you always looked at surfing and dreamt of carving waves with grace or riding giants all over the world, then maybe that is your thing. If the first time you saw kiteboarding you stayed watching it on the beach all day, perplexed at the speed and intensity of handle passes and flips, then it’s probably your sport. The bottom line is, with so many Water Sports in Cabarete, you can pick your poison and enjoy it every day. :) Blog written by Gigi Taveras
Surf Everyday in Cabarete
Surf Everyday in Cabarete – Cabarete is an amazing place, perfect for people who love to seize the day and play it by ear. First light is usually around 5am, and sometimes you stay out late enough to see it, and if you live here and have “gotten over” the night life, you might wake up early enough to see it. Lately I’ve been running to the surf beach, Encuentro to watch the day get bright around 6 am when the streets are quiet, the water is calm, and the air is wet. The surf schools don’t open until 6:30, but sometimes you’ll see a surfer out on the set finding her Zen. On a normal day, the waves are still small at that time, but I think that’s perfect because it’s like a warm up. As the swell picks up, your body wakes up. In the summer, when Kiteboarding conditions are optimal, the wind is already picking up by 10:30. This is great for Kiters, especially those with bigger kites who don’t need a lot of wind to start flying over water. But for Surfers, wind means choppy waves and messy sets. People still stay in the surf when it gets windy, and it’s still a good time, but just not the same as 6 am clean sets and blue skies. What I really love about Cab is how you can wake up early and see the sunrise whilst surfing, and watch the sunset whilst Kiting. Another fun fact is that when it rains at night, it usually means messy waves in the morning, but when it rains in the afternoon, and Kiters are packing up their gear, surfers are waiting for the rain to stop because it means good waves again. Today was that kind of day. A huge storm cloud rolled in like the plague and sunny Cabarete turned into a menacing rain storm. Afterwards, I didn’t hesitate to go to Encuentro, and as soon as I could see the water from my moto on the road, I saw perfect waves and crystal waters. We were surfing for about an hour before the wind picked up again, but it was definitely a change in scenery. In the morning the sky is glorious and the mountain landscape seems sleepy. But after the rain, the water was as green as the bright trees, and the sky was dark grey with pieces of silver water-filled clouds. Bottom Line: Surf the sunrise, Kite the sunset, rush to the waves after it rains and drink mamajuana at night! You’ve earned it!
An ordinary Cabarete Day
A lot can happen in a single day when you’re living in Cabarete. With so much to be offered in a 20min radius, all you need is a “get up and go” mentality and everything folds out in front of you. As I write this I’m sitting on the Trapeze lawn at the eXtreme Hotel watching the morning swings of the Circus Art fiends. “Back! Forward! Forward! Back! Up!” is being cued in the background under Tracy the kickboxing Coach’s even louder instructions from inside the gym next door. “Jab! Cross! Slip!” -and it’s only 10:15am. ::sigh:: being at the eXtreme Hotel is always exciting. But anyway I was telling you about my ordinary day: So I woke up and wasn’t sure what was up with surf but put my suit on anyway and went down to the surf beach Encuentro. The trip there, whether on bike or moto is always beautiful in the morning because of the long windy roads littered with grazing horses, chickens, and sun beams thru lots of trees leaving cool shadows on the road. When you’re on bicycle it’s even nicer because most of the way down to Encuentro is downhill, although after a surf session the trip back up isn’t something I particularly look forward to. The waves were clean and maybe waist high with occasional head high swells so basically PERFECT but I was more in the mood to drink some coffee and talk shit with the other lazy surfers on the beach. They have all morning to get in and ride some waves but I was wanting to be at Yoga in 20 minutes so I said bye to the usual suspects, hopped on the Gringo Sanky (my friend’s moto) and rode 5 minutes to eXtreme on Kite Beach. Practicing at The Yoga Loft is always my favorite morning activity, and Yoga with Molly on a Friday is always a challenge. Her TGIF means Thank God I’m FUERTE so I was sweating within 10 mins. I love how Friday Yoga is always the day I do something I didn’t know I could do. An entire practice looking at the ocean in a studio with no walls makes me feel so close to nature as I move through the asanas. Morning Yoga makes me feel accomplished for treating my body to healing, my mind to peace, and my spirit to health. Awwww que cute. Walking down from the Yoga Loft I came upon 9 or 10 Aerialists practicing in our half pipe. Sweet Retreats, a group of Circus Artists on an intensive training vacation, was having their morning Silks class which meant toned persons binding themselves up their silks and cascading down in different ways. It’s kind of like watching the Olympics; there’s a mixture of being amazed by what a human body can do and also feeling completely dissatisfied with your own body. Oh well, there’s Abiu from Taino Farm in the kitchen I can get in on some of that. After watching the circus freaks for a bit I managed to bring the rest of the eXtreme team to slack off a bit and go for a swim in Kite Beach.. We convinced ourselves we were still being productive since I brought my underwater camera and was going to include a section in my blog about our frolicking in the ocean. Then of course we got back to work… Later in the day I was itching to have some kind of ocean activity so since there was no wind I went to Encuentro for an afternoon session. That’s the best thing about Cab, whether you want wind or waves, there’s usually always one or both. The waves were smaller than in the morning but I still had a great time catching them and very easily getting back out to the set. Bryan, one of our Farm woofers who is learning to surf, loved that he could get a lot of ride time with no real wipe outs. The trick to having lots of fun on smaller waves is not being picky, ride them all! Around dusk, a bunch of Cabarete ladies were getting together for sangria and to cut up old t-shirts into new ones and it was a great turn out! We ate more chips and salsa than was necessary, but At least I got 3 new tops! The highlight of the night for me was at sunset when my friend was coming in with the paddleboard and I ran out and had myself a sunset ride. The sunset on the water reflects shades of pink and orange onto the water to the west, and the clouds to the east, nothing is more beautiful or important when it’s just you in the water basking in the sunset. The waves outside of extreme are such a fun ride, especially with the Paddle board. When you’re on SUP you don’t really need waves because just being on top of the water by yourself with the clouds and horizon and green clear ocean underneath you is pretty satisfying, but if you see a swell go out and ride a few, totally thrilling and there’s a nice relaxing paddle back to the shore to catch your breath. The best part of this particular Friday was that this was just an ordinary Cabarete Day. The night closed with dinner at Casa Mami’s, and a nice early night to be well rested for Saturday’s surf, Yoga, and Flea market. Cabarete can fill your day with all kinds of life experiences and introspective moments but being a small town it’s filed with lots of socializing too. Adventurous days, lazy days, it’s all good in Cab.
Surfing With The Sun
I don’t often get to see the sunrise, but when I do I get a chill running down my spine. It’s a special feeling that I liken to taking off in an airplane, or the first day of a new job. Like you are living and breathing ‘beginning’. So the idea of getting to see a sunrise is pretty cool, but actually getting out there and doing it is another. For starters if you want to see the beginning rays of the day, then you have to get out of your cozy bed before that day has even begun. While your laying there in a half wake state there are tones of reasons to NOT get up. Living here at extreme for six months I’ve managed to find a few more reasons to get up with a pop. For one, our slogan is live by the sun. So once I see those rays coming through my curtains, I know its time to go…. And when the sun starts to set at night I begin concocting my plans for a wholesome dinner shared with friends and an early tuck in time. This past November I went surfing more times than I did in all of 2011. Or for that matter the entire rest of my life. Surfing is a pretty cool sport. We all know that. But the reason that its cool to me is that there are so many elements that line up to that perfect wave. And getting up early is one of them. I stood at the shores edge at 6:45 this morning staring at the massive rippling grey soup of swell wondering why there were no other surfers in the water. All the other surfers had a similar stance to me – standing, watching, calculating….. except I didn’t know why I was doing it. So I said to hell with that and went and got my board ready. By the time I got in the water I was about the fourth person out there. 30 minutes later once I’d battled past the break (I’m totally still an amateur) there was probably 20 people waiting for their perfect wave. Beating the crowds. Now that’s a reason to crawl out of your covers before the sun. When we say live with the sun, maybe we actually mean live ahead of the sun. Maybe set an alarm, or mark on your calendar – “today is the day you tell the sun what to do”. When you have a fierce desire and attachment to a sport/ hobby/ game – whatever it is that drives you – it doesn’t really matter where the sun is, or the wind or the powder… you have to put yourself there and be ready for whatever mother nature will give you. Big, small, gnarly, suave … its all a part of the challenge and the reason to get out and play.
Board Sports Galore!
Extreme hotel is definitetly the most fun hotel on kitebeach in Cabarete. Not only do we have a circus school, MMA, yoga and a full service gym, but we of course have the best kiteboarding location! Unlike any other hotel on the beach, we offer a nice big grassy area, free of obstruction where you can pump up your kite, wash it and pack it down safely without bringing home half the beach with you! This helps to keep sand out of your pump, valves and bladders, prolonging the life of your kite. With conditions ranging from flat to choppy and various sized waves breaking on the reef, kitebeach offers some of the best conditions in the world. The wind is side-onshore, usually 15-25 knots and blows consistantly from lunch time until after sunset. In addition to kitesurfing, eXtreme Hotel also boasts some other great board sport activities. When the swell is in, we have one of the best surf breaks in the area, with waves reaching to over double overhead in height. There might be a bit of a paddle to get out to the break, but you’ll have the whole wave to yourself. Want to spice things up? eXtreme also offers tow-in surfing, using a jetski. This is for advanced riders only! In addition, Encuentro surf beach is just a five minute moto concho ride away from the hotel. Located there are many surf schools and rental shops, plus the break is a little closer to shore. Be careful though! You probably want to wear water shoes to protect your feet from the fire coral and reef. Also located on site at eXteme Hotel is a world class skateboarding halfpipe, “The Underground”. Open to the public on weekends, you can kill it with some of the Dominican’s best skaters. Don’t feel intimidated by the level of riding, we also have plenty of kids and women learning to skate here too. Also to be found on kitebeach and soon to be availale at eXtreme Hotel are standup paddleboards (SUPs). Several locations on the beach offer rentals and some instruction. They are much longer and wide than conventional surfboards and much more stable. The use a paddle to propel yourseld out to the break, and standing on your board, you can see the sets c in earlier than when you surf, allowing you more time to set up for your ride. Kite Method also offers an eco-tour into the Cabarete Lagoon in small SUPs where you leisurely paddle around the lagoon at your own pace while taking in the local flora and fauna. IT’s very beautiful and tranquil here and protected from the wind. Make sure you wear a hat, sunscreen and bring some water with you! Afterwards, you’ll be treated to a coconut, some sugar cane and some almonds from the lagoon. Further down the beach is Bozo Beach whereyou can find many windsurfers riding hard and their associated schools and rental shops. Most windsurfers stay in Bozo Bay, and rarely venture forth to kitebeach. This area has been one of the premeir locations for windsurfing for decades, and is the home for many competitions for both windsurfing and kiteboarding. Wakeboarding can also be found locally here in Cabarete and is usually done on the local river where the water is always flat. If you are interested, there are local tour groups that arrange outings, or you can ask at the front desk and one of our receptionists will be happy to call and inquire about wakeboarding availability for you. Extreme Hotel is your extreme board sports vacation destination.
A Brief History of Surfing
Surfing is a key element in Cabarete culture. The routine of getting up at the crack of dawn to catch some waves is a treasured ritual, here. For some, surfing is a way of life in itself. Part of the beauty lies in how accessible it is as a sport. Whether you’ve surfed for decades or it’s your first day out in the water, anyone can pick up a board and give it a go. If you can swim. (Please do not try to surf if you can’t swim.) It’s impossible to imagine Cabarete without surfing. But surfing, just like every sport, had its beginnings. Let’s dive into the history of surfing. Hawaiian Royal Surf You may know surfing has its roots in Hawaii, a long time ago. It is thought to have been brought over by the Polynesians who migrated into Fiji, Tahiti and eventually Hawaii. You may not have heard, however, that it was at first an exclusive royal sport. That’s right, the top dogs in Hawaiian society ruled the waves. Hawaiian social code dictated that the upper classes had control over all the good beaches and got the best boards. The code even limited the length of the boards commoners could ride, putting them at a severe disadvantage! Nowadays, the ‘surfer dude’ stereotype is hardly that of a lavish prince. But a thousand years ago, the sport was actually used by royals to oppress the common people. It was only many years later that surfers became recognised for their athletic ability and not their class. Surfing back then was no jaunty run down the beach, board under arm. You needed a team of men to carry your 200-pound, 20-foot board and help you on your ‘he’e nalu’ journey. Wave-sliding, as they called it, was a poignant part of their culture, not just a hobby. Surfing had religious significance. The priest was called in to bless the board while it was being carved. Priests would also pray over the water if it was a still day, and beg the gods to send a good swell. Some say they sometimes beat the water with vines to stir up some waves. European Contact, 1778 In 1778, Captain Cook ‘discovered’ Hawaii. He and his crew were the first Europeans to observe and record surfers. One of Cook’s men, James King, called it a ‘very dangerous diversion’, and marvelled at how the men jumped from their board before being thrown against the rocks. He even said that the men were such good swimmers and surfers that they were almost amphibian! King’s journal gives us the first written account of the surfers’ joy: ‘They seem to feel a great pleasure in the motion which this Exercise gives’. Translation: It was going off! The Dark Age of Surf American missionaries came to Hawaii in the 1800s, and tried to ‘civilise’ some of the native people’s barbaric practices. One such immoral activity was surfing. The Christians were not fans of surfing. They linked it to the sins of nakedness and gambling, and said it had to be banished from society. They were a fun bunch. Surfing went through a bit of a dark age in the 1800s, while Hawaii was being changed by colonial settlers. Traditional culture was suppressed and many Hawaiians were put to work on plantations. A few wealthy Americans tried surfing in Hawaii, most famously Mark Twain in 1866 and Jack London in the early 1900s. London spread news of the sport with his essay ‘A Royal Sport’ (1907). Duke Kahanamoku Duke Kahanamoku is hailed as the father of modern surfing. He was a great Hawaiian swimmer who ended up smashing records and winning gold metals at the Olympics. He rocketed to fame, and is widely recognised as the best and most influential Hawaiian athlete. He also played a big role in popularising surfing in the US and all around the world. And had his own line of aloha shirts. What a guy. Modern Surf History The evolution of modern surfing can be traced through advances in board design and its growing place in popular culture. It finally became a professional sport in 1975. Old school Hawaiian boards were carved out of solid wood, and the 20-footers weighed up to 200 pounds. 1920s: Tom Blake introduced the fin to stabilise the board. He tried to make boards lighter by drilling holes in them, and later developing a hollow board. 1950s: Bob Simmons experimented with different materials to make the board lighter and faster. He settled on a polystyrene core and a mahogany veneer, sealed with fiberglass and resin. A game-changing move in the surfing world. 1960s: The golden age of surfing. By the end of the decade, surfers were shredding on 5-foot boards. Bring on the ‘shortboard revolution’. Surf culture began to pop up all over the place in music, TV and film. Special mention goes to the music of The Beach Boys and Surfaris, and the 1959 film Gidget, based on the life of surfer chick Kathy Kohner-Zuckerman. 1970s: Growth of the professional surfing world. Twin fin boards emerged. 1980s: ‘Hotdogging’ era, crazy surfers doing crazy stunts. Wave pools started popping up in landlocked areas, promising the perfect wave and threatening the natural purity of surfing. 1990s: Era of epic professional surfing, world tours, celebrity surf icons like Kelly Slater. Being towed to catch waves became popular, again worrying surf purists. Image credits thanks to White Water Magazine https://www.whitewatermag.com/ Nowadays, with cheaper mass produced surf gear and international travel, surf vacations have become more accessible. With remote jobs gaining in popularity, you can now be a globe-trotting surfer without the need to go professional. Many so-called ‘digital nomads’ come to Cabarete for a few months or stay for years because the surfer lifestyle is so desirable. Join us for a surf in Playa Encuentro and get to know Cabarete’s thriving surfing scene. December to April is the time to come if you’re an expert surfer hunting the biggest waves. If you’re