CALL THE SHOP: 956-299-9463
Flatwater Kiteboarding
South Padre Kite Chicks
Kitesurfing South Padre Island, Texas
Laguna Madre Bay Kite Boarding
Beach bonfire April 15th, 2010... Lakawa Kiteboarding to host bonfire on South Padre Island.
Free Higher Education Theory Classes... Free kitesurfing theory and repair classes begin this spring 2010 season.
Kite Landboarding on South Padre Island... The crew takes a test drive on some new kite landboard and kitesurfing gear.
Kitesurfing and Kiteboarding Equipment Store Goes Online... The New Online Kitesurfing and Kiteboarding Goes Online.
Vacation Rentals South Padre Island... Information about the condo rentals on South Padre Island.
2010 South Padre Island Kite Round Up... May 1st-9th, 2010 - Largest Kiteboarding event in North America! Equipment Demos, Amateur Contests, Kite Clinics, Pros, Parties and More.
New South Padre Shuttle from Harlingen Airport... $20 One-way Bus tickets available from South Padre Island, Texas to Harlingen Valley International Airport (VIA)!
Kitesurfing Trip to Puerto Rico... Air Padre Kiteboarding Team takes a vacation, and heads to Puerto Rico for kitesurfing adventures!
Air Padre Kiteboarding Donates Gear to students... Air Padre donates kite equipment to UTB Kiteboarding. See their reactions!
Subscribe to Newsletter:
Jeff starting sailing when he was 6 years old and then windsurfing at 10. As a youngster he competed each summer in mono hull racing and crewed in yacht races. Later in 1999 living in Corpus Christi, TX he saw his old friend Olaf Johannsen kiteboarding in the surf and knew then this was his next wind sport. After learning to kite he sold his business and moved to South Padre Island. Capt'n Jeff teaches more people every year than anyone else on the island. Each year his schedule gets tighter as his happy students go home and tell their friends and family about the kiting experience he provides. He is currently focusing on advanced flat water and wave riding lessons. He is one of the biggest babies when it comes to being cold. Probably the only person on the island to own a dry suit. What a baby!
Paul began board sports at a very young age. Anything from skateboarding to skimboarding he was all about doing while living in south Florida. His love for the beach was shown to him by his best childhood friends and he has been about it ever since. After moving to Philadelphia for high school he decided that the cold was not where he wanted to be. He went back to Florida and attended Florida State University to earn a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Graphic Design. While at FSU he joined the kiteboarding club and learned how to kiteboard in 2004. Just after graduation he moved to South Padre Island to combine all of his loves. Kiteboarding, beaches, warmth and doing the graphic and web design.
There's just no nice way to put it; Bill is a washed-up, has-been, old jock, but also an experienced and excellent kiteboarding instructor. His early years were spent playing traditional team sports like baseball, basketball, and football. He really liked sports where he could crash into people, hence the reason he was banned from basketball and golf (he never liked golf because crashing in to your opponent seemed to be frowned upon). When he retired from playing baseball and fast-pitch softball, he trained hard to became a tournament level racquetball player. His training paid off as he reached the quarterfinals of the state tournament 4 years in a row. After severing his right Achilles tendon in a racquetball tournament (one of his 10 surgeries) he took up windsurfing in 1983. In 1988, he broke the U.S. speed sailing record for men over the age of 50 (of that accomplishment he likes to say he was the fastest of the slow guys). Bill Hansen of WindWing Sails then made Bill a team rider for WindWing. He retired from a career in business and found out that he had a passion for teaching Kiteboarding. He teaches all ages and genders. His belief about life is simple: "Life is a contact sport, and when you stop learning, you stop living". He's still learning.
I saw kitbeoarding in 2005 and thought this is the sport for me. I immediately started buying cheap gear mostly on Ebay (don't do it!). Since, I have become a fixture at the North Flats. I love the buttery flat water and pushing my limits to new heights, literally speaking. I am currently working on unhooked grabs, s-bends, mobes, big-air, and handle passes, and did I forget ...BIG-AIR. I love the warm beaches of South Padre Island. We actually do have year-round kite boarding. Couldn't ask for a better place to learn, and friendlier people! If you have any problems while you are hear, even if you tear your kite in two, it's still fixable; come see me at the shop and I can fix it for you.
Born in the wilderness, I was educated in the Vermont Five Lakes region. Dedicated to everything that brings me joy, including kiteboarding. I have been kiting for almost a year now, and throwing down. Right now I am working on S-bends, front rolls, raley-to-blind and surf skills. Currently seeking employment with Texas Parks and Wildlife. I am loving the warm water and wind, and finding out that South Texas is not the stereotype.
Erik has taught kiteboarding for more than 2,000 hours to more than 400 people. Erik is certified as a kiteboarding coach and instructor from three different certifying, teaching entities, IKO(International Kiteboarding Organization), PASA(Professional Air Sport Association), and REAL(Real Kiteboarding).
T. J.'s passion for wind & water began when he moved to the Columbia River Gorge in 2001. Having instructed white water kayaking for 7 years in Colorado, his focus soon changed when he first witnessed kiteboarding the Hood River, Oregon in 2002. "I got a job w/ a kiteboarding company that year, and 2 years later obtained my PASA certification. I love teaching, and kiteboarding truly pays off when you share the stoke in your student's experience." Currently teaching on South Padre Island in the Fall/Spring, La Ventana Baja, Mexico in the winter, and the Gorge in the Summer, T. J.'s love for teaching fuels his passion for kiteboarding.
Background: When Scott was a younger man he set out for adventures in far away lands including Fiji, New Zealand, Australia, Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Burma (Myanmar), Nepal, UAE, Germany, France, Hungary, Belgium, and United Kingdom. He went rap jumping, cave rafting, scuba diving, hitch hiking, glacier climbing, among other things in NZ. He drove Australia coast to coast in a car and learned to surf, drink beer, and scuba dive the great barrier reef. He experienced the exotic wonders of the Indonesian islands of Bali, Lombok, Surabaya, Sumbawa, Kimodo, Sulawesi, Java, Flores, and Timor. He also traveled the Malaysian Peninsula into Thailand with stops along the way including the island of Ko-Pa-Ngan in the Gulf of Thailand to experience one of the fabled "full moon parties". More adventures awaited Scott in Burma where he was actually accosted by a band of traveling transvestites entertaining the inhabitants of a small town in the middle of the country where travel by foreigners was discouraged by the government at the time. Ask him about it sometime, 100% true story. Many and varied interests including all the usual outdoor activities: hunting, fishing, scuba diving, boating, water skiing, snow skiing, surfing, wind surfing, hiking, biking, mowing the lawn, and of course kiteboarding. Other interests include raising two children, keeping the wife of 15 years happy, and enjoying life as much as possible, with permission from the boss.
Teran owns Island Fitness right across the street from Air Padre Kiteboarding. He has been teaching kiteboarding and windsurfing for years. If you get a chance to see him ride you'll know why he's on the team. As one of the best riders on the island, his smooth style is inspiring.
Super Rob has been riding since the beginning. He is retro-core all the way. He rides a pulley bar, not the kind you get with a bow kite. We are talking the old school flavor. Anyone who has tried a classic pulley bar can understand the difficulty involved with no chicken loop. If you ever have the pleasure of meeting Rob or seeing him ride you'll understand why has is on the team.
----- IKO and PASA Certified Instructors -----
5709 A Padre Blvd., South Padre Island, Texas 78597 | 956-299-9463 | 9:00 am - 5:00 pm