*Photo credit to Jim at www.flyingjim.com. Thanks Jim!         

South Padre Island is a barrier island in the Gulf of Mexico in deep south Texas on the border of Mexico. The Island is about 30 miles long, running north and south and only 1/2 mile across at it's widest point. About 2,000 residents live on SPI year round yet the Island receives at least 1/2 million visitors throughout any given year. 

South Padre Island boasts the cleanest and most scenic beach in Texas and that is what draws all kinds of crowds all year long. Summer is family vacation. Winter is 'Winter Texans'. Fall and Spring are a magnet for the windsports enthusiasts and March is a popular time for spring break destinations.

On the eco side, South Padre Island is the home to Sea Turtle Inc., a company dedicated to the preservation, rehabilitation and regeneration of sea turtles in the wild, all of which are endangered. Birdwatching is also a popular draw and currently there is a World Birding Center under construction on the Island. The Laguna Madre Bay as well as the Gulf are home to families of dolphins and the SPI Dolphin Research and Nature Center has been tracking and studying them for years.

South Padre Island offers some of the best kiteboarding weather in the United States. We have warmer water later into the winter and earlier in the spring than almost any other state. The average day time wind speed is 17 knots, perfect for learning. Learning almost anything is easier in moderate wind with a larger kite, the pull is more consistent and a larger kites are easier to control than small zippy kites. The bay never gets big swell because it is shallow. Being an arid climate the chances of getting rained out are quite low, we average just over 20 inches (50 cm) of rain per year.