While Elbow Beach and Horseshoe Bay Beach tend to draw crowds of beachgoers in the summer, they can be an experienced kiteboarder's dream when the winter winds start to pick up.
California-based pro Laurel Eastman called Elbow Beach “one of Bermuda’s most beautiful beaches,” and said being on the water offered dramatic views of the rocky coastline, as well as the resorts that line parts of the beach here.
It is absolutely stunning. – Laurel Eastman
From December through May, a boarder can expect winds to blow steadily between 15 and 25 knots; ideal winds will blow ENE through SW. Pro kiteboarder and swimwear designer Sensi Graves said her favorite day was on Elbow Beach, namely for conditions that lend themselves to an aggressive upwind tack.
Jupiter, Florida-based pro kiter Melissa Gil said Elbow Beach’s width made it an excellent kiting beach. "Elbow Beach is awesome, I think, for kitesurfing because it’s a really wide beach, so it gives you a lot of room to be able to launch your kites and land your kites," she said.
“That beach is just stunning. I love the white sand, the colours of the water were all different kinds of blues. I also like the rocks sticking out and giving it a different topography,” she said. “When you’re kiting, once you get out into the ocean and you are able to look back at the scenery where you’re at and it’s always beautiful.”
Less than 15 minutes to the southwest in Southampton lies Horseshoe Bay Beach, a spot that gets crowded with beachgoers in the summer, but becomes a kiteboarder's paradise in the winter months.
The popular beach faces SSE and has a gentle crescent shape as well as a sandy bottom.
On the day the visiting pros launched here, the chop on the water made for a thrilling ride. Gil said she appreciated the waist-high waves she encountered at Horseshoe Bay Beach.
It was super fun. I love wave riding when I’m kitesurfing. – Melissa Gil
“What has stood out for the kiteboarding here has been the exploratory aspect of it,” Graves said. “The wind blows from 360 degrees around Bermuda, and so you can kite on any wind direction, it seems like, but you have to go chase it and find it and find where it’s going to be good that day.”
There's even more to explore on the island itself. A can't-miss way to experience the full allure of Bermuda's history, culture and nature is the Railway Trail, a pedestrian and cycling path that traverses the island along a former railroad line.
