Frequently asked questions

The prevailing wind in the area is the north-westerly Tramontane, blowing anything from a force 4 to a force 8. The warm, dry Tramontane winds are said to blow for 3, 6 or 9 days in a row, sweeping the skies clear of any clouds and bringing lots of sunshine. The Tramontane blows both summer and winter, both mornings and afternoons.

Although this doesn’t happen often, it might happen that a lesson cannot take place due to lack of wind. It can also happen that there is too much wind. The lesson will be rescheduled for another day and/or time or replaced with another equivalent activity. Sudwindsports will not make any refunds, but can give you a voucher for missed lesson(s) if we still owe you lessons at the end of your stay.

As we often have a northern wind we wear wetsuits most of the time. During July and August it is sometimes possible to go out on the water in shorts and lycra rash vests. In April and October we often wear long wetsuit and we keep the shorties for June until September. If you have booked lessons the use of an appropriate wetsuit is included in the price.

Spring weather with lots of sunshine and good wind generally start from April onward, although it can still be chilly that month. Summer-like temperatures and "bikini" weather generally starts mid-May. In the months of July and August temperatures can get up to 35 degrees Celsius, and luckily the wind often cools us down! In September the hottest days are over, but shorts can still be worn until mid-October. Then, for the last weeks of the season water temperatures are still very reasonable so we continue being on the water until the end of that month.

Yes, the Languedoc Roussillon region and in specific our department the Aude is full of history and culture. If you want to see something else than sea and sand, a site worth visiting is easy to find. Click here for more information. Please note: you will need a car to make the most of what the region has on offer.

Currently we cannot offer professional childcare facilities. However we can try and arrange lesson times in such a way that there is always one parent available to look after the kids. Please mention this upon booking.

Saint Pierre’s sandy beach is very wide and gets a daily clean during the summer months. As the Mediterranean Sea has no noticeable tides and the water is relatively shallow it is ideal for children to enter the water. Lifeguards are present from May until the end of September on most beaches. There are public showers to rinse of the sea salt. Please note that we are in a windy area: bring a beach shelter for the little ones to protect them from the flying sand.

Children in this age group can do: windsurfing, sailing (optimist for under 12s and catamaran when accompanied by an adult), canoeing and pedalo-ing. For windsurfing and optimist sailing we run special kids groups.

Although the lake has a sandy bed, we advise you to wear windsurfing boots or simply a pair of old trainers that can get wet. And don’t forget the sun cream, sun glasses (with safety cord for the water), and a hat to bring some protection from the sun. A wetsuit is not essential, depending on the time of year, but if you have your own wetsuit, rash vest and/or boots we advise you to bring your own. If not, the use of a wetsuit is included in the price of a course.

Yes. The aim of our courses is to get you up and running quickly, making sure you are safe and independent. After one lesson you can rent out equipment to practice by yourself on the lake. Click here for rental prices.

Because we are a small school and have lots of different activities on offer, it would be best if you booked in advance. This way we can plan your course and guarantee that there is place in our planning for your lessons. Especially in July and August it is sometimes difficult for us to plan lessons for people without reservations.

Most of the time it will be possible to book extra lessons. However during the months of July and August we cannot guarantee this, as pre-booked courses have priority over locally booked courses. Of course we will do our best to schedule more lessons for you if we can.

In the summer the sand on the beach can get pretty hot! A pair of trainers or wetsuit boots can make walking on the beach more comfortable if you have sensitive feet. On most days you will be wearing a wetsuit, and if you have your own wet suit, rash vest and/or boots we advise you to bring your own. If not, the use of a wetsuit is included in the price of a course. And don’t forget the sun cream, sun glasses (with safety cord for the water), and a hat to bring some protection from the sun.

Kitesurfing is a technical sport and not a ‘power’sport. We adapt the size of the kite to your weight and height so that the power generated by the kite is easily manageable. And, from the second lesson you will be hooked into a harness so that your arms can have a rest.

Learning to kitesurf is easier than ever before. We have been teaching kitesurfing for over 7 years, and it just keeps getting better and better. Our new equipment and new training techniques have made the learning process fun and rewarding. It requires a modest investment of time and money to get into the sport. This combined with a little patience and motivation is all it takes to be a kitesurfer.

It takes as long as it takes. Everybody is different when it comes to learning to kitesurf and some skills carry over from other sports. If you have been wakeboarding, snowboarding, surfing, etc. Before, this might help your improvement; however it is not necessary to have done either of these sports before. As a rough guide the long kitesurfing course (16 hrs) is the best place to start. It will give you a decent base to become an independent and safe kitesurfer. Don't be too fixated or worried about how long it takes, because you do not want to rush the learning phase. If you put too much pressure on yourself you won’t enjoy the process as much as you should. Just be sure to give yourself as much time and patience as you need, and you will breeze through it.

Because we are a small school and have lots of different activities on offer, it would be best if you booked in advance. This way we can plan your course and guarantee that there is place in our planning for your lessons. Especially in July and August it is sometimes difficult for us to plan lessons for people without reservations.

Most of the time every student will have his/her own kite during the full duration of the lesson. We have enough equipment and space on the beach for this and our local conditions permit us to have 4 people with 4 kites per group. Only rarely will we pair students up to share one kite.

We like to think so: there are no waves, there is often wind and our team of instructors has a lot of experience. Our equipment is adapted to the local wind conditions and we have trainer kites for the first lesson(s).

The Kitezone is a 300 meter strip of sandy beach, cordoned off from the public and reserved for kitesurfing only. There is plenty of space, both on the beach and on the water, to roll out your lines, and launch and land safely.

The Saint Pierre Kitezone is open to everyone with a certain riding level. For safety reason there are a few rules that apply. Click here to see the Kitezone Reglementation.

We like to say that the kitesurfing learning curve is steeper than the windsurfing learning curve. This means that you will learn more in a shorter time. In windsurfing there are several stages of learning, the longboard stage, then the shortboard stage, this last one requiring waterstarts, foot straps and harness. In kitesurfing you will learn the kite flying, harness, foot straps and waterstart in the first few days. With windsurfing you will be independent and safe after only a few lessons. With kitesurfing this will take a bit longer, in general it takes an intensive course (16 hrs). This means that you can rent windsurfing equipment after your first lesson, while you cannot rent kitesurfing equipment after one lesson.

Most of the time it will be possible to book extra lessons. However during the months of July and August we cannot guarantee this, as pre-booked courses have priority over locally booked courses. Of course we will do our best to schedule more lessons for you if we can.

Kitesurfing is safer than ever! Since the invention of the sport there has been a lot of attention paid to kite safety. The pioneers of the sport had their fair share of problems as they had to figure everything out. All kites nowadays come with safety systems as standard equipment. Kite safety systems allow the rider to release the power of the kite, and kite leashes and safety training have all contributed to make the sport as safe as possible.Two things to keep in mind are, 1) always use the latest gear, which is in good condition, and 2) make sure you get professional instruction, that includes the proper use of the safety systems.

Always take a lesson from a certified Instructor. Not all instructors are the same. More than half of all kitesurfing instructors have never received formal training. The best lesson will come from an experienced and certified instructor that has been professionally trained. Sudwindsports instructors all hold an IKO qualification which means they have been trained in many aspects of safety and teaching protocols and have a proven teaching system.

Definitely not! (but they can help). Watching a few videos before, during or after your lesson will help you to visualize the overall process. Only very few videos or DVDs will have up to date techniques that will stand up to the latest equipment. That is why a lesson with a live instructor is so important.Instructional DVDs can be bought in our Shop.

Books and DVDs are great homework before and after your lesson. Watching a good instructional DVD before your lesson and having a good instructional book to refer to after your lesson is great to reinforce what you have learned. Especially when you get to the stage of owning your own equipment and going out by yourself for the first time.Books and DVDs can be bought in our Shop.

Kitesurfing is not windsurfing (snowboarding / wakeboarding / etc). These sports have similarities to kitesurfing that will carry over. And the same determination that was required to master these sports will also be required to learn kitesurfing. Most people who ask this question don't like the idea of being a beginner and learning all over again. But the sooner they put their egos aside and get down to the learning process, the sooner they will be out there cruising. Don’t be surprised when the instructor takes you all the way through the beginner stages, even though he is aware of your former experience; the safety aspects of the sport, as well as the basics of kite flight, are very important to succeed in the next stages, where you will undoubtedly progress quicker because of your former sports skills.

We use the IKO levels to determine if a student has the right entry level for a course. If you are still not sure, you can always ask us. Or book a Refresher lesson to determine your level.

The Windmagic bar is open from 01/05 until 30/09 and serves hot and cold drinks, ice creams and snacks. In July and August the bar also serves sandwiches and hot food.

In July and August Saint Pierre is buzzing with night time activity. There are several bars (open until 02.00) and 2 discotheques (open until 05.00). There is a host of restaurants offering fish, pizza and grilled meats. For finer dining you can go to Narbonne, Fleury d’Aude or Gruissan. And don’t forget to visit Saint Pierre’s fairground (open every night) and the evening market on the boulevard. Out of the summer months the nightlife is a bit more limited, with fewer restaurants and bars open.

All our lessons are in English. For lessons in French please contact our colleges at www.kitesp.com. They operate on the same location and offer the same type of activities, but the tuition is in French.

Yes. Although we are not a tour operator and we cannot arrange package tours, we do have contacts with several accommodation providers in the area. We can book holiday houses, apartments, mobile homes and campsite plots for you. Click here to see what is on offer.

This part of your holiday is to be arranged by you. We do however provide information on the different airports and connections, as well as a transfer company that you can contact.