Kiteboard Tour Asia (KTA) 2012

Competitive kiteboarding in the Philippines, Vietnam, Thailand, Taiwan and Sri Lanka

Tour Schedule

Location	Discipline	Dates	Status
Round 1 - Philippines, Boracay Island	Freestyle / Race	11 - 15 January 2012	Confirmed
Round 2 - Vietnam, Mui Ne	Freestyle	15 - 19 February 2012	Confirmed
Round 3 - Thailand, Pranburi	Freestyle / Asian Course Race Championship	13 - 18 March 2012	Confirmed
Round 4 - Taiwan, Jhunan	Freestyle / Race	11 - 15 April 2012	Pending
Round 5 - Sri Lanka	Freestyle / Race	12 May 2012	Pending

Round 1

Location (GMT + 8)

Boracay is a well-established kite location in Asia with a world reputation for top class wind and kiting conditions. As one of the Philippines' best island holiday destinations, Boracay also has lots of places to eat, drink, party and try out other watersports.

This year marks KTA's third visit to Boracay. The competition events will be located at Aqua Boracay on Bulabog beach, which is on the eastern side of the island. The kiting will occur inside a large reef-protected bay so for most of the time the water will be flat but the winds strong.

Bulabog beach is not actually that wide, but it has more than enough space for setting-up and launching, plus it is shallow a long way so there is plenty of safety margin to work with.

Wind

The winds during January in Boracay come from the northeast, with wind speeds between 25 – 30 knots. This will give a left-to-right onshore breeze on the competition beach.

Weather

Temperatures in summer range from 28 – 32 degrees Celsius, with a small chance of tropic cloudbursts from time to time. The water temperature will be around 28 degrees Celsius.

Round 2

Location (GMT + 7)

Mui Ne is known for its hard-core kiting conditions, a combination of strong winds and short break that is loved by riders wanting to take on the challenge. Fast and furious competition here is expected.

The competition spot is planned for the beach point near the C2Sky kitesurfing school. The beaches and shifting sands in Mui Ne are unusual this season, but there is enough space to rig on the grass at and plenty of room to launch. The beach gently slopes down to the water's edge at which point the seabed drops away sharply. Mui Ne is a deep water location all the way, with a combination of frontal and thermal winds throughout the daytime.

Wind

The winds during February tend to start at 15 - 20 knots in the morning before building on thermal winds further in the afternoon with speeds towards 25 - 30 knots. The wind is in the left-to-right onshore direction at this time of year.

Weather

Temperatures for February will reach around 30 Celsius, with occasional short-lived showers. The water temperature will be about 28 degrees Celsius.

Round 3

Location (GMT + 8)

Pranburi is one of the key kiting locations in Thailand and during the two previous KTA seasons there were strong winds and great conditions at the spot.

A classic Thai beach location, Pranburi features long stretches of white sand and clear blue water that is mostly flat water with a little 'swell and chop' as the winds pick up. The water is shallow gradually drops away to deeper water.

The course racing in Pranburi was likely the best part of last year’s tour which makes the Thailand location especially exciting this year. The area attracts Thai tourists and boasts five- and six-star resort accommodation, boutique-style hotels and bungalows. On the whole Pranburi is a mellow, laid-back spot with pleasant bars, eatiers and a quiet nightlife. More full-on action is found half an hour away in the city of Hua Hin.

Wind

The winds during March in Pranburi are still largely from the winter monsoons. Speed can vary between 15 – 25 knots depending on the amount of thermal wind the spot receives in the afternoon.