Maroochydore or Caloundra?

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kitenwake

1 posts

kitenwake

1 posts

9 Aug 2013 2:47am

Hey there!

I am planing to do a year abroad in australia!

I love kitesurfing and i want it to do it in australia, too!

So here is my question: What you think is the better spot Maroochydore or Caloundra? I like flat water, bacause i prefere unhooked stuff, but i have never been to australia, so i have no idea of the conditions. Could you help me out?

Thanks to everyone who answers, Paul!

Echelon

40 posts

Echelon

40 posts

9 Aug 2013 8:33am

Both spots are excellent and work better in different wind directions.

Maroochydore / Cotton Tree works best SE - NNE

Caloundra River Mouth works best S - E

Both are very tide dependent.

andreai

1 posts

andreai

1 posts

12 Aug 2013 5:09am

Hallo I'm leaving tomorrow and will spend a month visiting friends around Maroochydore/Noosa and surrounding area. Anyone can give me updated info about these spots, like average wnd speed / if there's any thermic wind in the area mid Aug-Sept / best wetsuite weight...
I'm taking 2 wings, board + surfboard ;) Always a waste leaving stuff at home!

SUPERTHANKS!!

OceanAddicts

QLD

357 posts

OceanAddicts

QLD, 357 posts

12 Aug 2013 8:46am

Hi Andreai,

The wind is usually relatively light, around 18-22 knots most of the time.
Coming into September we hope for NE sea-breezes which works great at Cotton Tree (Maroochydore). On an outgoing tide you will be able to find yourself plenty of flat water in the river, especially now that they are dredging sand...leaving more room to kite! And there is alway a few fun waves out the front off the beach.

At this time of the year if you feel the cold a 2/2 is more than enough however most people are just wearing a 2/1 wetty top.

If you need any more info feel free to contact us at [email protected] or drop in-store when you arrive and we will point you in the right direction!

Marcel

JayG

QLD

25 posts

JayG

QLD, 25 posts

12 Aug 2013 11:22am

To the best of my knowledge:

Caloundra has 2 main spots to go kiteboarding:

1. Caloundra River mouth / Happy Valley

- River mouth is only good in SE - E and when the tide is on its way out. This creates 'opposing forces' and makes going upwind super easy as the tide takes you out. this also makes the water fairly flat. in the same sense it makes it pretty easy to lose your board if you come off in the middle of the channel for whatever reason.

Wind 15-25 knots ( I think :3)

- Happy Valley has some waves and is good in SE - E but i'm not sure what the tide needs to be for there to be waves. you can also only really go to Happy Valley when the tide is lowish, other wise there is not much beach.

Wind 15-25 knots ( I think :3)

2. Golden Beach / Pummicestone passage

- Really good flat water in S - SE - E ish. Good grassy setup space but the tide does need to be a fair way i otherwise there are a lot of sand bars. Sometimes some boats but not too often when it is windy. The fact that this spot is good in high tides makes it a great place to be when the river mouth is bad because of the high tide, and then once the tide starts to go out you can head to the river mouth so all day kiting goodness.

Wind 15-25 knots ( Can sometimes be deceptive as you are sheltered by trees)

Sorry if there is any miss-information
But that is all to the best of my knowledge.

:)

AquaPlow

QLD

1066 posts

AquaPlow

QLD, 1066 posts

12 Aug 2013 11:11pm

www.seabreeze.com.au/forums/Kitesurfing/South-East-Queensland/Where-To-kite-in-SE-QLD-Google-Map/

Maroochydore or Caloundra ~~or Noosa Bar or Bribie Island / Sandy point (should get that added I suppose) etc~~
Maroochydore more open to E thru' N winds
Caloundra more open to SSE thru E.
So they are both good -
They both work best with the tide flowing out as mentioned above. If you loose your board a lot then be wary of these as the tide runs upto 5 knts and where the waves meet the flow it is not a beginner zone (dangerous) especially in low winds - basically experience helps - when it is on - lots of friendly (mostly

) advice...

Some form of transport helps - the buses run along the main coast road(s) reasonably frequently (every 30 minutes along David Low Way) - ok for down winders.
Realistically get a van or car...
Sea Water temp unlikely to go below 18 C during winter - but the river flows can be a bit colder.
It is currently the traditional light wind time of year - with occasional windy days (often off-shore

)
reg.bom.gov.au/cgi-bin/climate/cgi_bin_scripts/windrose_selector.cgi
(Try Brisbane August 3 pm - the AM/PM readings mostly reflect the seabreeze effect)

Cheers
AP

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