By Manuela Jungo and James Boulding From iksurfmag

“Maunuela Jungo heads to the Cayman Islands to check out the kite scene over there and discovers a warm water paradise for the European winter!”

While most of my friends in Europe were wrapped up warm and staying indoors with the heating turned on full blast I was lucky enough to be cruising through the crystal clear waters on Grand Cayman – what a dream.

The Cayman Islands are well known as a major international financial centre with close to 600 banks and trust companies calling them home.

Furthermore, the Caymans are a haven for snorkelers and scuba divers. The largest of the three Cayman Islands, Grand Cayman, is also a paradise for kitesurfers due to consistent winds that blow almost every day from November through to April.

Barkers Beach is probably the most well-known and popular kiteboarding beach on Grand Cayman, it is located at Barkers National Park in West Boy. There is no development here, so you feel a lot closer to nature. The large riding area is protected by a reef so it makes a perfect spot for beginners to advance because of the shallow and flat to semi flat water conditions with very little current. The water is beautiful, it is crystal clear and you often see turtles and eagle rays.

You can ride Barkers in a NW, N, NE,E or SE wind direction. The most common wind directions are NE and E, which provides side-shore conditions. North winds give onshore conditions with long locks up and down the beach. If the winds are southeast, then it is difficult to ride here.

For more on this story go to: http://www.iksurfmag.com/issue46/?page=49