Flying Kites in South Padre
The old saying, “when in Rome” is very applicable when wondering what there is to do in South Padre Island! It only takes a 10 minute drive down the main drag while glancing left and right, from bay-side to ocean-side, and you will see many flying kites in South Padre! Conclusion: when in SPI, go kite flying!
Each time a visit is made to South Padre Island, the expectation is to spend many hours putting kites in the air. Both Single Line and Stunt kiting is a must thing to do on South Padre Island for sure. The routine, if there is one, is to put up the Single Line Kites we have experience with first and get them anchored. Our Favorite Kite, perfect for the beginner, yet is fun for the experienced as well, will always go up!
Up Go Familiar Kites
Our familiar kites will always go up first. They consist of our favorite kite, in either a tandem form or single and a small parafoil or two. Adding long tails to them rounds out the initial launch and gets others on the beach wondering what is going on here! Here is a great photo of how the ‘flying kites in South Padre‘ adventure begins!
How do the new Kites Fly in South Padre
As for the new kites for this trip, we brought along 9′ x 4′ Sled and a Gigantic Black Octopus Kite. The Octopus stretches out to a massive 75 feet and is just incredible in the air. They both launch very easily, but with the size, require a bit more attention to anchoring.
Because these large kites pull hard, the anchoring for both require special attention. We tried larger spikes and also using the new sand anchor by Gomberg Kites. Hands down, we would recommend the sand anchor, it worked great! Here is one of ours.
The Stunt Kites
Because the beaches get crowded on the weekends, stunt kiting on the beaches of South Padre is reserved for mid week flying only. When the beach is full of people, it is a bit difficult to say the least! A kite flying trip to South Padre would not be complete without getting the 2-line stunt out of the bag and getting a few hours of flight time! Here, we are flying a Prism 2.5 stunt kite.
The Experiments
We are always experimenting with kites and accessories when we go Kite Flying in South Padre. This visit we focused on the anchoring, and how much load a kite actually creates. By no means did our experiment follow any kind of scientific method. It was just fun! Here is a photo of a load meter connected between the sand anchor mentioned above, and the new Sled kite. The data does not support the need for a high pull string. Not sure the meter is accurate and when it comes to string strength, better safe than sorry! For both the sled and the Octopus, we fly it on 500lb string.
Here is a great video of the sand anchor holding the strong pull of the new Sled Kite.
Thoughts on the Next Visit
Each and every visit to South Padre Island is full of kiting adventures! Most of them are from our direct flying. Yet, we enjoy watching others Flying Kites In South Padre as well. Because the exploration is part of the fun, you never know what you’ll find that will inspire your next visit! Take a look at this fantastic photo of a fellow kite flyer.
We have several new kites on order and ready to take on our next visit to the island! Once flown, we’ll share the video and photos and make recommendations if applicable. Who knows, we just might be finished with this prototype and get it in the air as well!
