Hey Jamesrmartin
welcome to the awesome sport of kiteboarding
check out the saksa webpage about spots where you can kite (link below) and some other useful info about kiting in general.
http://www.saksa.com.au/?page_id=279I have just started not too long ago myself (almost a year now) and can tell you that it is much easier to learn without waves. The midcoast generally has waves, and also bits and pieces of reef depending where you go. As a beginner it is
-nice to have some space for when things go wrong (smashing the kite on the beach/water/ having to release etc) so a broad sandy beach without obstacles is what you want
-nice to have the least amount of chop and waves in the water, as it will have you progress heaps quicker. Trust me, I started learning in winter, and it is tricky enough to learn with wind that is not as consistent as it can be in summer, but adding waves and high chop makes it harder than it has to be for sure
-nice to have people around to have a chat to, and that can also help you out a bit if you have questions
However, even though you say there are not many people kiting down that way, there are definitely a bunch of kiters that love kiting down the mid coast, and they are mainly people that love wave riding or playing in the swell that can hit the mid:)
There are also lots of people that like to kite at henley, grange, largs bay, north haven, seacliff and other places. As a beginner in winter, largs on a S-SW is one of the best places to learn as it is relatively shallow and there is usually someone out when it is windy to say hello to. Also, North haven (also called the 'wall') is a great place for kiting, as the water stays real flat during a NW (which is good as you can really focus on your board skills once you get to that stage)
If you want to stay down the midcoast however, Moana for example has a nice sandy beach without a reef, so a good option on a day without swell to practice. There are so many places to kite, but there are a few forums on facebook on which you can check where people are heading (very useful in winter when there are not 100 people out down the coast on a daily basis) check out the saksa page, and the whos kiting where page.
Just be mindful, that in winter the winds are always frontal, and can change direction and strength sometimes really quickly, so make sure you keep an eye on the horizon for big changes. Just ask some of the people on the beach if you are not quite sure about something such as what size kite to use
Don't know how helpful my advise is as I am certainly no expert, but I hope this helps at least a little. SA crew is the best so dont hestitate to post here on fb etc :-)
now, HAVE FUN! its meant to be a bit windy both today and tomorrow:)
cya on the water, yeeeeeeooow
!!
cheers
elise
