For most of the kitesurfers Kite Beach is the best place to go kitesurfing on the island. Somebody... we don't know who... named this beach Shark Beach, however there was never a shark seen there and for sure never an attack. So don't let this name keep you from hitting these waves rolling over the reef parralel to the beach. The only animal you might encounter is a friendly (but huge) turtle.
The wind is side on to cross on (from the left) and most of the time not really gusty. There is a coral reef about one hundred meter from the coast which creates a nice wave for jumping or waveriding. The wave is not dangerous and there are no crazy currents so it's a great place to learn, get better or just have a good session. It's never too crowded cause the beach is so long.
At Ponta Leme he wind here is side-off, sometimes side shore from the left so the water is really flat. Because of the flat caracter of the land the winds are quite constant. Sometimes when the swell is more south, there is a point break really clean over a lenght of approx. 500 mtr and not too high. If the swell is there, it's really a great place to learn waveriding without any danger. If anything happens, the wind- and kitesurf centers are well orginised and are equipped with a resque Zodiac, the costs for a resque will be about E 35. The beach is OK and there is enough place to launch your kite. It is located near fine hotels and pensions and walkable from the center of Santa Maria.
Ponta Preta - When the ocean swell is westerly, the surfers in st. Maria wake up and nervously start arranging there gear on their cars, locals walking the streets with surfboards under their arms.... the town changes. For some geographical reason on the ocean bottom the swell at Ponta Preta is pumped up higher and releases it's energy on this point break with a spectacular, world class wave!
Breathless... is what you will be gazing when a set of waves comes in. It starts to break a few hundred meters out of the black rocks and rolls clean and hollow over a length of 300 meter untill it hits the white sandy beach. The wind is mostly cross offshore or dead off and sometimes sideshore from the right. This, combined with the huge waves which can easily reach 5 meters and breaking sometimes just before 10 meters from razor sharp rocks is for the pro`s only but for sure must be viewed when its going off.
By the way....when the ocean swell is less than 2 meters Ponta Preta is flat as!
