Punta la Barca is the baby of two kitesurfers
Stable wind. Sandy beach. Warm water & sun. The perfect receipt for kitesurf paradise.
Your search for wind its over
Welcome KiteSurfers
Beginner & Advanced
For who
Whether you’re a beginner or have traveled the whole world seeking for wind, Santa Marianita is an amazing spot. We are avid kite surfers as well and will be happy to go out and enjoy with you :).
Wind conditions in Santa Marianita
Windy season May to December.
Stable thermal wind from 11 AM till 16 PM.
Around 15 – 20 knots, typically for kites sizes 8-12m.
Cross onshore
Whales
The biggest magic happens from juni till september. Humpback whales come alongside the humboldt current till Ecuadorean warm waters to have their young and mate. In santa marianita, they come extremely close to shore: from Punta La Barca’s hill you easily see several whales a day jumping out of the water.
Kiting alongside them is lucky, scary and awesome, an honor of nature you treasure for ever.
Three kinds of sea turtles also come to the beaches around Santa Marianita to lay their eggs. They appear as floating stones in the water when you’re lucky to pass one while kiting. The sea turtle mom is usually about 60cm long and is an endangered species
Cool Relaxed Atmosphere
Santa marianita is an ecuadorean fishing village which happen to have really good kite conditions.
It is NOT an internationally vibrant kite community. Come for the authenticity of the local fishing village, the nature, the deserted beaches, kiting the pacific with a few others or even alone, bonfires in small company.
Learning to Kite
Humboldt Kites is founded by Vladimir and Nicole, avid wind-and kitesurfers who discovered in beginning 2000’s Santa Marianita as an unusual windy spot.
It’s a club with a heart for nature ran by an amazing semi-vegan family. You’ll see a kid running around, lots of dogs, and the location is breathtakingly natural.
Tryouts at this magical place are included in all monthly+ stays at Punta la Barca.
Classes are given individually, which allows for quick progress: standard an 8-hour course is offered as the basic lessons for beginners (prices around 350$). Foresee about two weeks to spread the 8 hours out, between days without wind, days you work, and days you can use a break.
The school is at walkable distance (about a 40 minutes beach walk), or you can ask us and Humboldt for a quick ride.
Water & the Beach
Water temperature: around 24 degrees, no wetsuit needed. You might want to put a T-shirt against sun-burning though.
Beach: 7km long sandy beach with lots of space for launch and land (at the hour of high tide space is more limited).
Crowd: nearly no people on the beach so plenty of space for making mistakes while learning, or going loco enjoying 🙂
Kite Spots and Downwinds
The kite schools are located on the northern side of the beach, the best spot for beginners as waves break close to shore. Beginner kitesurfers bodydrag by the incoming breaking wave, and learn to get up and stand passed the waves.
The spot in front of Punta La Barca is ideal for more advanced kitesurfers, with waves coming in from far to play and jump around with.
Downwinds Liguiqui-Santa Marianita or Santa Marianita-Manta work in high wind conditions only, as the wind is very local to Santa Marianita usually. When it works out, we arrange a driver and go together!