Hi All,

New member to Seabreeze, been kiting 12 years ......

Going on holiday to Sri Lanka for 2 weeks at the end of August and have heard of a new place that has opened up (Vayu Resort) on Mannar Island.

Wondering if anyone has been up there and kited in the region? It looks awesome for being remote, flat water options and mega downwinders ...........

Hi KiteWhenICan,

I spent 10 days there about a month ago at a kite camp.

Some construction was still being finalised when we went there however it was a cool place to stay if kiting is your 100% focus. It is about a 6 hour car ride from the airport and the location is very remote. The guy who owns it is a kiter and has run kitecamps before. Everything you need is onsite they have a range of different room rates including camping if you want. The kite spot is right out the front however because the tide is so big they run a tractor twice a day about 2 km's up the beach. If you don't want to kite to a clock you just have to walk. The wind was good we road 9 out of 10 days with 6 of the 10 days riding morning and avo. You can tack up about 5 km's so there is a heap of space which all runs behind a sandbank so there is a lot of flat water. I didn't ride further south however the feedback i got from other is that the wind was much cleaner and the water much smoother.

Food wise the guys provide 3 meals each day including eggs for breakfast. The food was a range of local and western styles and there was plenty to eat. They also provide filtered water which was great.

There is a massive communal area which you can chill out which also has a roof top that overlooks the beach so you can suss out the wind at all times. The local staff where really cool and there are a small bunch of western instructors/volunteers who run yoga and help out.

Overall if you are looking to ride heaps this is the place, if you are looking for more of a party or cultural experience i would break up the trip. There is a much cheaper option in the same area run by a German guy which is just a hotel in the area, you have to tac upwind to get to the good kite spot from there.

Let me know if you have any further q's.

Enjoy the trip!

I am in Vayu Resort now (since 12 of July). The spot is epic, fantastic flat water spot or small mushy waves on the other side of sand bank. Quite unlucky with the wind though - wish I had my 17m Zephyr with me. Most mornings not enough or barely enough for 11m plus Nugget surfboard, most afternoons get 2-3 hrs of wind good enough or very good, some days no wind for my biggest kite (11m). Bring your books/movies as there is nothing you can do in one day (anything interesting is at least full day travel away - min 3 days to see something and come back).

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James01 said..
Hi KiteWhenICan,

I spent 10 days there about a month ago at a kite camp.

Some construction was still being finalised when we went there however it was a cool place to stay if kiting is your 100% focus. It is about a 6 hour car ride from the airport and the location is very remote. The guy who owns it is a kiter and has run kitecamps before. Everything you need is onsite they have a range of different room rates including camping if you want. The kite spot is right out the front however because the tide is so big they run a tractor twice a day about 2 km's up the beach. If you don't want to kite to a clock you just have to walk. The wind was good we road 9 out of 10 days with 6 of the 10 days riding morning and avo. You can tack up about 5 km's so there is a heap of space which all runs behind a sandbank so there is a lot of flat water. I didn't ride further south however the feedback i got from other is that the wind was much cleaner and the water much smoother.

Food wise the guys provide 3 meals each day including eggs for breakfast. The food was a range of local and western styles and there was plenty to eat. They also provide filtered water which was great.

There is a massive communal area which you can chill out which also has a roof top that overlooks the beach so you can suss out the wind at all times. The local staff where really cool and there are a small bunch of western instructors/volunteers who run yoga and help out.

Overall if you are looking to ride heaps this is the place, if you are looking for more of a party or cultural experience i would break up the trip. There is a much cheaper option in the same area run by a German guy which is just a hotel in the area, you have to tac upwind to get to the good kite spot from there.

Let me know if you have any further q's.

Enjoy the trip!

Hi . What's the name of the hotel close by as me and my son would love the camp but wife and daughter probably get bored as we heading there in jan
Thanks in advance

Scotty,
by Kite camp i mean a place that is set up for kiting. There are a range of bungalows we sayed in the cheapest one which had a shower, toilet and fan etc and was sweet. How old are you kids? My son is 2 and to be honest i was glad i went solo not too much for them to do. BTW there was a heap of fish activity on the water i recon it would be worth bringing a lure or to. cheers

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Swavek said..
I am in Vayu Resort now (since 12 of July). The spot is epic, fantastic flat water spot or small mushy waves on the other side of sand bank. Quite unlucky with the wind though - wish I had my 17m Zephyr with me. Most mornings not enough or barely enough for 11m plus Nugget surfboard, most afternoons get 2-3 hrs of wind good enough or very good, some days no wind for my biggest kite (11m). Bring your books/movies as there is nothing you can do in one day (anything interesting is at least full day travel away - min 3 days to see something and come back).

Hi Swavek,

Thanks for the info! I've been watching Adams Bridge spot on wind guru and it looks like it's come up this week!! Hope you're still there and get to enjoy .........

Our plans are to chill, kite when we can, yoga etc, bit of exercise and then have a 3 night trip down to Wilpattu National Park (leaving all kite gear at Vayu and traveling light) after 6 days. Bit of a change of scene and chance to see leopards / elephants and stay in a tree house (glamping style!), then back up to Vayu for 4 days more kiting .......

I've heard that for the full moon and a couple of days after the wind drops out - not sure how true that is but Scotty100 it might be worth thinking about when you plan your trip! Check out Vayu Resort - there are a few different accommodation options. We were hoping to do an overnight kiting trip and camp on one of the islands but they don't have that organized yet.

We'll let you know how we go!!

Cheers

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KiteWhenICan said..

Swavek said..
I am in Vayu Resort now (since 12 of July). The spot is epic, fantastic flat water spot or small mushy waves on the other side of sand bank. Quite unlucky with the wind though - wish I had my 17m Zephyr with me. Most mornings not enough or barely enough for 11m plus Nugget surfboard, most afternoons get 2-3 hrs of wind good enough or very good, some days no wind for my biggest kite (11m). Bring your books/movies as there is nothing you can do in one day (anything interesting is at least full day travel away - min 3 days to see something and come back).

Hi Swavek,

Thanks for the info! I've been watching Adams Bridge spot on wind guru and it looks like it's come up this week!! Hope you're still there and get to enjoy .........

Our plans are to chill, kite when we can, yoga etc, bit of exercise and then have a 3 night trip down to Wilpattu National Park (leaving all kite gear at Vayu and traveling light) after 6 days. Bit of a change of scene and chance to see leopards / elephants and stay in a tree house (glamping style!), then back up to Vayu for 4 days more kiting .......

I've heard that for the full moon and a couple of days after the wind drops out - not sure how true that is but Scotty100 it might be worth thinking about when you plan your trip! Check out Vayu Resort - there are a few different accommodation options. We were hoping to do an overnight kiting trip and camp on one of the islands but they don't have that organized yet.

We'll let you know how we go!!

Cheers

Nothing came up yet - yesterday we had had half hour of kitable wind, today looks like there will be nothing. Looks like the wind is coming in 3 days :-) If you lucky to pick the right week the spot is amazing.

Wilpattu is not a place to stay - the animals can be seen around sunrise and sunset only (unusual to see any at other times). So it is drive in, have a look, and drive out experience. Recommend comfy air conditioned vehicle - the road is in very poor condition (bumpy, dusty, hot).

For 3 day trip Dambulla was nice. Sigiriya and Rock Cave Temple are nearby (Sigiriya is great but the entry is around $45 per person - price you don't expect in SriLanka ).

Good luck with your trip and I hope you will get lucky with the wind! If you get here by Tuesday it looks good

Hello,
Please find a link of vayu resort : www.kitesurfingmannar.com/

The camp is located right front to one of the best spot in the world : adams bridge, 16 islands that are between sri lanka and india.

Kalpitita offer as well awesome kitetrip :
Vella island :
Puttalam lagoon :

In kalpitiya www.kitesurfinglanka.com bring you in 7 different kite spot and have all type of budget for room, number one on tripadvisor : https://www.tripadvisor.fr/Hotel_Review ... vince.html This is the place to be !

So I will throw in my two cents worth. firstly I have only been Sri Lanka (Kalpitiya) in July. I had windy days and lots of it, was on my 9 m and twin tip most days and could of gotten away with a seven on some. I kited till exhaustion, was sun burnt, chaffed from my harness, badly bruised / cracked rib and had a ball. Needed to come home to rest after my holiday. And Vella Island was amazing, went several times. Vella costs extra, quite a bit extra.
BUT
The lagoons at Kalpitiya are sh1t. in July they blow cross off shore and very gusty. I mean very gusty. The winds in December season blow more gently but on shore and are cleaner. It is super, super crowded it rivals the pond in WA at times with mostly euro beginners so kiting is frustrating. Getting away from the crowds is hard as every kite hotel has a patch for their guests and movement from where you are dropped off is restricted. The waves are small to reasonable size at times but are wind generated not swell, so short period chop. As soon as a wave forms it breaks and disappears.
Beach areas are full of rubbish, some more than others. I used to work as a garbo in my youth and some patches looked like a dump.
I also believe that the above post by moret is an owner of a kite camp. The very one he is promoting. I don't recall him disclosing that.
Do your home work. I will say again I had a great time.