Strapless Kitesurfing in the Dominican Republic: Learn to Ride a Surfboard in Buen Hombre
Quick answer: strapless kitesurfing means riding a surfboard with no foot straps, steering with your feet and weight instead of locking in. The best way to learn it is on flat, shallow water with steady wind, before taking it into waves. That is exactly what the lagoon at Playa Buen Hombre gives you, and our head instructor Miky, a Dominican Republic strapless champion, has been teaching here since 2013.
Most riders hit the same wall after a year or two on a twin-tip. They can ride upwind, jump a little, and the next step feels like more of the same. Strapless is a different sport hiding inside the one you already know. It changes how you stand, how you turn and how you read the water, and it is the door to riding waves.
What Is Strapless Kitesurfing?
You ride a directional surfboard with no straps, usually with a traction pad and wax. With nothing holding your feet, you move them along the board as you ride: back foot over the fins to carve, front foot forward to pick up speed, both feet switching sides every time you turn.
Three things feel new on day one:
Turns are tacks and gybes. A surfboard has a nose and a tail, so you cannot just flip direction like on a twin-tip. You turn the board through the wind and move your feet to the other side as you go.
Your feet do the steering. Weight on the heels or toes, front foot or back foot. Small changes make big differences.
The kite stays light. Strapless works best with smooth, steady power, not a kite pulling hard. That is why the right wind matters so much while you learn.
Why Learn Strapless in Buen Hombre
Strapless rewards repetition. You will fall a lot on your first gybes, and every fall costs time: swimming after the board, relaunching, working back upwind. The place you learn decides how many attempts you get in an afternoon.
Flat, knee-deep water. The lagoon at Playa Buen Hombre is shallow and sheltered, so you can stand up, grab your board and try again within seconds. No waves knock you off while you are still finding your feet.
Steady wind. Buen Hombre averages around 15 knots, with the wind solid from November to April and from mid-May to September, and summer the strongest. Our own Tempest weather station on the beach shows it live on the live wind and camera page.
Space. A big bay with very few riders on it. You can practise turns without worrying about who is downwind of you.
Somewhere to go next. Once the turns are clean on flat water, there is a good wave spot for kiting right next to Buen Hombre, and the downwinders along this coast are some of the best strapless riding there is.
Learn From a Strapless Champion
Our head instructor Miky is a Dominican Republic strapless kitesurfing champion, an IKO Master Instructor and the co-founder of Kite Buen Hombre. He has taught for more than 15 years, from first-timers to riders working on their wave game, and he leads our advanced coaching.
Coaching is one-to-one, with radio helmets, so Miky can talk you through a gybe while you are doing it rather than explaining what went wrong after you fall.
Filmed in Buen Hombre: Ventum REEF 2024
In March 2024 the Ventum Kiteboarding team came to Buen Hombre to film the launch video for the Ventum REEF, their wave kite. Miky rode strapless alongside Dutch team rider Jesse on our flats and waves, filmed by videographer Edwin Haighton.
And an older clip of Miky on a surfboard in the Buen Hombre lagoon:
What Level Do You Need?
You do not need to be an expert, but you do need to be independent on a twin-tip. Before your first strapless session you should be able to:
water start on both sides without thinking about it
ride upwind in both directions and come back to where you started
fly the kite without looking at it
self-rescue if something goes wrong
You do not need to jump. If you are not there yet, our kiteboarding lessons guide explains how many hours it usually takes, and Buen Hombre's lagoon is where we teach beginners to get there.
How the Strapless Progression Works
Get comfortable on the board. Start with a bigger, stable surfboard on flat water. Water start, ride, and learn where to put your feet for speed and for control.
Learn the turns. Tacks and gybes are the heart of strapless. Expect to fall in a lot of them at first. In knee-deep water every fall is a quick reset, so you get many more attempts per session.
Ride upwind and downwind with control. Hold your line, carve, ride toeside. This is where it starts to feel like surfing.
Take it on a downwinder. Riding strapless with the wind behind you and a support boat alongside is one of the best feelings in the sport. Routes from Buen Hombre run to Cayo Arena (about 14 km) and Playa Popa (about 17 km). See what a kite downwinder is and our boat trips and downwinders.
Add waves. With clean turns and board control, you are ready to ride waves, at the wave spot right next to Buen Hombre or in Cabarete.
Buen Hombre or Cabarete for Strapless?
Both, in that order. Buen Hombre is where you build the skills on flat water with steady wind. Cabarete, on the open ocean, has real waves and one of the biggest strapless scenes in the Caribbean, and it is where many riders go once their turns are solid.
We teach at both, so you can split your stay with a Flexible Kitesurfing Stay and keep the same team. Our Buen Hombre vs Cabarete guide compares the two in detail.
Gear for Strapless Kitesurfing
A surfboard for kiting. Start with more volume than you think you need; it is more forgiving while you learn to move your feet.
Traction pad or wax. This is what keeps your feet on the board without straps.
A kite that drifts well. Wave kites like the Ventum REEF are built to sit still and stay powered when you ride toward the kite, which is what you do in waves.
Booties if you like them. The lagoon bottom is soft, but they help on reef.
Try before you buy: ask us about surfboards and wave kites in the demo fleet at our Kite Shop & Demo Center. We carry Ventum, Core, Duotone, Crazyfly and ION.
FAQ
What is strapless kitesurfing?
Riding a directional surfboard with no foot straps. Your feet are free on the deck, so you steer with foot placement and weight instead of locking into a twin-tip. It is how most riders surf waves with a kite.
Do I need to be an advanced kiter to learn strapless?
You need to be an independent rider first: water starting on both sides, riding upwind in both directions and flying the kite without looking at it. You do not need to jump. Most riders who can do that are ready to start strapless.
Is Buen Hombre good for learning strapless kitesurfing?
Yes. The flat, shallow lagoon and steady wind (around 15 knots on average) let you practise foot placement, tacks and gybes without waves knocking you off the board, and you can stand up after every fall.
Who teaches strapless at Kite Buen Hombre?
Our head instructor Miky, a Dominican Republic strapless kitesurfing champion and IKO Master Instructor, leads our advanced and strapless coaching.
Buen Hombre or Cabarete for strapless?
Learn the basics on Buen Hombre's flat water, then take them to the ocean. Cabarete has real waves and a big strapless scene, and we coach at both locations, so your instructor already knows your riding when you move.
Ready to Go Strapless?
Tell us your level and your dates and we will plan the coaching around the wind. Plan your trip or message us on WhatsApp at +1 829-521-2367.
Comments