CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Oso Bay is an ideal location for kiteboarding, which is becoming well-known in Corpus Christi.
One kiteboarder has experience doing it around the world, and said many people move to Corpus Christi because of the ideal conditions here.
"Corpus Christi is actually, if not the best, one of the top-three best spots for kiteboarding in the country," Kiteboarder Francisco Dao said.
When it comes to kiteboarding, there are two basic disciplines. There is surfing on waves in deep water using a kite and riding around on flat water. The latter is what you see in Oso Bay. Dao said the area is ideal since it is windy and safer since you can stand in the water.
"You want that shallow, safe, stand up, you know, some of my kite friends actually call this place the playground," Dao said.
Dao said he loves kiteboarding because there is no limit to what you can try—it just depends on how athletic you are.
Chad Allen grew up in Corpus Christi, sailing since he was three years old and windsurfing since he was nine years old. He said he traveled around the world doing those sports and switched to kiteboarding a few years ago.
"This is one of the friendlies places to do it, and we have more access to the water here than anywhere else," Allen said.
Allen said people can get about 15 feet into the air on average over flat water. He said kiteboarding can be done throughout your life and saw people doing it that were at least 70 years old. He explained what made him want to become a kiteboarder.
"Five minutes from my house, I come down here and I can get thirty feet in the air, fly across the water, have a great time, pack up my stuff and go home in time for dinner," Allen said.
Dao said the sport is a commitment since you must pay for lessons and gear. After an average of about 10 hours of lessons, he said people learn how to control their kite. After learning in Florida, traveling to the Dominican Republic, and moving to Corpus Christi for the sport, he talked about how social kiteboarding is.
"It's a sport that, kind of, consumes your life, because if then choose, oh, I want to travel, you know, you can travel to a place by yourself and know you're going to make friends there," Dao said.
Dao said kiteboarding is not a sport you can do without training. If you are interested in learning how to kiteboard, he mentioned local schools like Kite Academy. He stressed the importance of taking lessons so you gain confidence with a kite on the water.