General Questions / Booking & Cancellation Policies
If you have a short time frame we recommend to opt for a surf trip. You won’t be a good surfer after a short course but you will be able to have a ton of fun without breaking the bank. Another alternative for shorter time frame is Stand Up Paddle Boarding.
Kitesurfing can not be learned in a day but you are able to find out if it is a sport you would like to continue in a few hours speed / crash course. Just let us know your time frame at time of booking and we can advise for the best option also depending on conditions and your budget.
The main Kitesurfing Season is from mid December to mid March and again from June to mid September.
The main surf season is from the start of December until the middle of March and again from June to the end of October.
We sometimes offer lessons outside of the main seasons for example Kitesurfing is offered from beginning of June to end of October (condition permitting) and from mid December to mid March. Wave Surfing Lessons are offered from Beginning of December to end of March and from June to the middle of November.
Our Center in Paje is open from mid December to mid March and from June 1st to October 31st. In the off season we accept bookings via WhatsApp, Mail or Instagram only.
The center in Jambiani has shorter seasons and we open there from mid December to mid March and from mid June to mid September.
We include hotel transfers on all wave surfing trips from any hotel in Jambiani, Paje or Bwejuu. If you are staying in a different location on the island, we are happy to help you arrange a driver at reasonable cost.
For all other activities (kiting and SUP) we don’t include transportation and you can meet us at our center in Paje for the scheduled appointment.
Prebooked Spots are paid via a secure online Credit Card Link.
On the spot we accept payments in cash in USD, TSH, € as well as payments via credit card (Visa, Master & Amex).
Please note that a 5% banking fee will be added to your bill when paying via card.
If you go diving and are lucky you can spot some small reef sharks. But the scary big ones haven’t been seen around.Spots can be reserved without payment until 1 month prior to your trip.
For booking closer than 1 month to the date the spots are only confirmed once payment is received.
For bookings including accommodation a deposit is due right after reservation and the balance 1 month prior to your stay.
Cancellation Terms:
– 1 month or more prior to the date: Free Cancellation
– 1 month – 2 days prior to trip: 80% refund
– 1 day prior to trip (before 16:00): 60% refund
– 1 day prior to trip after 16:00, Day of trip or no show: non-refundable
In case you have to cancel last minute due to illness we can provide a receipt for your travel / health insurance.
Change of Date of Booking (for example due to sickness):
– free of charge until 16:00 the day before the trip if availability allows rebooking for another date
– after 16:00 or on same day of trip (only possible if spot can be filled last minute and if availability allows, otherwise normal cancellation policies apply)
Refunds:
Refunds will be done using the same method as your payment method.
For Crd Refunds: The refundable amount minus the 5% transaction charge will be refunded.
Surfing Related Questions
We have a wide range of surf boards. For beginners we provide the beginner soft top boards. For intermediate and advanced surfers we have a good range of fiberglass and epoxy boards between 5’8 and 9′.
It is always difficult to give an accurate answer to this question, as the conditions depend on a lot of outside factors (tide & moon phase, wind strength, wind direction, spot choice of the day). Zanzibar is not listed on MagicSeaweed, but you can check out the swell forecast on Windguru or Windy to get a better idea of what the surf could be like over the next days.
Here’s a helpful guideline on how to read the forecast:
– Wave Hight: 0.6 – 1m Knee to Waist High / 1m – 1.5m Waist to Head High on the outside (waves on the beginner section are always around knee to waist high)
– Wind Strength: 15 knots and less: Glassy, Clean Conditions / 15-20 knots and more: A little bumpy / 20 knots and over: Bumpy with strong currents
Yes, we allow spectators on the trips for a small cost covering fee. However, this depends on the availability of the day and can only be confirmed last minute as spots are first of all reserved for our surfing guests.
Kiting Related Questions
Well, this really depends on each and everyones individual learning curve. The average person takes around 9-12 hours in a semi private group course or 4-6 hours in a private course to have the first success riding both directions. A few more hours can get you to a level of confident riding, doing transitions and being able to rent gear on your own.
Again, every student is different and some pick it up quicker and others may need a lot more hours. Our instructors will be able to adapt the course to your individual learning curve and go in the speed that is most productive to get you riding and independent as soon as possible.
If you had board sports experience such as wake boarding, snowboarding or surfing you will probably pick it up quicker when it comes to the board riding. Any experience with wind sports such as sailing or windsurfing will help you understand the kite a lot quicker. No experience at all is also not a bad thing, since you won’t have bad habits from related but different sports
Check out Windguru or Windy (Paje) for an idea on how the wind will be like. Generally the wind forecast is quite reliable for 1-3 days ahead.
If you see white and light blue in the forecast (10 knots and under) the wind is really light or non existent and chances for lessons low. Any green colour means conditions of 10 – 19 knots, which means chances to kite are very good. Orange, red and purple colours indicate strong winds and happy kiters.