SoCal Kitesurfing

I rented some gear from Bart. I was in Long Beach with my husband while we were on our honeymoon, and I did not know there was kitesurfing in the area.
Although the rental rates for a whole set of gear are not exactly cheap, they are very reasonable. I own my own gear and know how much a whole set can cost. Bart and Monica were very helpful and took the time to give me the run down of the beach and the conditions there. (Fun light wind kiting, great for beginners).
Bart has a good selection of kites and boards. Mainly Airrush and Core, and some Crazyfly boards too.
Be sure to check wind conditions on windguru or some similar site before renting gear– a whole day rental is only as good as the wind is.

Similar to the not so great reviews, the attitude at this place depending on instructor is def. more business oriented (i.e., close other deals). It’s not the most convenient as you’re directed to fill out the online form to book more lessons vs. just talking to a person and booking it. We ended up late to the first lesson, but there was palpable wait time as people were still gathering. I didn’t take the lesson, but noticed that even though it was 3 hours, there was a lot of waiting time. Also the structure is very set, the first three hours are kite instruction so even if you know how to fly the kite which my partner did because he has a bunch of stunt kites, surfs, does windsurfing… that you still can’t go into the water. We’re booking a private to the second half to see if it gets any better.

Had an awesome time kitesurfing with these guys. I took a 6hr private lesson and was riding comfortably by the end of it. Parker was my instructor who clearly knew a lot about the sport. Would definitely recommend this to anyone who wants to get into this sport.

This summer i had the objective to learn how to kite surf and I was lucky to find socal kitesurfing,. Devoted staff, easy to deal with and no hassles. The staff are very knowledgeable and above all committed to safety! I commend my instructor to have the patience to deal with me as I reached a mental block moment during my lesson. Hi highly recommend the school. If you want to be the best go to the best and be taught by the best Bart and the staff are top notch!

Bart and his team are pros.
I came to him for a very specialized lesson, to learn self-​launching and self-​landing my kites. Bart was very thorough and focused on safety (lots of accidents happen during self/​launch/​land) and his instruction methodology took all of the mystery out of it in about an hour. He covered the basic (safest) methodologies as well as some special-​situation versions, as well as troubleshooting techniques if things go sideways. Most useful 2 hours of my kiting career!

A few years ago I signed up for lessons with Bart. He was fair about calculating the lesson based on actual time flying the kite with decent wind. Then life got busy and I never came back for the rest of the pre-​paid lessons. Finally 2 years later I randomly email Bart about getting more lessons and a supervised rental. I didn’t expect him to honor our very old credit but he had it on record and let us carry on as if no time had passed. Amazing!
The gear is high quality. The instructors were friendly and helpful. And the wind was superb! Kite-​surfing is a difficult sport to learn/​teach. I have spent many many frustrated days on the beach waiting for the wind, changing kites, dodging crazy people in the water, etc. But it is soooo worth it. If you love it, you will push through these hurdles. Do it!

These guys are out to steal your money. If you have your own wetsuit they force you to pay for theirs. Nothing special about their suit. I wouldn’t recommend doing business with these guys. Complete rip off.

My expectations were realistic, I knew I wasn’t going to be ridding after my first lesson. My husband I decided to start a new adventure, and take some Kite Surfing lessons…
About the lessons:
First lesson: Our friend recommended this place, so without hesitation we book our $ 700 lesson. We did not know much about what to expect. Our first lesson was okayish… there is a lot of standing around, and observing, and a little time hands on. You shared your lesson, so everyone takes turns. I shared the lesson with my husband, but even so… I only had the kite in my hands 10 minutes each kite (3 total). Same for him, so the rest is just listening, and observing… learning how to set up a kite, and so on.
Second day lesson: HERE is where we tough it was going to be exiting… The lesson didn’t started on time, since our instructor was busy closing up another deal ($$$) for lessons… took about 10 – 15. We started our lesson gathering the equipment you will need… Helmet X 2, harness X 2, (finding right size, or available sizes between what they have) there goes ¹⁰⁄₁₅ of your LESSON time. The kites were not ready and waiting for us, so we instead had to start it up. There goes another 20′ of our time… then they do an overview, of previous lesson… so another 30′ of your time… we were smart enough to change to our wetsuits in between the lesson. Now you’re finally ready to go on the water, but you have to wait for your instructor to put on their wetsut, sunblock, looking to the board, etc, etc… at least another 10′ went by. Finally, you think you gonna get in the water… but now. There too many people in the water, so as traffic jam. You have to WAIT, until you can squizz in… Once we were in the water, instructors from the same place were cutting us off in the line, and we had to be in the water doing nothing, until they move. Since they didn’t moved, we went back to shore… and «Practice» and start the process again… I by now lost another 30 minutes, just waiting around. in the meantime my instructor lost control of the kite, I get pulled for a couple of feet, the kite landed in a family… all scared… have to started from zero again, relaunching the kite… but now the wind slowed down, so we need to change kites, which obviously, are not ready… so we have to unpackaged them, pump air into, and on and on and on… there goes another ³⁰⁄₄₀ minutes. (Frustration, and just pure 3.5 hrs. of frustration)
Since the wind was not strong enough after a failed attempt; we returned to shore… totally disappointed of how the lesson all day went by…(I didn’t even try putting my board on) When we expressed our concerns, our instructor feel the same way we did. However it wasn’t up to her to give us a makeup time for all that waste of time (we though 1 hour will be fair, even though it was a lot more than that)… after our instructor talked to Bart, he decided we were only entitled to a half an hour that we could make up during the week. «Unfolding and unpacking a kite, is part of your learning experience» FINE… I was done for the day, we helped out packing everything back (which is also part of your lesson), and then go to the bathroom ready to go home… and now my instructor says that Bart changed his mind, and since” the wind is picking up, you either do 30 minutes, now, or Never” WTF !!! I was not only feel like ripped off, but now I have to make it up on their own terms? It was a terrible feeling to HAVE TO or you lose it … when you are paying for your lessons.
I feel like a fuc**** monkey doing their will; unpacking, and packing kites, sitting around, waiting for people to clear off, changing kites, waiting for the wind (which is part of your learning experience and lesson, according to Bart… Not well organized, and they certainly do not make up for the time spent around. Bart Never approached me to say nothing, not even a polite apology. I work for a company that give group and private lessons to a group of at least 200 people a day. It is never at our costumer expense, and we always make up for any uncertainties the day bring us. Luckily there is Unilocal to express my frustrations, I won’t be back for the suggested $ 200 extra time/​lesson, and I definitely will not recommend this place to any of my friends who were interested.

Took a 6-​hour course last Friday and had a Blast with Bart and the gang. Had Monica as my instructor, she was very good and patient and encouraging… Kitesurfing/​boarding is definitely a sport that requires proper instruction and practice to make you enjoy it. Just a few minutes in, I realized that it was harder than I thought, but very rewarding once you start getting the hang of it. Already bought some personal gear and can’t wait to go back! The location is ideal for learning all the way to advance fun. Parking and restrooms are right there too, so it was really convenient. I recommend these guys to anyone who wants to try the sport! So worth it!

Had a lot of fun with Bart and his team of instructors. Everyone is very laid back and they make learning kitesurfing fun and easy. Did the 90-​minute discovery lesson that takes place on the sand, and I quickly learned how difficult the sport is. It’s a great time learning about the sport and enjoying a day at the beach.

Great team of instructors. Fun sport with some definite challenges, but these guys break it into one skill at a time at a pace to match your ability and experience.
My first lesson I was on a board on the water.
I highly recommend giving this sport and this crew a chance. The location at Claremont Ave in Long Beach is one of the most accessible, user friendly and safest in the world.

Bart is very knowledgable and totally committed to ensuring that you have a great experience. He’s also one of the most genuine and fun-​loving people you’ll ever meet. During one of my lessons, the wind conditions kept changing and Bart took it upon himself to make sure I had the proper gear setup, while giving me lots of useful tips to help me navigate the conditions. In just three days, I progressed tremendously under his guidance. Moreover, I now feel like I have a life-​long friend whenever I’m Long Beach. I highly recommend SoCal kites for anyone who wants to learn, or just progress their current abilities.

I am new to the sport of kite surfing. I grew up in and around the ocean and have surfed my whole life but learning how to operate a kite was something I knew I wouldn’t be able to master on my own. I had heard horror stories and had seen pictures of beginners learning to kite and being drug across the sand, tangling their kite lines in telephone wires, and having a horrible first experience, and I didn’t want that to happen to me.
After looking extensively for a good and reputable kite surfing school I decided to take the complete 6 hour Course to Ride at SoCal Kitesurfing and I don’t regret it one bit. The lessons were a great value. From the get-​go everyone at Socal Kitesurfing was very friendly, inviting, and knowledgeable about the sport. During my lessons if I had a questions or was struggling with a particular aspect of operating the kite, the instructors were always there to help. It was really cool that the instructors allowed me to learn at my own pace. If there was something I couldn’t get, we did it over and over again until I felt comfortable in moving forward.
The lessons being broken up into two 3 hour sessions was the perfect amount of time. The first lesson I learned all about the equipment and how to simply operate a training kite and then progressed to a small kite. It was so cool to harness and feel the power of the wind. During the second lesson we increased the size of the kite, reviewed more of the fundamentals, and then we suited up and hopped in the ocean. My instructor was there and with me every part of the way. During the last hour of the lesson we finally got to take a board and kite out together, and again my instructor was right there helping me on what to do. I couldn’t believe it, just like they had taught me, I put my feet into the straps of the kite board, kept my back leg bent and my front leg straight, then launched the kite and I was kite surfing on my first try. I traveled for about 100 yards before I fell and had to launch the kite again, but from that point forward I knew I was hooked on the sport.
Thank you to everyone at SoCal Kitesurfing for making my first kite surfing experience a memorable and enjoyable one.

Loved my experience with SoCal Kitesurfing! Right from the get-​go everyone was so friendly, helpful and patient. Bart and the instructors do not cut any corners when it comes to teaching, they make sure you are safe and fully understand the techniques. On top of that they are always smiling and encouraging you. They treat you like family and are genuinely interested in your progress. I’m so glad I went there for my lessons. It’s affordable and good value for your money. The sport is awesome and there isn’t a better way to spend a windy afternoon!

I have dreamed of learning kite surfing/​boarding since I first saw kite boarders in New Zealand more than 10 years ago — Somehow the stars aligned when I realized that my skills flying a small 2M bar stunt kite would go a long way to getting me started kite boarding. A very well respected surf board/​kite board maker in Redondo Beach recommended Bart as an instructor and my experiences were fabulous. Overall, learning to kite board is a straight forward process. Lots of fun and I wholeheartedly recommend if you have an interest in kite boarding — Do it! Its fun, its considerably easier and slower than wake boarding and the power of the kite is transferred through your harness and not your arms. Bart and Socal Kitesurfing is certainly the go to place to learn. Just to add — Bart does not sell gear so there is absolutely no pressure to purchase anything — Only a focus on leaning. Thanks Bart!

After looking at all my options for taking kiteboarding lessons, I decided to go with SoCal and Bart and I was very glad I did. His trained instructors are all very helpful at teaching you the safest way to begin to fly these massive kites. These kites are so beautiful to look at in the sky and they look harmless but the truth is the wind can make them very powerful and can cause serious injury to yourself or others if you lose control. Bart does not rush anyone through into the water and makes sure that you progress from a small trainer kite to the full size kite by stepping up gradually. This method ensures you have the know how and confidence when you do go in the water so you have the best chance at success. Bart was patient with my training making sure there was the right conditions of wind and water to get me up and riding. I got up first time out and rode the length of the beach without falling. The feeling was great and I’m hooked for sure.
So if you’re considering getting into the sport, lessons are a must and my experience with SoCal was positive from start to certification.

I encountered SoCal Kitesurfing via livingsocial and my friends and I quickly hopped on it. What wasn’t specified was that we were doing the discovery course.
However, once you fly the kites in windy Long Beach, you do realize that no way is it possible for a beginner to steady a kite at a specific angle to capture the wind while balancing on a board on the waves that are constantly crashing.
Also, from looking up at the kite for long periods of time, you don’t mind that the lessons can’t be longer; we all had neck cramps the next day.
Our instructor was encouraging and patient though not too personable. But then again I’m pretty sure he wasn’t interested at all in our girl talks, that’d be hilarious. Bart however is super friendly and ecstatic. My friends both had two vouchers each from livingsocial and Bart was kind enough to let them combine to upgrade their lessons. So I got to watch them fly bigger kites and don on wetsuits while the instructor and the kites literally dragged them across the waves (no boards yet, just walking huge kite to water and letting it fly and pull you in the water). HAHA
It was really cool trying something new and I would definitely like to possibly pursue kitesurfing in the future.
ps: there’s a parking lot right where they sit around. Dollar for an hour; only quarters accepted. Or there’s parallel parking. but I’m miserable at it o:)

Very happy with their service. Bahrt is a great instructor and very encouraging person. With only three days i was already riding…
Highly recommended if your are looking for a more personal learning.

I had classes before in another school and had an accident cause the instruction wasn’t safe. With Bart safety is the most important part of the lessons, I had a wonderful experience and now I love this sport. They are very patience and they love what they do.

Hubby insisted to write this review, so here it is!
My wife and I took two days of kitesurfing lessons with Bart and Co. (SoCal Kitesurfing) in June, and have completely fallen in love with the sport since then. A large part of this is directly attributable to Bart’s enthusiasm, as well as that of his instructors – it is quite apparent that they love teaching as much as kitesurfing. As such, we found the lesson structure to be particularly amenable to our style of learning; they have a unique insight into education, whereby they structure lessons according to your particular needs and abilities.
Beyond this, what we are finding to be particularly unique about SoCal Kitesurfing (SCK) is the culture that they have built around the school. Bart’s current and former students regularly meet at the SoCal Kitesurfing tent, discussing their progress and adventures on the water. It’s an environment where we are all mutually supportive, and are always receiving advice concerning technique and equipment from the SCK crew. If you take lessons with SCK and decide to pursue the sport, you will become part of this culture and will have a group of great people looking out for you.