There's something special about having a whole host of partners dotted around the globe. Of course the world is more connected than ever before these days but it doesn't replace the magic of actually being there and with these relationships we have, you can waltz right in to paradise, knowing you're going to be welcomed with open arms.
The partners we form with She Flies are not a relationship taken lightly. We want to ensure that you are walking in to an environment that recognises your needs and your progression and your journey. That's why we're stoked to have people like Chris on board.
Chris is the owner at Kite Provo, him and his team are living the dream in paradise, AKA Turks & Caicos Islands.
If you've never heard of the Turks & Caicos Islands, they're an overseas territory of the United Kingdom, set in the West Indies. They are two groups of islands lying on the southeastern periphery of The Bahamas, and north of the island of Hispaniola.
Don't blame us if reading this article causes an automatic flight booking....
So how do we get to you, Chris?
It's super easy to get here, now there are direct flights from the USA; New York, Charlotte, Atlanta, and Miami, I think now from Texas too! You can also fly direct from Toronto, Canada. Both countries offering a short stop off on the route from Europe.
Turks & Caicos are bigger than some might think, we have 40 islands in our country and most are uninhabited. Be sure to fly into the Providenciales International Airport and plan to stay on the island of Providenciales. The common nickname is “Provo” for short.
Your photos make it look like paradise but what are the conditions like? Please tell us the wind is perfect too?
We boast one of the longest running and most consistent winds in the world, it is perfect yes. We actually compiled some wind statistics to help share the knowledge, we started logging the wind data every day 5 years ago and we made this.
In short, we have a 10 month wind season. On average, over 90% kite-able days from November to August each year. We've also go a Kite Provo special wind station installed too so you can see the real time wind speed.
It really is paradise all the time, the Turks and Caicos Islands enjoy an average of 350 days of sunny skies. Throughout the year, air temperatures range from 75 degrees Fahrenheit to 95 degrees Fahrenheit with only about a 7-degree difference in high temperatures from the hottest summer day to the coolest winter day. However, the summer months are windier, which makes the wind chill lower and it is very comfortable even on the hottest day!
The water temperature is a lovely 74 to 78 degrees in winter and 82 to 84 degrees in the summer. The turquoise waters have visibility between 80 and 130 feet. Because of this, the area boasts extraordinary Paddleboarding and Kayaking!
We actually make the most of this through our eco tours on Kayak and Paddleboards (www.SUPProvo.com). It's like snorkeling without getting wet and there are incredible underwater wildlife from the dry high comfort of your paddleboard.
We always find that beautiful spots are overcrowded, they bring in the noise and it can be overwhelming to kite with so many other riders. How does it work out there?
We have amazing year round temperatures, we basically have ONE SEASON! But in general, cold weather elsewhere tends to drive visitors to us. When it gets cold during winter in other parts of the world, we do get busy. For us, that's December through to the end of March.
But like I said, our winds are consistent 10 months out of the year and actually the strongest winds occur in the summer months (May to August). That's a great time to come as it's quieter with less people visiting as the Northern parts of the planet warm up.
And how about you, Chris. When did you get there? How long have you been running? What was your life before this?
Well, I have lived her since 2014, but the company was founded in 2006. We've been a long time running! Kite Provo is actually the first and longest running kiteboarding school in the Turks and Caicos Islands.
Before this I started and operated a kiteboarding school in the Outer Banks of North Carolina / Hatteras Island. Opening that school in 1998! That was one of the first kiteboarding schools in the entire world and so I had a very active role in establishing teaching methodology. Not only was I designing safety release systems for the kites as that didn’t exist at the time, I was developing the training system to teach instructors how to teach.
My training system was officially formalized and founded the Instructor Training / Certification Program used to establish PASA. I spent years training and certifying thousands of instructors all over the world that took my course. All at the same time teaching tens of thousands of students to learn to Kiteboard.
In fact, I started teaching kite sports on land full time for a living in 1990! I did this before anyone was ever doing something with a kite in the water. We flew the kites on land and harnessed the power to propel ourselves over land and into the air with tethered flights.
I actually had an article published on me in the New Yorker, you can have a read of it here.
It's incredible to know that background and knowledge is available for lessons and progression for the women in our community. We really believe in the way in which women learn and the need for a unique style of coaching and knowing you have these skills gives so much confidence to those arriving to learn with you. Do you get many women at the school?
Yes, we do! A lot. In fact the original owner of Kite Provo was, Terri Tapper, she started taking lessons from me in North Carolina around 2003 and continued her progression in the sport into today! She trained with me in North Carolina and then went through my PASA Kiteboarding Instructor Certification Training Program. She then started Kite Provo here. She lives here in TCI today and still kites on a regular basis. I think she is in her early 60s. She is a great kiter and very active!
Women taking lessons with Kite Provo have exponentially increased in the past several years. I just taught a women yesterday. At Kite Provo we combine amazing instructors, proven lesson plans, with super safe and easy conditions. We hire women instructors and often women like to learn from other women. We also take the intimidation out of the sport. Using my proven teaching techniques and graduating up to more kite power not only save a lot of time, but avoids the panic zone and feeling of not being in control that causes so many women to stop learning.
We have side onshore winds and stand in waist deep waters. The water is not only shallow but flat and crystal clear! So it is one the easiest places in the world to learn to kiteboard. During low tide, we can walk 1 mile into the ocean and still be walking at the Kite Provo teaching location on Long Bay Beach.
We couldn’t have explained it better ourselves. Chris is clearly an incredible instructor and we're proud to call Kite Provo a partner of ours. The team there teach in English, French, and Spanish with 2 female instructors as a core part of the team. They use Bluetooth communication devices which is a huge benefit to those progressing and they also have some great facilities including lodging on the website.
Well, it goes without saying that the She Flies HQ thoroughly recommends a cheeky trip to check out this perfection paradise for yourselves. You could be learning from one of the pioneers in the sport itself!
Thanks for an awesome insight to your world Chris, see you in paradise soon.
What do you reckon ladies, shall we get a camp going there?
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