Blog

Our email boxes are full of Coronavirus updates so we thought we'd fill yours up too. 

No seriously, we do need to communicate that we are still open through this crisis and we will still be around long after it is all over.  We are not having any Mega Lockdown Sales! But we are continuing to look after our local customers and students as we always have. With that in mind, if you see an item on some crazy sale & we have it in stock, we will match the price, so please let us know. We need your support now, as much as ever. 

We have temporarily suspended lessons in the interest of safety and in compliance with government restrictions. Just before this virus took a hold of our country, we had been in contact with some international customers. Our 14 days of self imposed quarantine are up on the 31st March so some lessons will recommence after that date.

However, total beginner lessons require a lot of hands on help and no matter what anyone is saying, we can't possibly teach safely keeping a 1.5mtr distance from our students (even with radio helmets). So our lessons will continue, but restrictions on skills will apply. If you want to learn to kite foil, do intermediate tricks, nail that board start or go upwind, then we are here to teach. 

We are also offering our SUP foil & Private SUP lessons because social distancing is a breeze in these cases. 

Our shop is open for online, phone sales and local pick up. We are definitely able to attend to any repairs and in limited numbers, abiding by the government restrictions, we can also open our showroom should you require new gear, to check out our used gear or to collect a purchased item.

You've probably already noticed, above all, we are still kiting. We are doing downwinders but we are not car pooling. Obviously it is up to the individual to choose but car pooling with anyone you haven't already had regular contact with is a huge risk not only to ourselves, but to our older loved ones. We will continue to not car pool as we have elderly relatives that live in our granny flat and we are responsible for shopping for them and their general well being. We will, in an emergency still help you out in the water of course, but stay safe, kite within your abilities and wherever possible, get a family member to drop you off or pick you up from downwinders.  

Many of you may already know that the building we use for our shop has sold and we are moving, but we aren't going anywhere until late February 2020.

So where are we going? 

This has been the question on everyone's lips of late so we thought we'd give you all an update. We haven't decided yet!

But don't panic, we are not moving away from Noosa, why would we, we love Noosa. We are looking at our options over the coming months and we can see the face of retail has been changing quite dramatically over the past few years and will continue to evolve into the future.  

Another consideration has been Liam's decision to go to uni in 2020 to pursue a career as a Physiotherapist. We are very excited for him and will miss him full time in the school, but he will still be working part time, mostly on weekends.

We have considered the impact this might have on our ability to operate a 6 day a week store 52 weeks a year. We also want to spend more time on the water, helping our customers progress. Our ideas range from online shop, mobile school to pop up summer retail premises with more holidays, training camps and flexibility over winter. 

Rest assured, we will continue to service our kitesurfing, SUP and foil customers but we are discontinuing skate, clothing and any accessories that don't directly relate to our main sports or suit an online shop.

That's good news for you because we have massive clearance pricing on skate, clothing, swimwear, some SUP, water and outdoor accessories in the lead up to our move.

Checkout the wide range of sales.

If you would like to chat, have some awesome ideas or want to offer feedback then drop in an see us in store or contact us.   

The whole environmental aspect of manufacturing has become so topical of late so we thought we would share just a little of what some of our major brands are doing to offer a sustainable product.

We were excited to discover that Duotone have made their boards carbon neutral this year and are using recyclable packaging (no plastic, no Styrofoam) to bundle up their boards to send overseas. 

This innovative concertina style product packs down super small so we can re-use it again and again, but offers maximum protection to the boards while in transit. 

Duotone are also aware that many of the products used in manufacturing have an environmental impact. They are constantly working on more sustainable materials like water based resin etc, but while they work through these technological advances, they are dedicated to maintaining a carbon neutral offset for their manufacturing. To find out more about their policy, check out this article here.

We recently discovered that Ozone have made a commitment to solar on their factory in Vietnam. Check out the video on their 'investment in the future'. 

As part of our commitment to sustainability, we added solar to our shop over a year ago and will continue to support the brands that are doing their part to protect and sustain the environment.

Often people ask us why the major brands are a little more expensive than some of the smaller, lesser known brands in the market. With innovations like this, it isn't hard to see where the money might be going. These brands are committed to sustainable environmental protection but they also invest heavily into R&D and the kiting community as a whole, with event sponsorship and more.

Next time you are in the market for a new kite or board, why not consider these brands, either new or used. 

Let's dispel a few myths first: No, you don't need upper body strength and yes, you can do it even if you're not super fit or young. In fact our average student age is over 45 & often 50-60 plus. That said, we can also teach children to kiteboard so why not find out more at our up and coming Come n Try Clinic?

Sunday the 23rd September with sessions starting from 11am - Bookings are essential so please book in via the shop on 0754556677 or email us here. 

Our IKO certified and experienced team of instructors will take small groups and teach them the basics of kite flying before introducing them to the larger kites and other equipment required to kitesurf.

Each session will have a maximum of 3 students and last approximately 45 minutes. Kiteboarding is a technical flying sport which some people find intimidating while others seem to take it all too casually. The Adventure Sports team take safety seriously and all students will learn, have fun and stay safe with our instructors. 

Many kitesurfers find kiteboarding is an excellent release from the day to day pressure of work and a great way to stay fit. If you decide to progress into the surf, you can be assured of endless waves. Check out our local video surf sessions here.

No matter what you decide, you have to start somewhere so book in quick as spaces will be limited.