Wind Over Water Lessons

Burlingame, United States

3.9

Closed now

11 reviews

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Telephone:
+1 650-342-3585
Website:
www.wowkiteboarding.com
Address:
1101 Douglas Ave, Burlingame, CA, 94010
Nearby public transportation stops & stations:
0.3 miBurlingame
0.8 miBroadway
1.6 miSan Mateo
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Bussiness info

Good for Kids
Yes

Today

Today 12:00 pm – 6:00 pm
Closed now
Local time (Burlingame) 20:33 Friday, 29 November 2024

Business hours

Monday 12:00 pm – 6:00 pm
Tuesday 12:00 pm – 6:00 pm
Wednesday 12:00 pm – 6:00 pm
Thursday 12:00 pm – 6:00 pm
Friday 12:00 pm – 6:00 pm
Saturday 12:00 pm – 6:00 pm
Sunday 12:00 pm – 6:00 pm

Description

Specialties

Wind Over Water is the premier kiteboarding (kitesurfing) school in San Francisco and the Bay Area. We specialize in fun and safe kiteboard lessons that will progress your skills to the point you will be confident going on your own. Our staff lives to kiteboard and enjoys to teach others to get the hang of this great sport. We are experts in the sports of kiteboarding, surfing, skateboarding, and stand up paddle boarding. Our shops always has some one on hand to answer any questions about lessons, locations, conditions or gear. Feel free to give us a call or stop by one of our shops if you have any questions. We are here to help you enjoy all of these great boardsports.

History

Established in 2004.

Professional kiteboarder and big wave surfer, Jeff Kafka started Wind Over Kiteboarding School to provide professional kite instruction in the San Francisco area. Jeff was one of the original kiteboarders to bring the sport to the Bay Area and helped pioneer many of the popular locations. Jeff has pushed kiteboarding to new levels with firsts including circumnavigating the sharky Farallon Islands and kite surfing Mavericks. Jeff is also on the safety patrol for the Big Wave Tour and is often also a participant. A true waterman, Jeff has pushed Wind Over Water Kiteboarding School to be the top kiteboarding school on the West Coast. Wind Over Water teaches a little differently than most schools — the majority of our lessons are done one-​on-​one with your private coach launching and landing your kite from a jet-​ski. For you this means unsurpassed safety and support to get you riding confidently, faster, and better.

Meet the Business Owner

Jeff Kafka K.

Business Owner

Jeff Kafka, shop owner and lead instructor, began the Wind Over Water Kiteboarding School approximately 10 years ago to help promote an industry and pastime he is passionate about, and also to offer the community greater access to excellent yet affordable lessons in the San Francisco and Bay Area. Jeff is internationally accomplished and world renowned professional kiteboarder and big wave safety expert. However, it his love of teaching and sharing with others his passion for the open ocean, whether diving, surfing, fishing, or simply enjoying new ways of exploring its myriad complexities and mysteries which truly separates his unique instruction technique from others in the industry. He and his family are multi-​generational natives to the Bay Area with deep roots in the community and an unremitting respect and admiration of its precious resources, not least of which is the world famous NorCal Coastline.

Among many of the advances he’s pioneered in the sport of wave riding is the use

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11 reviews of Wind Over Water Lessons

No registration required
Place rating: 1
San Francisco, CA
These guys have been incredibly unprofessional. They convinced me to buy an intro pack just as the season was ending, meaning that when I arrived for lessons there was no wind whatsoever, and none for months. Hard to learn kitesurfing when there is no wind. I would have just waited and done the lessons the next season, but couldn’t due to an injury.
I have now called up multiple times for a refund and they keep bouncing me around and not taking me seriously. Very unprofessional.
Place rating: 5
El Granada, CA
Strongly recommend these guys when wanting to learn kite boarding. Not only do they know there things Really well, they are also some of the nicest people I know. 5 stars without a doubt.
Place rating: 5
San Mateo, CA
Similar to some of the other reviewers, we had a mixup with the Zozi deal. Upon arriving, we were told we were only going to do a land lesson. We spent about 30 minutes debating the deal (I forgot the printout but remembered confirming it including water time before purchasing). At the end, my boyfriend and I along with another fellow, went out with Joe (an instructor) and talked about kiteboarding until the wind finally picked up and we took turns flying the kite. It was low key and not what we expected but we had a pretty good time as Joe was really nice.
When I got home, I looked up the deal and sent the details to Jeff and asked when we could come for the water portion of the class. He was very prompt in texting and scheduled a day for us. He kept us in the loop for the schedule since it’s so dependent on the wind.
We were taught by Xantos who was incredible. It was just the 3 of us and he took us out in the bay on a jetski and taught us how to kiteboard by bodydragging. He was a patient and friendly teacher. We ended up having a great time and felt we got a good feel for kiteboarding which is exactly what we hoped when we found the Zozi deal.
I’m bummed to read the reviews of bad experiences with the deal. Yes– they might not be the most organized folks, but they are professional and fantastic with instruction. We plan to go back for further classes!
Place rating: 1
San Mateo, CA
I bought a coupon from Zozi for a lesson with WOW. I was told by many boarders to go with the ladies at board sport school, but I was totally lured by the «deal» and the fact that I live very close to the WOW shop.
I bought a 4 hour lesson and it clearly said it was both a land lesson and a water lesson.
I had an average time scheduling the lesson. Jeff was a hard person to catch. Apparently he is traveling the world, but I was patient at the beginning so it was okay.
The first thing that should have alarmed me was that the guy who did my lesson (Joe Cool) didn’t bring any water gear or a board. I thought maybe I would go back later to the van to get the board and water gear.
I waited quite a bit for the lesson to start and then waited for another guy who paid for the 1 hour land lesson. When he showed up we started. It was very slow and we spent a lot of time «talking» and waiting for Joe as he was very slow. I was patient, I thought when the other guy would leave we would get into the water. But when the other guy was ready to leave, 3 hours into the course we hadn’t learned much but Joe was done with us.
Joe cool told me the wind was dying and I should talk to Adam at the WOW shop and he would hook me up with a lesson. I was expecting to just show up the next weekend and get on the water.
Guess what, after many emails with Adam, «the best he could do» was discount the $ 220 water lesson to $ 200. What a ripoff!!! I was annoyed by this, as according to the Zozi deal this was all included.
Place rating: 5
San Francisco, CA
I have had two lessons with WOW, one of which was through the zozi deal I bought.
I had absolutely no trouble scheduling a lesson. There were three of us in a group and the instructor did a fantastic job moving us through each exercise. He was very attentive to us and made sure we grasped each concept. He was very safety oriented and simulated various emergency situations. I really appreciate how thorough he was because when we got into the water that same day, I was readily able to apply the skills I learned on land.
My second lesson was a two hour lesson out on the water. They take you out in a jet ski and review the concepts from your first lesson. They make sure you are comfortable with this before moving onto the board. I even got up on the board and was actually kiting in only my second lesson (albeit for a short time each time, but heck it was a success in my mind). I also got to practice relaunching the kite and additional safety routines, which is important.
I’m definitely going back for at least one more lesson with these guys.
Place rating: 1
Civic Center/Tenderloin, San Francisco, CA
Be careful if you are planning to buy a coupon for Kiteboarding lessons … initially offered from Zozi and now from Thrillist Rewards. The coupon says 4hrs of lessons, 2 hrs on land and 2hrs on water but they pack in the lessons with a lot of people that none get a chance to go onto the water. Defeating the whole purpose of the coupon.
The group I was in was pretty sure this was done on purpose so that they do not have to deal with training people on water and the effort that goes with it. And when asked why we did not have on-​water training their response was that we were slow to learn and 4 hrs were up. In actuality it took long because the kite had to be rotated between 4 people, when 1 person was flying it the other 3 were watching and waiting for their turn. And in my case I had previously taken land lessons and was excited to get on the water but was not able to apparently due to our inability to learn and not because of their scheduling.
So in the end you are actually paying a lot of money for just land lessons that cost way less then $ 145.
Just make sure that if you (already have had training on land) are buying the coupon because of the on-​water training you get what you pay for and what was advertised.
On a more positive note the trainers are pretty good.
Place rating: 5
San Francisco, CA
Kitesurfing is an amazing spot, but has it’s hazards. It’s not safe to learn on your own on the Bay Area beaches with lots of people cruising around which threaten the sport and beach access if something goes wrong.
Jeff Kafka and WOW kite take their teaching and safety seriously. They take you out on a Waverunner to the middle of the Bay — which a great, thrilling and safe place to learn. One lesson on the jetski is like 10 days on your own.
If you want to learn Kitesurfing you should… Just make sure you get the right training and safety skills. WOW kite is the best of the bay.
Jeff Kafka is also head safety for the big wave world tour, so you know you’re in good hands.
Place rating: 5
Brooklyn, NY
I’ve been down to WOW Kiteboarding for three lessons. Can’t say enough good things about the operation and the instructors. Jake, Jeff and Rob do a great job teaching you the ins and outs — even if you have no board or kite skills. If you want to try kiteboarding, check these guys out.
Place rating: 5
San Ramon, CA
A buddy and I took lessons last month and were not sure what to expect. Reservation was taken, confirmation calls were made, and the instructors were REALLY good. They appear to get paid to be patient because you can tell they know what they’re doing but push you at your own pace. We’ve already signed up for the next level lession… see you soon.
Place rating: 5
San Mateo, CA
My daughter and I took some more kiteboarding lessons this year. My daughter enjoyed learning new skills from Jeff Kafka. I really enjoyed my lessons with Rob and Tai. Rob is an awesome instructor. He provided instruction and feedback to get me up and riding again. Tai is a great instructor. He gave me some great tips to help improve my kitesurf skills. Highly recommend Wind Over Water for kite boarding lessons and instruction.
Place rating: 5
Danville, CA
Took lessons with Jeff Kafka and was mucho fun. He takes you out on the jet ski so you don’t end up wasting time walking up and down the beach.