The wind didn’t full cooperate, which is normal this time of the year, so the windsurf event wasn’t full finished, but that didn’t matter, the results that mattered where in and Swell’s own Luciano Gonzalez took the title righfully back.

I think there was no question about who was the best overall surfer and kitesurfer in the comp. Luciano’s surfing has been killer, ripping Encuentro’s waves every morning, taking spinning classes with Clare’s for his Fitness and stamina has paid off. Clear winner without a doubt.

Here’s some kitesurf pictures from him

More ripping the waves:

Congrats to Luciano
aspiring to be a Master of the ocean? Luciano gives surf and kite surf lessons here in Cabarete for Swell surf camp clients

Why is Cabarete learn to kite paradise?
-Warm water
-Steady trade winds
-Side onshore winds ( so you always float back in if something bad happens)
-Large beaches

When is the best time to learn to kite surf in Cabarete?
The strongest winds are to be found in Cabarete between March and September, however year round you can find at least 3-4 days with enough (10+ knots) wind to start kitesurfing.

Where can I find the best Kite surf school in Cabarete?
There’s a lot of kitesurf schools in Cabarete ( 10+) but not all are recommended, what to look for in a kite school?

So where do I go when I want to learn how to kite in Cabarete?
We work with 2 good schools in Cabarete, that have been in business for 5+ years and a solid track record for teaching kiteboarding in a safe and fun way.

Alternatively for if a clients at Swell wants to be taught by Luciano Gonzalez, our in house pro, then that can also be arranged. We at Swell kite school have the latest 2010 kites / boards helmets and vests.

More info about learning to kite surf in Cabarete can be found here. Or just contact us via this page

Oh and in case I forget, we at Swell wish Luciano Gonzalez good luck in trying to win the 2010 Master of the Ocean event , held at Playa Encuentro,.
He has trained and worked hard enough for it.

Day in the life of Luciano Gonzalez @ Swell Surf Camp from Swell Surf Camp on Vimeo.

As you can see at the end of the video, Luciano is available for guests of Swell Surf Camp Cabarete for advanced kitesurf wave riding lessons and tips, downwinders etc.
But for beginners we also offer learn to kite surf lessons at the best kite surf school in Cabarete

We are going to be working on more video’s with the same guys from imperial Film in Cabarete, the next project will be a surf video of surfing on the North shore of the Dominican Republic

Strong wind and solid 2,5 overhead waves created the perfect setting for a photoshoot of Luciano Gonzalez riding strapless on a surfboard at Encuentro, the local surf spot here in Cabarete.
How big was it?

How was Luciano Gonzalez handling those waves…………. very well………why? Because he is one of the best wave kite surfers in the world.

How did he handle riding strapless in those big waves…….excellent…….most of the time……

At the moment 2 very talented film guys are making a movie about Luciano and Swell, and this epic day of kitesurfing at Encuentro, cabarete will be in it…stay tuned.

Want to improve your wave riding skills with a kite? Luciano works for Swell Surf camp full time, and especially in the summer months he will be available for our kite surf guests to give clinics and advanced kite lessons.

You like some white water?

We had a group of surfers last week and they had some energy left after the excellent morning surf so they went out with us for a 1,5 hour introductory SUP lesson.
We teach at Cabarete bay when the water is flat and not much of a shorebreak to keep the SUP lesson fun and safe.

First some instruction on the land about stand up paddle boarding safety and procedures etc.

Getting in the water.

First paddling on the knees, than the trick to stand up straight.

And off you go, first time standing up on a SUP board and immediately good posture for Debby.

And here’s some stand up paddle pictures from this summer when I was out by myself as usual in Cabarete Bay

How good does this wave look for stand up paddle surfing in cabarete:

No crowds, no hassle, fun SUP in the Caribbean

For the people that already know how to SUP, we rent our boards as well, we have SUP boards in our rental pool, 2 x Naish 11′6”, 1 x 11′4” and 1 x 8′5” Starboard Pocket Rocket, we have 3 carbon paddles and 1 allow adjustable Naish paddle.
I think it’s safe to say that Cabarete is become THE SUP destination in the caribbean, we have the flat water in the lagoon like Punta Cana but also the waves on the reef to play with. Come and join us.

2009 was a great year here in Cabarete, 2010 is going to be even better. 2009 was mostly about building the best surf camp in cabarete ( or the Caribbean ), and 2010 is all about the clients having a good time at Swell surf Camp in Cabarete, learning to surf at Swell’s surf school at Encuentro, learning to kitesurf / windsurf or any other active extreme sport that Cabarete has to offer.

We had a great batch of clients stay with us at Swell, in fact we were fully booked, which we are very happy about, since the more people stay at our new surf hotel, the better the vibe and socialising is.
How good is the vibe ?

See the pics from last night.

What we were doing? Drinking and then Jane taught us how to line and square dance. It was laughter all over the place.

It’s great to see that all the guests get along so well; A hostel vibe with the comforts of a hotel

The surf?
The surf has been all time, firing, consistent,. head high place and many all day glassy days.
We took the clients to a spot out of town, and scored. No one else out, head high and glassy, can you imagine a better xmass?

Dinner has been a great social event in Cabarete’s most private ( and exclusive ) restaurant

I think the above pictures prove that if you are an active person looking for a great surf holiday in the Caribbean, then Swell surf camp is the best choice…. guaranteed.

hasta pronto.

Expect a lot more photo’s from the clients who are going to be staying at Swell in the next couple of weeks, since we just got our new big 400 MM Canon lens today, and the first batch of pics are looking very promising.

Clare and myself love taking pictures, and when there’s half descent surf we will be at the beach at Encuentro taking pictures of our clients who are staying with us this winter. Speaking of which, the reservations are coming in very very quick and as a result very soon we will be full for a whole bunch of weeks, so if you are thinking about staying at our hotel in Cabarete, make sure you make your reservation ASAP.

Ok, here’s the first few pictures shot with the new canon lens.

Here’s the sign that my parents made for our surf camp. I think it looks great ( I hope they didn’t look at a picture of me surfing when they designed it, since the surfers’s style is uuuuuhhhmmmm ‘interesting’)

Here’s a picture from 500 metere distance looking towards Happy surf’s kite surf school in Cabarete

Picture of the garden at Swell Cabarete surf camp

Mats the birthday boy, (who also happens to look scarily like Jack Johnson)

Last but not least , here’s Cam, he might pretend to be a mean bad ass on this picture but in reality he is a super friendly chap from Canada.

Hope you’ll come back soon here to see the surf action shots taken at Encuentro, (or better book a stay with us and have your pic displayed here

have a good day
Hasta Pronto
Swell surf camp team

Now, the first clients have left our new surf hotel with big smiles on their faces, they had good surf sessions at Encuentro and a few lucky ones we took to some secret surf spots here on the North Coast and they were in awe how good the surf was, and that was without a good swell running. other clients booked the surf lessons with Luciano Gonzalez and had a great time learning to surf at Encuentro in a safe and fun way.

Eddie: partied like a rockstar and surfed……with….style ( and a hangover)

Up on the board on the first day

Some more tips and lessons

Our surf school at Encuentro

What else?

Party off course, what most clients didn’t realize is that Cabarete isn’t just for an active water sport holiday but also a great place to party hard and until the early hours, and since we at Swell are located in the perfect position for this in town (everything is within walking distance to the bars and restaurants in town) there clients were out lots of nights of the week, but they never missed a surf session.

After the party and surfing? Hammock time

So all in all the Swell surf camp has been tested properly, everything is working as it should and all the clients, as well as family and friends were all very impressed with how good the vibe is in our new place, but also how comfortable the rooms are.

Lots of inquiries are coming in for this winter, and a fair amount of weeks were are already fully booked with all 24 beds taken; should be a very good and fun winter here in Cabarete for Swell staff and more importantly the clients that are going to visit us. We’ll make sure we will do everything we can to make their Caribbean surf holiday and big success, so they leave with a big smile on their face.

See you soon.

So here it is: the project top create the most social and comfortable hotel in Cabarete has been completed succesfully. Swell is open.

Have a look at some of the pictures in case you have any doubt about our new surf camp:

And here’s the communal area / kitchen in our surf camp

And here’s the very special fibre optic swimming pool

Want to relax after a good day of surfing in cabarete, play some pool billiards:

There’s a ton more pictures of our new budget surf hotel to be found here http://www.swellsurfcamp.com/

We are also very happy with the amount of interest there is from clients, the bookings are coming in very well, which is good since with the clients and the swell staff it will create the social vibe that we had intended with Swell surf camp Dominican Republic

This morning the left at Encuentro was working, since there’s a a bit of North in the swell.
Clare went to take some shots, with great results.

Here’s some of the better ones.

Should be a good few days of surfing here in Cabarete or all along the north coast of the Dominican Republic.
And later this week….more pics of the Swell Surf Camp hotel