Get a closer look to Cabarete, Dominican Republic
A lot of people feel that the Caribbean is the perfect place to relax, unwind, and get a tan. When you come to Cabarete you can do that if you want to, but we are convinced that you will be inspired to get into action by the wind, waves, reef — and hopefully a little bit of all of the great things you can do in Cabarete. Also Yoga, Paddel is boarding. And while October is generally seen as “low season”, it seems a group of locals have decided to play a role in setting the record simply by having tons of fun and doing sport all day long.
The Cabarete Beaches have been known to woo tourists from all over the world and turn them into expats. It seems that most visitors find it hard to leave on time…or ever. So much so, they even made a song about it! Situated on the North Coast of the Dominican Republic, Cabarete is a tiny, laid back beach village with the heart of a lion. There are 5 main beaches within 10 minutes of each other that are sure to satisfy even the most action-hungry waterman or woman. To make sure you are in the know, we are going to outline the main beaches of Cabarete, show you a few pictures, and describe their most popular activities. We might even throw in a few maps for good measure!
And what do you know? A map! The map above shows the general vicinity of each of the 5 beaches in Cabarete. We are going to start with Cabarete Beach because that is where our condos are located, and we will move on toward the West where will end up in Encuentro Beach. Technically, Cabarete Beach and Bozo Beach are part of the larger Cabarete Bay. The Bay has a nice sandy bottom and although there is a reef, it is far away from the beach and very easy to spot and maneuver around if you are in the water.
Cabarete Beach: Center of Town, Windsurfing, kitesurfing, SUP
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Cabarete is the longest and windiest beach in the Dominican Republic. Technically, we have about 300 days of kite-able wind per year. If you want to read a more detailed post regarding the wind in Cabarete, check out our previous post: When it is windy in Cabarete?
In the early mornings and on the very few occasions when there is not wind, people like to use the ocean to partake in Stand Up Paddleboarding.
By afternoon, the high winds make Cabarete a mecca for anything that requires a sail. Cabarete Beach can essentially be split up into 3 separate areas with a line drawn down the middle just about in front of our condos. This line can be considered a mix of windsurfing and kiteboarding zones. Still facing the water, the right of that line is the windsurfing zone, and the the left of that line is the kitesurfing zone.
This is a topic that brings up much debate, but we are going to keep it simple and let you carve your own way. We hope that this article serves as a general guideline, not the end all be all of Cabarete watersport zones.
Cabarete is also a Windsurfer town. Made popular to sports fanatics in the 80s by some Windsurfers from Quebec, Cabarete quickly gained reputation as one of the world’s best windsurfing sites, blessed with steady winds, breaking waves, a smooth sand beach, and a thrilling mood. Today Cabarete offers all for windsurfing, and has turned into a Kiteboarding magnet. Many of the world’s greatest Kiteboarders come to Cabarete to contribute in international competitions and/or train in perfect conditions.
You will celebrate great moments in Cabarete and will bring up memories. Mornings expended viewing the sunrise from the beach, and late afternoons relaxing under palm trees. Daily walks of the long stretches of beaches between Cabarete Bay and Encuentro Beach. Monday night karaoke at Voyvoy that brings a lot of fun, and maybe a contract with Virgin records.
There are good reasons to fall in Love with Cabarete. Maybe it’s since you have learned how to kite, or surf, or fly through the air at Kaiceitos Circus and have gained some biceps to prove it. Perhaps it’s because you found out about the fantastic restaurants, Gorditos, Papis Casas, Bliss, La otra Cosa to name only a view of them.
Master Of the Ocean.
Since 2003 Master of the Ocean has been on the event for the next “IRONMAN of Water Sports”. Created as the world’s most wide-ranging water sport competition in four categories (surfing, windsurfing, Kitesurfing, and stand up paddle boarding), this sport event exists for one reason — to crown the world’s best overall water sport athlete with the title of Master of the Ocean.
From February 23-28 the 2015 Master of the Ocean will take place on 3 of the main beaches in Cabarete, Dominican Republic. The selection will take place at Cabarete Beach. After the Qualifiers only the top 16 will compete in the finals that will be hosted in Playa Encuentro and Bozo Beach, Cabarete.
Over the years the event has done a bit of evolving and now includes categories for teams and single discipline competitors, as well as a category for the young folks. But one thing has always stayed the same, all disciplines will be judged on riding waves, overall impression, radical aerials, as well as style and fluency.
KB4girls Cabarete 2014 Event
On the weekend in every year, KB4girls will be making some waves with the women of Kiteboarding in Cabarete, Dominican Republic. Founded by 9x World Champion Kristin Boese, KB4girls is a non-profit that not only brings the kite ladys together, but also reaches out to women and children in need around the world through fundraising events and other programs.
The event is full of fun and takes normally place at Dare2Fly Kiteboarding School (at Agualina Kite Resort) with a FREE surfboard wave-riding kiteboarding clinic led by Audrey Meyer. Audrey is a local professional ocean sports/fitness athlete and owner of Dare2fly Cabarete located on Kite Beach. Always the first to motivate and inspire women in Cabarete, this 3-time Master of the Ocean is certified in Physical Education, but is well versed and well known around town for her Blossom Retreats, Yoga4Sup, and nice range of daily fitness classes.
Another event will take place at the self rescue course at Laurel Eastman Kiteboarding School located in Cabarete Beach (at the Millennium Resort and Spa). Even most of us never have to self rescue, but it is a good training to keep in your back pocket in case anything goes wrong while you are out in the deep ocean.. Laurel, secretary for the KB4girls organization, has been a professional Kiteboarder since the first hour of the sport and has made a name for herself not only through her great performance in the in the world champion kite events in the early 2000s but also through her charismatic being and great buddy and helpful person. As the owner of 2 kite schools, she has been involved in many other projects in Kiteboarding, always with the goal to support others and the sport.
Video: Strapless Revolution by EyeFly Films
A vey creative Video from Oliver Dadswell of EyeFly Films. He is the one behind the cam but also the one who likes to ride the waves, and flying the kiteboard.
Kiteboarding Cabarete
Drinks in Cabarete.
There is absolutely no way around to Presidente green Pilsner that might as well be the official color of Cabarete. The umbrellas and chairs are all sponsored by Presidente. You have to drink it ice cold. For more sophisticate folks, the local rum brands Brugal has a great variety of age rums. On to Mamajuana, which is basically the national drink. Mamajuana is an aperitif concocted by allowing rum, red wine, and honey soak in a bottle with tree bark and herbs. Make sure to use a good shot of rum.
Happy Hour in Cabarete
Every restaurant has some sort of happy hour special at any time after 5 pm. Usually, it is a 2-for-1 type deal just as one would expect. Lax has some great deals, and you can watch the perfect sunset.
Made Best Friends.
Maybe it’s because of the fun, happy hours, and the great spirit in Cabarete. It will be hard to exactly capture what we mean, but here it goes: There is a beautiful mix of locals, transplants, sport fanatics, rich and not so rich, and this is a great mixture of getting in touch with new people. The Dominicans are very friendly and heart touching people, so new people soon will make new friends, also because of the great nightlife and sport activities at day.
