Public voting for the prestigious kiteboarding accolades has opened ahead of the gala evening in Cape Town
10 January, 2025 | Qatar Airways GKA Awards, City Hall, Cape Town
Public voting for the Qatar Airways GKA Awards, the biggest night in kiteboarding, has opened and it is your chance to have your say on who will lift the coveted blue statutes.
Votes from you, the public, are being invited in the 14 categories, including the biggest of them allβthe male and female Rider of the Year.
Kiteboarders are being asked to cast their preferences in the expanded roster of categories that has a much greater emphasis on the Move of the Year Awards this year.
For those lucky enough to be in South Africa’s legendary kiteboarding spot of Cape Town on 10 January, the tickets have also gone on sale for β¬25 each. Visit www.gkakiteworldtour.com/awards-2024/ to book yours.
Presented with trophy
In addition, the GKA has teamed up with WOO Sports and its popular WOO sensor for the GKA Big Air Challenge 2025. It is a week-long competition for riders, who are linked by kite brand, to file their highest jumps in the Western Cape between 2 and 9 January, 2025.
Teams of riders, which may made up of professionals and amateurs, will battle it out. The highest jumps of the top five riders registered on the WOO App will be combined for the total.
The top team will be awarded an annual trophy at the Qatar Airways GKA Awards evening. The top five riders from the second and third-placed teams will win free entry to the Awards and the After-Party.
Qatar Airways GKA Awards 2024
Menβs Freestyle Move of the Year
Womenβs Freestyle Move of the Year
Menβs Strapless Freestyle Move of the Year
Womenβs Strapless Freestyle Move of the Year
Menβs Big Air Move of the Year
Womenβs Big Air Move of the Year
Hydrofoil Big Air Move of the Year (one award, both genders)
Rookie of the Yearβ― (one award, both genders)
Photo of the Year
Video of the Yearβ―
Public voting on the shortlists will run between 3 and 15 December, 2024. Click on the links above to have your say.
words: Ian MacKinnon
images: Samuel CΓ‘rdenas
Spot Info: Cape Town
Wind and weather
For kiteboarders the reliable 20 to 40 knots winds that blow from December through to February is Cape Town’s unrivalled appeal. Even November and March can offer good breezes and the bonus of quieter beaches. In high-season the south/south-westerly wind blows five days a week, beginning at 10am and building throughout the day until it’s nuking by 4pm. There are many beaches to choose from on the 15kms of coastline running northwards from Table Mountain, offering the possibility of epic downwinders.
Cape Town’s Beaches
Sunset Beach
It serves up the biggest and cleanest waves on Blouberg Strand. The wind is cross-offshore from the left which can make for great down-the-line riding. One drawback is that the shorebreak can be quite big to contend with.
Dolphin Beach
Dolphin has wide, sandy beaches that make launching and landing a breeze. The wind is cross-shore from the left. The waves are not too big. Between the waves that make great kickers, the water is among the flattest along the coastline, especially towards high tide.
Kite Beach
It has a smallish shorebreak, but the water between the waves is not quite as flat as Dolphin further south on Blouberg. The wind is cross-shore from the left. It can be quieter than some of the other beaches, but remains safe.
Doodles Beach
Doodles is small and steep, but it offers great kickers and can be less busy than some other spots. The steepness means there is a dumpy shorebreak to negotiate, especially at high tide. The wind is cross-shore from the left. It takes its name from Doodles pub that overlooks the spot.
Big Bay
A popular beach, it offers wide, flat-water sections between the waves. The waves are moderately big and the wind is cross-onshore from the left. The launching and landing area can be limited, especially around high tide. There are a few rocks downwind to beware of. The wind moderates the further you move north from Table Mountain, which can be useful if it is cranking down the coast. It hosts the Red Bull King of the Air in November/December each year.
Calmers
Downwind of the Big Bay rocks is Calmers. Wave riders often favour this spot because the waves are excellent and clean, with a small shorebreak. The wind is cross-shore from the left. One drawback is that it is popular and can sometimes be quite busy.
Calmers to Haakart
Heading north along the coast from Calmers reveals a near-continuous stretch of beach. Different car parks serve the various sections. This stretch of beaches has wind cross-shore or cross-offshore from the left and is popular with wave riders. The waves here are usually bigger than the main beaches. Rock slabs on the seabed are visible from the water’s edge and easily avoided.
Cape Town’s ‘no-wind day’ activities
Table Mountain/Lion’s Head
Hike or climb up either of these two iconic sites. Take the cable car up Table Mountain if you are not feeling up to it. Lion’s Head is more energetic hike, with ladders and chains up diverse trails that open on to an incredible vista of mountains and coastline. Sunrise or sunset are particularly rewarding.
Robben Island Museum
Take a ferry to the prison island. You may be rewarded with a whale sighting along the way. In the historic prison complex you will be guided by former inmates offering insights into their incarceration and that of its most famous inmate, Nelson Mandela.
Stellanbosch and Franschhoek
See the green and mountainous regions of Stellanbosch and Franschhoek. Mountain bike tours are a great option to soak up the beautiful environment. Perhaps tie it in with some winery tours in the regions, enjoying the stunning vineyards and sampling some of their produce.
Bo-Kaap Food Tours
Dive into a food safari in Cape Town’s Bo-Kaap neighbourhood. Famed for it Cape Malay culture, you will find a vibrant cuisine born of the area’s culture. Muslim were isolated in the area when other ethnicities were forced to move out, leaving unique Malay culture and cuisine.
Old Biscuit Mill and Harbour Bay Markets
Trawl the old markets of the Old Biscuit Mill, in Cape Town, on Saturday mornings, or the Harbour Bay Market of Hout Bay for a relaxing and interesting few hours.
