It has been a minute since I've posted a blog or vlog post.  During season things get a bit hectic in my mornings going through the schedule, emails, texts, calls, and life.  With all these things happening during the morning I felt I didn't have the time to do daily video edits , post weather reports, and funny blurbs about my kite misadventures.  What was a bummer though is that people seemed to really like when I did these.  The videos helped provide further insight on kite skills we couldn't go over in mass detail in some lessons. The weather reports helped people gain more insight into our very tricky weather patterns. The funny stuff was, well,  funny. 

​With time on my hands this offseason I began to think up ways to bring this back, but not let it overwhelm me come summer time. What I came up with was a focus on quality not quantity. Here's what I plan to do for the 3 of you that read this, but very much appreciate this.  I will attempt to do a weekly post over 2024.  There might be weeks I do more, and weeks I may not do any. The main thing is I'm not going to post for the sake of posting.  I want stuff to be fun to read or watch and not just a bombardment of unnecessary information.  Friends and former students have asked to learn about some pretty interesting topics that I plan to discuss in detail. These posts will be great tools for new and old kiters/wingers to help build their knowledge of the sports and our area. 

Here's to 2024 and a new year of fun on the water! 

We are back in action for our 5th season in Belmont Shore! It's been great seeing old and new faces under the tent over the past few days. We look forward to another great year out there with everyone, and have some fun new things to share over the coming weeks!

It has been quite awhile since I've done any posting for the vlog, but it will be returning by the end of the month! I'm hoping to have a set schedule of release dates for videos that will encompass riding tips, Duotone gear reviews, interviews, and a few fun ones similar to the 'Can you ride it' video.  I'm also always open to ideas so please feel free to share them with me or my instructors on the beach or drop us an email!

This year Off The Hook will also begin offering wing foiling lessons. I've had tons of inquiries about the wing over the last year, and would love to get people into this awesome new sport.  I anticipate us being geared up and ready to offer this service by late spring. 

​I will also be hosting a few Duotone demos in the late spring.  Be on the lookout for my demo schedule, and what all gear I'll have available for you to try!

There's so much more to come over the coming months, and will be sharing them as they come! Again I am so stoked to be back out there with everyone! Lets have an awesome season and happy kiting everyone!

The title says it all, the OTH Vlog is back! Stoked to be making videos again to share with all of you!

I'm beyond stoked to let you all know we are finally able to get back out and teach in Belmont Shore! It has been a long long road, but we have made out of quarantine! We enjoyed our first weekend back this last Saturday and Sunday, and we were given a very windy start! Couldn't be happier to get things rolling again.  Being on the beach seeing familiar faces and new faces is such a great feeling for us.  We look forward to getting you all out on the water learning this great sport over the summer, and having an absolute blast in the process.  Also with being back I've not found time to make our new vlogs for the week, but fear not they will be returning next week! I just need to get into a solid rhythm with lessons, filming, editing, and all that fun stuff.  I can't wait to make videos including all of you! In the mean time I'll be posting blog posts with our wind reports in the morning.  I'll just keep it simple for right now by just including the forecast table, and a quick blurb.  Again thank you all for being patient and stopping by.  I know this year started in a funk, but we have plenty of time to make up for it and have 100% fun out on the water.  Have a great week and happy kiting everyone! 

WIND: Looks like a decent chance of wind starting at 3:00 and blowing through the late evening.  Wind came up stronger than yesterday's forecast late so I'm hoping for the same today! 

Beach Update: Still patiently waiting for the green light from the city for lessons.  No matter what we will be setup in Belmont Friday throughout the rest of the summer! Swing by and say hello!

Vlog: Today's vlog I show you all the random shenanigans we get into when there's no wind.  No wind days don't have to be a total let down! Let your imagination run free and cater to the child within!  With a set of drifter trikes and a few cones you can have the ultimate Mario Kart experience! Enjoy today's random fun and happy kiting everyone!

A few years ago I made a video of me riding random things behind a kite in Belmont.  Those items included a boogey board, table, sign, and a slalom ski.  I've been itching to revisit this idea for the OTH vlog, and finally got a chance to put it together! We shot this a few weeks ago in Huntington Beach with wind ranging from 20-26 MPH.  With plenty of power on my 9 meter Rebel I was able to get up and riding on some items that I didn't think at the time were possible.  This has opened my mind to what else may be possible to ride or maybe even foil?  Be on the look out over the summer for more editions of the Can You Ride It series, and if you see me with a truck load of random objects pull up a seat and enjoy the ridiculous show! Hope you enjoy today's vlog and happy kiting everyone!

Beach update: With the unfortunate current events across Southern California and other cities across the United States our lesson updates are being pushed back.  City resources are being pulled to help business and individuals in need after the looting and vandalism that took place over the weekend.  With current curfew restrictions in LA county our lessons, even if green lit, will be pushed back.  Our country is looking at some difficult times.  We must look to one another to find unity to bring us back up, not what separates us.  We are strong enough to push through and find hope that things will find their way back to being better.  In the end respect each other, love each other,  and find peace with each other.

Vlog: Today's vlog is about the importance of cross training.  Whether you kite, surf, bike, play soccer, or any other physical activity change up your daily activities by learning new ones.  Over the course of quarantine I finally made the plunge to begin surfing.  It has been a long road of progression that still continues, but rewarding beyond what I imagined.   It has changed up my daily routine by getting me into the water right away.  A morning surf session is a great way to start my day with a clear head.  The challenge of learning this new sport has reignited the spark of curiosity. Going on line watching videos and talking to surfers to gain insight is fun and exciting! Learning to surf has also allowed me to change up my kitesurfing and feel even more comfortable in the waves.  Building upon what I'm already familiar with has allowed me to become more fluid and confident in my maneuvers while kitesurfing.  Using the wave energy to do my turns rather than using the power of the kite is such a great feeling.  I'm glad that I've finally put myself out there, and can't wait to see where it'll take me. I encourage all of you to do the same, and find new ways to cross train.  You'll be pleased to see what results will come from it. Hope you enjoy today's video and happy kiting everyone!

Beach Update:  Still no green light from the city for lessons.  I also wanted to address what has been brought to my attention by fellow kiters, students, and new comers. Over the past week there has been activity on the beach with other businesses providing lessons.  I know it is confusing to see other schools operating while we are posting that we are not permitted to teach yet, which is why I wanted to bring light to this.  To ensure the safety of my students, staff, and maintaining a positive relationship with the city of Long Beach I am following exactly what is allowed.  That is providing rental equipment to experienced individuals who can operate the kite on their own without the assistance of an instructor.  For the safety of individuals renting equipment and others on the beach we will not provide equipment to those who are still in the learning process without proper supervision and instruction provided by one of our instructors.  I want to be sure that I can provide the best possible experience to our students on the water.  If they are still learning I want to make sure someone is at their side to keep them safe while following the proper protocols put in place by the city.  I care more about safety and this sport than the bottom line.  The past few months have been difficult, but I will not compromise safe teaching to make a few extra dollars operating in disregard to a public health order. In the end I love teaching people this sport while keeping them as safe as I possibly can, and I will patiently wait until I am able to do this to the best of my abilities. This was not an easy post to make as I know it may ruffle a few feathers, but at the end of the day I want to be transparent to let you all know why I'm doing what I'm doing. We will be able to be out there again soon, and we have an entire season ahead of us! Thank you for checking by daily for our vlog and updates. I truly can't wait to tell you we are good to go! Until then, I am happy to provide as much help and service as I can within what I'm allowed to do. Hope everyone has a great start to their weekend and as always happy kiting. 

Beach Update: Still on hold from the city for lessons with no setup today.

Better late than never right? Sorry for the lag in getting the vlog out today. I'm still fine tuning my video/edit/upload schedule.  Either way today's video subject comes from one of our students Patrick! He was awesome enough to toss out a few ideas for some vlog videos, and this one seemed like a solid one.  I get a lot of questions from students and fellow kiters about how to tackle bar tuning.  In this video I go over some general tips that should help guide you in tuning or replacing parts of your bar.  If you have a bar that's giving you a hard time, and there's something I didn't bring up that can help please drop me an email.  Bar repairs were a bit of a specialty of mine when I worked at Kitesurfari years ago.  I know all kinds of tricks and tips to getting them back to working order, and I'm happy to share.  

I also wanted to give an update for our beach setups and lessons.  Speaking with the city today we still do not have a date when we will be able to teach, but instruction/personal training/day camps are coming up on the docket of discussion. We also may not be out there as much as we'd like for rentals.  Due to the city keeping the parking lots closed, including launch ramp gates, it makes it very difficult to get out to the beach with our equipment.  The methods we were using to get out over the weekend could cause an issue with the city that I'd rather avoid.  I'm looking into ways to be able to still get out there, but over the next few days we will not be setting up. Quite the roller coaster ride we are on, but I'm doing what I can to make it as smooth as possible.  Keep checking back for updates.  In the mean time enjoy today's video and happy kiting!