Chile 2024

It’s been a while! Illnesses sapped much of my energy throughout 2024 and I’m just starting to resume my usual lifestyle after sustaining a neck injury on this trip ten months ago. It’s now September 2025 and my recent experiences with Myofascial Release Therapy have helped to bring my body back to full health, while also giving insights into the various issues plaguing me throughout 2024 and 2025.

2024 marked my fourth visit to Matanzas, Chile and I was very fortunate to be there for 8 weeks this time! After transitioning to cover the western half of the US for Cabrinha & Dakine a few months earlier, I was facing a long winter break until the west coast wind season started up again in April and May. With my Rhode Island lease ending in October, it was a no-brainer to move away and spend the next 7 months in Chile and Puerto Rico. Central Chile has two wind seasons: October-November and March-April, and the timing couldn’t have lined up much better!

For the first 4 weeks, it was just my dog and I in a small Airbnb a few steps from the beach in Matanzas! The 2Br cabin only cost me $1000 for the month and town was just a 10 minute walk down the beach. Realizing that I had booked a place without WiFi was a bit of a shock at first, but it turns out that eSIM data plans are very affordable and work really well. I was able to stream and participate in video calls for work without any connectivity issues, and think I paid $100 total for 3-4 data plans of 20gb each. I ended up really enjoying renting a place without WiFi and would definitely rent this same cabin again! It was easy to lock in on practicing drone flying, learning to use professional video editing software, reading 3 books and cooking anti-inflammatory meals designed to help address lingering Lyme Disease symptoms. The ocean was like a continuous sound machine and I loved having a gentle roar of crashing waves in the background at all times!

Both kiting and winging were easily accessible from the Airbnb, and I even started to line up mini-downwinders to ride at Roca Cuadrada after getting a few warmup sessions in. I’d drop the car at La Boca in the morning and walk the beach back to my Airbnb (photo below), setting myself up for a 3 mile downwinder with a world-class left point break to session as long as I’d like! There are quite a few hazards along the coastline here and I’d recommend riding these spots in place at first, rather than downwinding, to be honest. I’ve become much more comfortable with venturing into downwinders, new spots and heavier wave conditions in Chile as I’ve gained experience throughout my 4 years visiting.

For anyone interested in visiting the area themselves, La Vega de Pupuya might be the best introduction for kiteboarding. It’s a side-on wind spot with waves and ramps for twin-tip jumping, and it’s the most popular kite spot in the area. There is a restaurant/kite club on the beach called La Lobera, and local organizers have held big air contests at this location recently!

Wing foilers and windsurfers would be better off riding the Matanzas Caleta, which has a left hand point break with an inside flatter section. Wind is a bit gustier here and it’s rare to see kiters in this location. Hotel Surazo is right on the beach and even has a gear shed for visting riders! This is one of my favorite places to eat and their restaurant has a front-row seat to watch the action on the water. Check out these highlights from the Windsurf World Cup earlier this year!

My friends showed up for the last two weeks of November and we packed into a house overlooking the point break, Roca Cuadrada. The spot isn’t accessible by car, but we’ve been booking Airbnb’s that offer a cliffside path to walk to/from the kite launch. We had an incredible first week of kiting, with consistent 25 knot winds and overhead+ swell!

Two big swell days were forecasted in the middle of the stay, and the entire house was stoked! Unfortunately, I had a major crash just a few waves into the first big day and seemed to have a neck whiplash injury. I’ve had one whiplash in the past- May 2022 during a Nor’easter in the Outer Banks, and hoped that I’d be fine after resting for a week or so. I was content with the 7 weeks of riding I already had in Chile and passed the remaining time filming my friends kiting using my drone.

While I’ve had to cancel my 2025 plans to travel to Chile, I’ll definitely be back soon! I’ve stored a wetsuit, 5’9 surfboard and foil board at a local friend’s house (Thanks Victor!), and hope to return for an extended stay in Matanzas in 2026.

Chile ‘23