Chile

Matanzas, Chile

I have visited this incredible location in November of 2021 and 2022. We experienced some unbelievable conditions during this years’ trip, with consistent wind for 6-7m kites and the swell forecasts of 6-10 ft over-delivered by far. Thursday, November 17 is a day I’ll never forget and marked the beginning of a five day stretch of world-class wave kiting. The marine layer (fog) took longer than usual to clear that day and we weren’t sure if the wind would fill in. By 4:30 pm, the wind was finally starting to build and I rushed down the hill to rig and launch. For about three hours, we traded off waves with the locals regularly dropping in to 12-15 ft+ wave faces. I rode a 7m Ozone Reo V6 with my longer line set (50cm bar, 23m lines) to ensure plenty of clearance on the XL waves. This was my second session on the 5’9” KT Driver and I couldn’t wait to try it in the overhead surf. After learning to ride the spot last year, I felt comfortable from the first wave of the session and it was even more satisfying after a 7-week break from kiting to rehab a back injury. My wave selection was dialed in, and I felt like I jumped right back into strong wave riding with style without skipping a beat. My backside technique continues to improve, although after watching the goofy-foot riders I am tempted to start practicing riding right-foot-forward to attack these waves frontside. Towards the end of the session, I was wondering why the crowd seemed to be thinning out because the conditions were so good. After taking a larger set wave all the way into the inside, I realized that there were kites and windsurf sails scattered along the shoreline and many riders had been taken out in the large surf. I wasn’t able to make it back to the landing spot due to a sharp drop off in wind, but was able to loop downwind to another beach and didn’t mind the mile walk back from Las Brisas after such a special session. The following four days were just as memorable and I was fortunate to share this experience with several good friends.

Matanzas offers three kite spots nearby, all with different riding conditions. Pupuya Beach is a side-onshore beach break and very popular for twin-tip riders. It often features 7-9m wind for most riders and has a convenient kite setup location and fun social scene with a bar/restaurant right in front of the launch spot. The shore break can be quite heavy and waves break on to a sandbar a couple hundred yards upwind of the beach. There is a small kite shop at this location carrying Duotone but stock is very limited and I wouldn’t rely on being able to buy gear on a trip here.

Roca Cuadrada is my preferred spot with a left hand point break and side shore wind. This location is best for experts because you launch and land in a wind shadow, enter/exit the water in a narrow spot between rocks, and larger swell days can bring heavy consequences in the event of a fall while riding a wave. I weigh 175 lbs and my go-to kite here is a 7m and I prefer a 5’9” KT Driver most days. There are occasional 9m days and my 5’7” Driver is more appropriate for smaller swell days. Using a board leash is mandatory because the waves will carry your board onto the rocks in a wind shadow in the event of a fall. This launch spot is not directly accessible via car and requires either an ATV, upwind journey from La Brisas de Navidad, or a downwind transit from Matanzas Caleta. This is one of the most challenging kite spots I have experienced and I’d only recommend it to passionate wave riders.

Matanzas Caleta (Cove) is the third spot and more popular with windsurfers due to gusty wind conditions. This is also a wave spot, although a bit more forgiving than Roca Cuadrada because there is more space to recover from crashes and the wave isn’t usually as powerful. However, there are spots throughout the area where waves dump heavily and could cause trouble for less experienced kiters.

I have also wing foiled here, although the conditions line up for that less often and require expert skills. The best days to wing have swell forecasts of 3-5 ft or smaller, and I’ve mostly used 4 and 5m wings here. Matanzas Caleta is the most popular spot for winging the ocean. There is a flat water section inside the wave break and this area is larger at higher tides. There are places where the wave dumps heavily, especially at lower tides, and I have had my only major wing damage riding at this spot. Low tide has less flat water space and steeper waves. People also travel to La Boca Playa river mouth to practice beginner winging, although I have not personally experienced a session at that spot.