No wind? No problem
What to do in Langebaan on a no-wind day
Every kitesurfing trip gets at least one flat day. Here is how the locals fill them — and how you can too.
First, a word on the forecast
Langebaan wind is an afternoon pattern. A glassy 09:00 means very little — the south-easter often does not fill in until late morning or early afternoon. Do not write a day off before lunchtime, and do not plan an all-day excursion on a day the forecast says will blow.
What follows is for the days that genuinely are not going to happen, and for the mornings before the wind arrives.
The easiest option is the shortest: Obsession Cafe, our coffee and gelato shop at the school. On a marginal day it is a reasonable place to sit and see whether the south-easter is going to bother showing up.
What is on in Langebaan
Regular, free or nearly free, and open to visitors. Turning up is enough.
Boat wakeboarding
Our own answer to a flat morning. Up to four people, your own skipper and instructor, R2 200 per hour for the boat. Mornings are usually glassiest.
Run club
Meets at the NG Kerk on the corner of Oostewal Road and Oostewal Street. Mondays and Tuesdays at 17:30, Saturdays at 07:00. Bring your own running gear. Free.
Open water swimming
The swimming group heads off from Pearly's restaurant at 08:00. Bring your own gear. Free, and a good way to meet people.
Badminton
At the NG Kerk on Oostewal Road. Tuesdays and Thursdays at 18:30. Bring court or running shoes. R100 per person.
Skateboarding
Langebaan skate park, Fridays and Saturdays and some Sundays from 14:00 to 18:00. Bring your own board. R20 entry.
Monthly market
Denlyn Park, the children's play park, every last Saturday of the month from 09:00 to 13:00. The best pancakes and pies in Langebaan, by common agreement.
Times and details change. We keep this page current as best we can — if you find something has moved, tell us and we will fix it. Our sister site Langebaan Local keeps a listing of the town's clubs and groups too. Know of a cycling group? We are still looking for one to list.
Seasonal events
The Christmas market runs at the NG Kerk church hall from 19 December to 3 January — worth a wander if you are here over the holidays.
Further afield
Langebaan sits on the edge of the West Coast National Park, which is a genuinely good day out — particularly in August and September for the wildflowers, though that is outside our kiting season. The Postberg section and the lagoon viewpoints are the highlights.
The lagoon itself is part of a marine protected area, which is why the water is as clean and the birdlife as good as it is. It is worth an hour with binoculars even if you have never given a flamingo a second thought.
Or just book the boat
Flat water is exactly what wakeboarding wants. If the wind is not coming, a morning behind the boat turns a write-off into one of the better days of the trip.
Coming to Langebaan?
Ask us what the forecast is doing for your dates. We will give you a straight answer, not a sales pitch.