South Padre Island Kiteboarding Crew
South Padre Island Kiteboarding Lessons are taught the by most experienced team on the island. Our certified instructors are all seasoned professionals with years of combined expertise and knowledge from diverse backgrounds. We all love to kiteboard and WE LOVE TEXAS!
Kenny
Minnotte is a certified PASA Kiteboard instructor and a seaworthy
CAPTAIN. Kenny is able to give kiteboarding lessons in English and Spanish.
He has been kiteboarding on South Padre Island since 2000. He is an
avid kiter, skier and snowboarder. Formerly, Kenny was a certified PSIA
Adaptive ski instructor and 'equipment czar' at Challenge Aspen in Snowmass,
Co. As a Registered Professional Engineer he understands the technical
aspects of kiteboarding. Interacting with students as they are learning
the joys of the sport is what he likes best about teaching kiteboarding
lessons at South Padre Island Kiteboarding.
Petra
Kanz Petra Kanz, originally from Salzburg, Austria, holds
this highest of kiteboarding certification – PASA Level III.
With over 15 years of wind instruction, her priorities are getting
more women involved into water sports. Her teaching philosophy is
grounded in safety and based on incremental learning process. Petra
is a true world-class ‘water woman.’
Joel
Parker comes to us from Colorado where he taught paragliding,
skiing, snowboarding and kayaking for over 25 years. He’s been
kiteboarding since 2005 and teaching full time here at SPIKiteboarding
since 2008. He’s passionate about teaching you how to kite strapless
and enjoy the art of riding skimboards. He has a very mellow attitude,
which puts his students at ease. He's PASA certified and his goals
are to help others enjoy kiteboarding by having fun.
Jay Musser has extensive experience teaching snowboarding
in Vail, Colorado and has been teaching kiteboarding at South Padre
Island Kiteboarding for five years. He has been a trainer and coach,
World Cup Freestyle Judge, Demo Team Rider and Adventure Guide in
the Snowboard Industry. He spent the winter of 2007 in Cabarete, Dominican
Republic where he earned his Level 2 IKO certification. His people
skills and patience have helped a lot of students to advance their
skills. This all adds up to a well rounded life of fun and adventure!
Mike Gonzalez is a Bilingual (Engish/Espanol) certified
PASA instructor. He has been a sailor for over 30 years, windsurfing
for 11 years and kiteboarding for 3 years. He has been an island resident
for13 years and learned to kiteboard here 3 years ago. He also owns
Beach House Vacation Rentals, www.padrebeachouses.com. He is very
safety conscious and will take each step slowly to ensure the student
learns at his or her pace. He makes each lesson fun and safe with
no pressure on the student. Patience is his middle name, so no worries
here, just good fun for a great kiting experience.
Kim da Silva first observed kiteboarding in Spain
and then Hawaii while working on cruise ships and traveling all over
the world. While watching the kiters boost huge air in Maui she decided
she had to learn this sport. Kim took her first kiteboarding lessons
here with us at SPI Kiteboarding in the summer of 2005. After spending
the past winter kiting in Cabarete, she is now a passionate kiteboarder
and PASA certified instructor. She hopes to encourage more women to
join the sport and not let the guys have all the fun. 
Rex Miller is an awesome kiteboarder and an excellent
instructor. Rex is a Former World Champion Hang Glider and a pilot.
He will always tech out with you on the aerodynamics of kiteboarding
and other technical aspects of the sport. Rex is a PASA certified
instructor and has taught hundreds of people to kiteboard. Unfortunately
Rex isn't with us full time anymore, but you never know when he may
show up for an extended stay.
