South Padre Island - Kiteboarding

Brenda Davoren has been windsurfing forever and kiteboarding since 2002. She has been in the active sports industry for 19 years as co-owner of North Shore Inc. NSI manufactures and distributes accessories for windsurfing, kayaking, wakeboarding and kiteboarding. She has been coming to the island since 1986 and learned to kiteboard here in 2002. She discovered the lack of adequate instruction or available gear and saw the opportunity to develop the sport on the island... the best place on the planet to learn to kite or just ride.

Cliff Stone is one of SPI's best all around waterman and a talented athlete at crossover board sports. He has been teaching kiteboarding on the island for over 8 years and has competed in regional kiteboarding competitions. He spent a year in Maui, Hawaii in the early years of the sport, passing the original teachers certification and taught in the first kiteboarding school in the US.

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.

Joel Parker comes to us from Colorado where he taught paragliding, skiing, snowboarding and kayaking for over 25 years. He dabbled in kiteboarding from 2005 to 2007 until he decided to get serious and come to South Padre Island. Since then he has been hooked and has now made the permanent move here to live and teach kiteboarding. 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.

Kevin Dobson is a Utah transplant and was first introduced to kiting via the snow. After several seasons of snowkiting the allure of year round kiting and warm weather brought him to South Padre Island. Kevin spent 5 years mountain bike and white water river guiding and loved sharing his knowledge and experience of the outdoors with others. Now as a certified PASA instructor he is helping future kiters find their way with the wind!

Raul Rodriguez spends his summers in Glenwood Springs, CO enjoying whitewater rafting and teaching both rafting and kayaking through Colorado Mountain College. What he looks forward to when teaching kiteboarding is the big smiles of his students, which brings him back to the days when he was a beginner. Raul uses his skills as an instructor to adapt to the student, and teaches by breaking the procedures of the sport into simple steps to show and demonstrate the skills involved in kiteboarding. Originally from Mexico City, Raul can teach in English or Spanish.

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.

South Padre Island Kiteboarding Crew