Clumsy Poppy could not have had a more fun time! Highly recommend John. He is an amazing teacher, has a ridiculous boat and fabulous gear.

Shout out and kudos to John. I had a kitetastrophy, my chicken loop and then leash line blew out. Flagged him down and he expertly helped me grab my kite/gear and get back to shore. He showed great calm and expertise in getting my gear back and on shore without even a tangle in my lines! Gold star for John today, thanks a bunch! read more

Great Instructor and got me hooked on foiling!! High recommend John!

I took my first kiteboarding lesson yesterday. It was off the hook! John is a fantastic teacher. Super patient and great on teaching specifics about technique with the board as well as flying the kite. His lessons are definitely a great way to learn if you've never done the sport before. Unfortunately, we ended up losing the board at the very end of the session. To prove his radness, he was as calm and patient as can be. He whipped out his binocs and combed the seas. Sorry for losing your board dude! It was a rad day none the less. Thanks again! I'm stoked to take my next lesson!! read more

I took two lessons with John at Kite The Bay and had an awesome experience! He has all the best equipment to help you learn. The boat is great for working on kite flying skills and launching into the water. Having a helmet with built in headphones means John is able to give you constant instruction. I plan on taking additional lessons with Kite The Bay in the future and you should to. read more

John took me up to the Golden Gate Bridge and worked with me on the way back down wind. John is very knowledgable and has been doing this for years. The bay can be tricky, and I was super glad I didn't give it a go on my own! read more

I had the intro to kitesurfing lesson with Captain John and it was awesome! I really got a feel for what kitesurfing would be like. About half the lesson was riding a kiteboard in the water next to the boat, simulating what it would be like with a kite, and about half the lesson was learning to control the kite from the boat. I thought it would be very cold, but it was fine, and he had a great wetsuit parka thing to put on after you get out of the water. Very helpful guy and a very cool teaching style. As soon as I am able to, I really want to take more lessons with him, and eventually purchase my own gear! I found my next hobby!! He was also very informative about where to go to kitesurf in the Bay Area. All in all, a great experience!! I totally recommend to anyone who wants to check it out. read more

My son broke his mast while windsurfing on the Bay! Gladly John (the owner of the Kite the Bay) was nearby. Although he was busy, he came to my son's rescue, and called me on his cell to let me know where to pick him up. He even provided me with a map. What was most amazing to me was that he called me after a while to make sure that I was able to find my son, and when he found out that I hadn't found him yet to drove to me and took me to him! He truly saved my son and the day! What was most impressive was that he didn't have to do any of this! Thanks again John! read more

I am the poor soul (see the review below me for context) who snapped a mast right off of Treasure Island two days ago, and I 100% would have had to swim back to the Berkeley Marina if it weren't for John. Luckily, a friend was with me and was able to flag down John and (presumably) a student of his--and together, they rescued me and took me into Treasure Island. I don't really need to tell the story again, considering the presence of my mom's version of it in the review below. I've been windsurfing on the Bay for over ten years, and I could tell right away that I was in good (if not the best possible for that circumstance) hands. I also taught windsurfing for over seven years, and, simply based on my ten minute boat ride with John, can tell how excellent an instructor he is--completely level headed, knowledgeable, and (most importantly), clearly prioritizes maintaining and building community with his fellow water sports(wo)men. That's what it's all about. If I ever choose to pursue kitesurfing (insert windsurfing vs. kitesurfing joke here), John will undoubtedly be the guy to teach me. Cheers to a great guy! read more

This was my first lesson and because of John's progressive lesson, I was up and riding by the end of the lesson. First John gets you comfortable riding the board by attaching your harness to a rope on a boom that's on the side of the boat. By controlling the boat speed he is able to simulate what it feels like to ride the board with various wind speeds and conditions. He was also able to simulate what it's like to put on the board while in the water with the kite in the air. Next John attached the kite to the back of his boat and I got to practice flying the kite. The whole time John was providing instruction on how to control the kite based on the various stages of riding. This includes powering the kite to get out of the water; holding the kite steady while riding, and raising the kite out of the water after you lose control and the kite falls into the water. Next you get into the water hooked to the kite and do a body drag. This is where you get to practice the kite-flying and board-riding skills you just learned, while the kite pulls you through the water on your stomach. This was a lot of fun. John guided me from radio in his boat that transmitted to the headphones in my helmet. I found this super helpful. Next it's time to put it all together. First you get into the water while the kite is floating in the water. I then put on my board. Next I raised the kite out of the water. These were all things we had just practiced during the progressive stages of the lesson. The whole time John is talking to me through the helmet. It took me about 20 minutes before I was actually up and riding. I would get up and then sink back down because I wasn't pointing the board in the direction I wanted to go. I was keeping the board square in front of me and not pointing the tip of the board fast enough in the direction I wanted to go. After John telling me about 100 times to be quicker about pointing the tip of the board in the direction I wanted to go, I finally did it and found myself riding with the wind. It was so much fun! At 61 years old, this lesson was exactly what I was hoping for. I'm so glad the lesson was 3 hours because that's the amount of time it took to get through everything, and there was no down time. John kept everything going at a comfortable pace. I can't recommend John's lesson enough. I'm looking forward to another lesson with John to improve the skills he already taught me. read more

John is an amazing teacher who makes learning fun and understandable. He breaks down difficult things into easy steps, and prioritizes ability and mastery! He is awesome!! read more

I just did a lesson with Kite the Bay and could not be more impressed. 5 star, first class all the way. I've done lessons with three other schools in the bay area, and Kite The Bay was by far the best I've had. Captain John's methodology of isolating each skill individually, and then putting it all together works. You get to just focus on board skills off the kite pole, without the kite dragging you around. This was HUGE for me as I was up and riding already, but having real trouble with control on my board. You then just focus on kite flying without being dragged in the the water or on land as its attached to the boat. The radio helmet was fantastic. On the water, its been very hard to get feedback at other schools. But, John can see my mistakes and radio feedback as I'm riding (i.e. move your hands closer together on the bar) After working on body dragging, boarding in BOTH directions, and kite control, we put it all together for two hours of successful kiteboarding in the bay. I would HIGHLY recommend KTB to anyone looking to get started in kiting or improve their skills. Also, being out on treasure island with a boat means you can get to the best wind conditions in the bay. I spent weeks at Alameda last season waiting for enough wind to do a water lesson. With KTB, I booked my lesson the day before, and the wind forecast for the bay was not looking good, but treasure island ended being the only place in the bay with enough wind to kite. read more

Had two lessons with Captain John over the weekend and had an absolute blast! John is a great communicator and let me set the pace I wanted to learn at. I borrowed all his gear which was top notch and enjoyed not having to worry about making it back to land at the place I started since the boat was always in sight. I would highly recommend a voyage with KTB. read more

I have some history with John and have been on his boat numerous times, even went as far as Pt Reyes from San Francisco. Not many people in this world I trust enough to hop on a 20 ft jet boat and do that with, but John's one of them. Extraordinarily experienced teaching kiteboarding in all kinds of conditions. When you learn to kiteboard you really want to choose a company you feel confident with, KiteTheBay should be a top pick. read more

Had an outstanding experience learning to kiteboard with John - would recommend to anyone who's interested in getting started with the sport and especially to individuals like myself looking for a refresher session. I booked two private weekend slots with John.. he was super accommodating of my level of experience (intermediate but a bit rusty, looking to be able to kiteboard independently by the end of the weekend). John made sure to hit all my special requests - e.g. rigging, self-rescue, and dry run on a beach. Having the boat rather than a jet ski is a huge advantage as well. John's teaching style is to go over the basics and then to get people in the water as soon as possible, which is great for new students. Would highly recommend! read more

Had the session of my life with John on Monday. We met at St. Francis Yacht club and headed straight into the bay. After 20 mins hugely overpowered on an 11 (boosting over Alcatraz!), we downsized to a 9. Spent the next three hours dancing around porpoises and sea lions, flying under the GG bridge, and trying to keep up with the America's Cup team boats (yes -- they're THAT fast). John kept an eye on me (my first time in the bay), so it was pure fun without any of the worry about currents, tides, boat traffic, etc. HIGHLY RECOMMEND KITE THE BAY. read more