Outstanding instruction. Just spent six hours, three hours in the morning and three hours in the afternoon with Donny Parker. His sister Sandy Parker was also there. Outstanding pragmatic approach to teaching style, with great capacity to articulate instruction that is immediately applicable out on the water. They were very attentive to safety measures, and given the significant risky nature of the sport, that is much appreciated. I was so glad to take my training to the next level, and look forward to further instruction next Spring, and perhaps, lifelong collegial friendships with these outstanding instructors. Couldn't be happier read more

Great teachers, kind, patient and very experienced. My daughter and I started staying up consistently after 3 lessons for her and four for me. Lots of fun and safe, with boat and radio support. read more

SANDY IS A TOP NOTCH INSTRUCTOR!!! HIGHLY RECOMMEND FOR YOUR PRECIOUS DAUGHTERS (OR SONS) My daughters are 12 and 15, their friend who is 13 came out to Sherman Island for 2 days of private group lessons with Sandy for their first experience and attempt at kiting. She was super amazing and the girls absolutely loved working with her. They felt empowered enough to go to Maui and continue private one on one lessons at KSM with Josh and crew (see my review for them here on Yelp!) Sandy has tons of experience and is gifted at working with young girls. She was spot on recommending that KSM Maui was the right choice for us. My girls are excited to continue lessons and will have one on one privates with Sandy when we return to Sherman next week. If you want to learn this challenging sport, Kitopia is top notch and you won't find better instructors in Northern CA. read more

One of the best kite instructors in NorCal! I took a kiteboarding lesson with Sandy awhile back since I was having trouble getting up/staying up and riding upwind. From start to finish, my lesson with Sandy exceeded my expectations. The day of my lesson, Sandy was on-time and was ready to head out with me when I arrived. We took a boat upwind a few miles and Sandy asked me questions to assess where I was in the learning process and asked what I was hoping to improve upon. When we reached the upwind Island, Sandy confirmed safety protocol with me and verified some of my basic skills before we got into the water. Once on the water, Sandy could talk to me via a headphone in my helmet. This was one of the best parts of my lesson. Sandy talked me through the process of dipping the kite and edging against the kite, and gave me real-time feedback so I could make adjustments on the fly. After she made sure I could competently body drag back to my board a few times, she used the boat to get my board and drop it off in front of me. Not only did this save my energy for riding, it helped maximize my lesson on expanding new skills. Toward the end of my lesson, I was really exhausted from spending a couple hours on the water and signaled I was ready to get back in the boat. Sandy gave me a quick pep-talk and encouraged me to make my last run count. I finished the day exhausted, but greatly improved my board skills. I learned more in 2-3 hours with Sandy, than 3 days riding on my own in Alameda. I recommend Sandy and Kitopia to anyone looking to take their kiteboarding skills to the next level! read more

If you are looking for the best kiteboarding instruction from S.F. to Reno, look no further. It took 2 other kiteboarding schools and 3 other instructors for me to realize that I should have come here first. Let's cut to the chase. For starters, Donny and Sandy have been passionately involved with this sport since the very beginning. Considering a lesson somewhere else with some young hotshot "instructor" who has been shredding for 5 years? Forget it. A good athlete does not equal a good teacher, and the Parkers have been around long enough to know the difference. I spent an afternoon on the water with Donny to work on water starts, kite control, and simply staying upwind. Up until that point I had really been struggling to piece together everything past instructors had been (or simply hadn't been) telling me. Getting up and riding was inconsistent, and I wasn't really sure what my next steps should be. By the end of the lesson, my weak side felt way better, I was going upwind in both directions, and I was confident that my small repertoire of basic kiteboarding skills had expanded exponentially. I had learned more tips, tricks, and ways to stay safe (both in the water and on land) in one afternoon with Donny than I had learned in just about all my previous lessons combined. I believe that at the heart of Donny and Sandy's success as kiteboarding instructors is their understanding that we all learn in different ways. The fact that they really care about their students' progress is clear inasmuch as they actually take the time to figure out which teaching methods will work best for the student, and then they build an individualized teaching strategy around that. It also doesn't hurt that they are both genuinely warm and friendly people who know the value of enthusiasm, encouragement, and a healthy dose of humor. Now matter how thorough you try to be researching and getting started in a new sport, reading online reviews and looking at kiteboarding school websites can still leave you wondering where to invest your time and money. I may have got it wrong in the past, but this time I could not be more happy with my choice. read more

I decided to learn how to kiteboard this year and started taking lessons from Donny and Sandy. They are great instructors that have a deep knowledge of the sport and work to insure that their students learn all aspects of the sport to safely and confidently get out on the water. To date I have taken 5 lessons and am looking forward to several more as I continue on my kiteboarding journey. If you want to learn the sport I highly recommend Kitopia!! read more

Donny and Sandy Parker of Kitopia are the best kiteboarding instructors in the San Francisco Bay area. Kiteboarding is great, but learning can be frustrating. The Parkers have developed their methods to make learning as safe and incident free as possible. I'm learning to kiteboard at age 50 and I'm glad I got started with the Parkers. In addition to the instruction, I got in more hours of board riding in my first season than I would have by any other method. read more

I have been kiteboarding for about a year now and wanted to learn some intermediate skills. A friend suggested I take a lesson from Sandy Parker. She is an AMAZING instructor with effective teaching methods. The helmet radios were extremely helpful when she was giving feedback. I was able to learn to transition in both directions, jump and land, ride toe side, and ride a surfboard strapless in a two hour lesson!! We also went over some of the basics which I really appreciated the review and learned some new stuff too!!! I highly recommend Kitopia if you want to learn to kiteboard or advance your skills!!! read more

I had a lesson with Sandy and it couldn't have been more perfect. I was having EXTREME difficulty with riding on my left side and needed a lot of work on my right side. She was super friendly, patient (I fell, A LOT) and used a radio in the helmet. The benefit to having a radio in the helmet? They correct as you are riding and it is so dang AWESOME. Not only did I improve my right side a little bit more (I rode with ONE HAND FOLKS!!), I also rode for more than one second on my left side... She got a 50 sec video of me on my left. Yeah, they take video of you too. So I got to laugh at myself after I was done and settled at home. I'm looking forward to my second lesson with Sandy in a week!! You'd be crazy to go anywhere else folks! As for Donny, my fiance had a few lessons with him and he is riding so well. I can't wait to get to his level but I know with Sandy on my side, it won't be long! :) read more

Sandy and Donny are absolutely the best! I took 5 lessons with them this season and am now loving kiting and ready to venture out solo. I live in Marin and felt it was absolutely worth the drive out to Sherman Island because of Sandy & Donny, the warmth, and the conditions. If you are reading this, take the plunge text them and book the lesson! read more

I have been working with both Donny and Sandy since last year, and recommend them both highly. They are far and away the best instructors in the bay area (and I'd say better than those in Ventana also). They provide boat support and two-way radio communication which both help move you along dramatically. They are focused on moving you along toward independence (with a dedicated eye toward safety) from the beginning. For example, you will lay out your own lines and pump up your kite from the onset. They are both able to break movement down into very simple instruction, e.g. lift your left toes to ride the edge, etc. It is a great learning environment and situation! read more

If you really want to learn the sport the right way kitopia kitebording school is your place, sandy is a excellent instructor, she knows her stuff, I had a class in Mexico and it was nothing like the one I had with kitopia school, they teach you every single step the right way and the most important the safe way, I will for sure go back and take more classes so I can get better. Thank you. read more

I have nothing but amazing things to say about Kitopia. I've been taking lessons from Sandy and she is a great teacher and ambassador for the sport. She and Donny really put an emphasis on safety and self sufficiency -- giving you the skill set to be independent as soon as possible. They have a great setup with a motorboat to follow behind and a radio headset attached to your helmet that makes it easy to communicate and get advice while you're riding. Sandy always knew what advice to give to push me to the next level and when to introduce a new skill set. She and Donny have been kiting since the early years of the sport and I saw them give lessons to everyone from newbies like me to experienced kiters learning to foil or do tricks. I live in SF so I was initially hesitant about the drive to Sherman Island. It is totally worth it. I have friends who've taken lessons from other kiting schools and haven't had nearly the great experience I did. Plus Sherman Island is an awesome place to learn. Highly recommend Kitopia! read more

Took a 4-hour lesson from Donny and we laughed our asses off the whole time! It was my first real kiting lesson in the water. We spent about 2 hours on land and 2 hours in the water. Donny is a real pro and the method of using a 2-way radio headset while he is in a boat, makes for an optimum learning experience. You are in great hands if you go with Donny. He's a very seasoned instructor and a lot of fun to learn with! read more

Best school in the SF Bay area hands down! Both Sandy and Donny are experienced and accomplished kiteboarders who are adept at teaching and demonstrating basic concept through to advanced tricks. Jet ski assisted lessons in optimal bay area conditions....Guaranteed you'll finish feeling confident. It may seem far to get here if you're coming from SF, but don't compromise quality instruction with convenience. Other schools turn out insecure students who can be a danger to themselves and others because the instructors themselves are barely intermediate kiteboarders themselves. read more

The previous reviewer's excellent review sums up my own experience almost exactly. Having had lessons in Hawaii and Turks and Caicos as well, I honestly believe Donny and Sandy are among the top instructors anywhere in the world. I'm 57, not particularly coordinated or bold, and very cautious, and they've got me doing toe-side turns on my twin-tip and surfboard, strapless, jumping on my twin-tip, jumping strapless on my surfboard, and much, much more. They've also taught me to be a safe kiter, and taught me how to self-rescue and self-land. Kiting has it's risks, and both Donny and Sandy make the sport as safe as it can be. If you're lucky enough to get on their calendar, you'll be on your way to becoming a competent, and safe, kiter. read more