What you can see on the Cabarete cams
Two cameras look at the bay from the sand. One looks from under the pergola of a kitesurfing school, past its flags, to the waves breaking along the bay and the palm-lined shore in the distance. The other looks from the terrace of a small beachfront hotel, under the thatch of its roof, across tables set on the sand to the palms and the beach, with the line of breaking waves and the open Atlantic beyond. Through the day they show how the wind picks up, how high the surf is and how busy the beach gets; Windy also replays the last 24 hours as a time-lapse.
Cabarete Bay from the kite school
From under the wooden pergola of a kitesurfing school right on the sand, this wide-angle camera looks past a pair of beach loungers and the school's flags to the waves breaking along Cabarete Bay, with the curve of the beach and its palms and hotels in the distance.
The flags and the white water show at a glance how hard the trade wind is blowing and how big the waves are; on windy afternoons the kites fill the sky over the bay.
Tables, palms and surf in Cabarete
From the terrace of a small hotel right on the beach, under the edge of its thatched roof, this camera looks across tables and chairs set out on the sand to a line of coconut palms, umbrellas and the beach, with the white line of the waves breaking over the reef and the Atlantic behind.
It is the cam to check the wind and the sea before heading out: the flags, the palms and the surf show how much the trade wind is blowing, and in the afternoon the kites appear over the bay.
Wind, kites and waves
Cabarete owes its fame to the wind. The trade wind is funnelled along the coast and strengthens through the day, so mornings are often calm and the afternoons fill with kites and sails out over the reef. Kite Beach, at the west end of town, is the kitesurfers' beach; Playa Encuentro, a few kilometres further west, has the surf breaks; and the bay in front of the town is sheltered by a reef that breaks the bigger waves.
When to watch Cabarete
The Dominican Republic keeps Atlantic Standard Time all year, four hours behind UTC. The wind is strongest and most reliable from about June to August, with a second, lighter season from December to March; the hurricane season runs from June to November, and winter swells from the north bring the biggest waves.
Nearby
Sosúa, about 12 km (7 miles) to the west, has a sheltered bay popular for swimming and snorkelling, and Puerto Plata, with its old town and the cable car up Mount Isabel de Torres, is about half an hour away. Inland, the Damajagua waterfalls are a popular day trip.
Getting there
Gregorio Luperón International Airport, near Puerto Plata, is about half an hour away by road. Cars drive on the right. The town is spread along the main coast road, and the beach is open to everyone, with the bars and hotels right on the sand.
