Two women wearing hats and black shirts stand under a canopy on a beach, speaking to seated people. The ocean is visible in the background.

ION x Shekites

Resumo: Acampamento feminino de kitesurf da ION em Tarifa com Julia Castro

A lendária loja de kite e esportes aquáticos “Wet” de Tarifa, junto com a atleta ION e kite pro Julia Castro, apresentou o Women’s Kite Camp 2025. Quinze riders cheias de energia responderam ao chamado — prontas para aprender com as melhores e levar suas habilidades no kite e wing para o próximo nível.

Tell us a little about the SheKites events you’ve done this season

This season we’ve run a series of SheKites coaching weekends like SheKites BIG AIR ACADEMY & SheKites WAVE ACADEMY and women’s kite festivals across Australia, bringing women together in some of the most beautiful and windy locations we have. Each day combined structured kiteboarding progression with community events, ocean time, and space to slow down, connect, and reset. The focus wasn’t just on riding better, but on feeling stronger, more confident, and more connected to ourselves and to each other.

Group of women wearing black wetsuits standing in a circle at the beach with kites around them

You invite special guests from outside of kiteboarding like Kasia or Dr. Magda. What insights do they bring?

Inviting women like Kasia, professional snowboarder or psychologist, Dr. Magda allows us to look beyond the sport itself. They bring powerful insights around mindset, nervous system regulation, confidence, female physiology, and mental resilience. A common theme across all outdoor sports is learning to trust your body, listen to your intuition, and understand that fear isn’t weakness, it’s information. Women across all disciplines share similar challenges, and when we address them, performance naturally follows.

Person in wetsuit holding a kitesurfing board and kite lines, standing at the beach with gentle waves under a clear sky.

The kite coaches & team behind Shekites

SheKites is supported by an incredible team of female coaches, ambassadors and mentors in each Australian state, Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia and Western Australia, who bring not only technical expertise, but empathy, patience, and lived experience. Our coaches understand what it’s like to learn, to struggle, and to grow in a male-dominated sport, they bring the best experience and what is the most important they are all local gals so they keep the community together and shared with the gals beyond the festivals and academies.

»Participants can expect a supportive, non-judgmental environment where they feel seen and heard. We focus on skill progression, safety, and confidence, but also on mindset, body awareness, and self-belief. Women leave not only riding better, but standing taller with new friendships, fresh motivation, and a deeper trust in themselves.«
— Agata

Person kiteboarding near a sandy shore, wearing a helmet and harness, with the ocean and distant dunes in the background.

What are common struggles participants face, and how do you help them overcome them?

Fear, self-doubt, and overthinking are the most common challenges. We address these through education, repetition, mindset work, and gentle exposure, never force. My advice to women in kiteboarding is to stop waiting to feel “ready.” You don’t need to be fearless to progress, you just need to be willing to try, and to surround yourself with people who believe in you.

Do you have an outstanding story or special memory from a participant?

There are so many. One that stands out is a participant who arrived barely able to ride upwind and deeply afraid of strong wind. By the end of the festival, she was confidently riding, laughing through crashes, and cheering others on. But the biggest change wasn’t her riding, it was her self-belief, you could tell she gained so much confidence in these two days that the strong wind would stop her anymore. That shift is what makes our SheKites events so meaningful.

Black and white image of a person wearing a hat, kite surfing on a wave, with droplets on the lens and bright sunspots overhead.

Why do women in kiteboarding need these safe spaces?

Because safe spaces allow growth. When women feel supported rather than judged, they take more risks, ask more questions, and progress faster. These spaces remove comparison and pressure, replacing them with encouragement and shared experience.