Dan Young

Instructor was tough on learning how to body drag and self rescue on day 1 and 2. My simulated self rescue went smooth and was a success in building my confidence and know how. This was driven home at the end of day 2 when I inverted some lines and could not re launch in the water and drifted a considerable ways. I punched out and depowered with only my safety line connected and started heading for the beach. To my surprise on my way in I fond a swimmer that looked to be in distress ! A more experienced knitter had gotten tangled up and found himself in close proximity to a vessel and had to cut away his lines. He was exhausted and trying to make shore so I offered him a tow in by holding onto my harness. My instructor was surprised to hear me talking to another person as we were communicating via the headsets and I was quite a ways out. After picking up the swimmer and adjusting my sail I made it safely to shore in only a few minutes. As much as I wanted to just get out there and ride I am grateful for Instructor Dan's persistence and determination to teach me what I needed to learn to be an independent rider. I am confident and more aware and It may have just saved this swimmers life !! I did get some nice short rides in a few days later but the highlight may have being capable of helping someone else.

Dan did an excellent job highlighting the necessary basics which include kite control both on land and in the water, body dragging, self-rescues, and more. I'd highly recommend his services to anyone interested in the world of kiteboarding.

I met up with Dan several times at Rasta Beach near La Ventana for lessons. On the first day there was not much wind and no one was out except the foil riders. I had a great lesson that lasted almost 4 hours even though I paid for 3. He covered a lot of stuff but not so fast that I didn't get to practice over and over. At the end of each skill I felt like I knew what I was doing and didn't feel rushed and even though no one was kiting, the kite we had still pulled me around with lots of power. One thing he did that I thought was fun was that he went out in the water with me and we both practiced self rescues. That made me more comfortable with the whole experience. The next day it was very windy and I flew a smaller kite on short lines. We started the day going over the skills from before then moved on to the water lessons and longer lines - what a difference. By the end of the day (a 5 hour course that lasted 6) I was getting up on the board riding down wind. By the end of my trip I was riding and almost holding my place on the water so I didn't have to do the walk of shame as far, Definitely a thumbs up for instruction. .

Met up with Dan for several lessons over the long weekend - He was pretty helpful in putting together the ideas I had about flying the kite and matching them with getting up and riding on the board. He ran me through the basics of site selection, setup and safety, and then several refresher self rescues. Once he was happy with the progress and I was comfortable with everything he had me practice body dragging and more kite control. The next lesson was mostly about getting in and out of the water with the kite, getting the kite to power me around and working with the board. By the end of the day I was just getting up on the board. It was fun, I learned a lot and am more excited about kiteboarding than when I first started.

I took lessons from Dan in both Oregon and Alaska after looking for snowkiting lessons. While the locations and conditions were polar opposites the instruction and the gear were consistent making the lessons easier on me. He did a good job checking the skills I already had and progressively worked them into the ones I didn't putting it all together in a way that made it fun and kept me energized. After each lesson he would let me pack up the gear and quiz me on different things we went over during the day which was kind of cool. The only issue I had was that the harnesses didn't always fit right taking several adjustments to fix it. Lastly he was fair giving me opinions on different gear and kite companies even offering to teach with my own gear if it had all the safety stuff. Over all the whole experience was great and I'd recommend him and his new school to others wanting to get in to kiting sports.

I met up with my instructor Dan at the Downwinder Inn in La Ventana Mexico last in February (he is also the owner of freeridekiting.com) - right from the beginning I knew the lesson would be fun from his attitude and obvious passion about the sport. I was worried I would have to reschedule because there didn't appear to be any wind and I didn't have much of a window. Dan took me to the roof of the Inn and pointed out the approaching wind line from the north and said it would be here in an hour. We talked about expectations, did some paperwork fitted gear and headed to the beach. Sure as he said the wind was there and getting stronger. We spent half the day going over the basics of setup, checking out the area, control, launching and landing, signals a lot of self rescue practice and flying the kite. Everything thing we did was explained, demonstrated then practiced until I was comfortable to move on. That was cool and I wasn't as intimidated as I thought I'd be. By the end of the day I was getting in and out of the water with the kite and getting proficient on body dragging. I wish I had more time to keep on going but I had to get back to the family in Cabo. Big thumbs up! Thanks.

I recently vacationed in LA Ventana Mexico and signed up for a beginners intro kite boarding class. My instructor, Dan initially ran through some safety checks, did a quick body drag test and I was on the board in no time. I was a little concerned about some nearby rain and beach gusts, Dan did a great job of keeping me safe and confident in the water. He explained why the nearby clouds were not an issue, why there were some unexpected gusts, and how to make adjustments so that I had more control of my kite. Dan would have me get in the water and practice getting on my board. Then back onto the beach for more Kiting  fundamentals and tips, then back out to the water to try out what I've just learned. It was a great way to practice what you learn and get instant feedback. Communication, knowledge, experience and most of all patience are very important to me when trying to learn any new skill. Dan went above and beyond to make sure I had a fun and safe learning experience! The next time I'm in LA Ventana Mexico I am definitely requesting Dan for more Kiting lessons! Thank you!

Greatly appreciate his methodical and stepwise instruction, focusing especially on kiting safely. ALso appreciate the flexibility to advance and adjust depending on speed of learning.

I've had a few good kiting teachers, but only one exceptional ones - Dan is incredibly knowledgable, patient and makes everything I'd found hard seem a lot easier.