Kiteboarding Through the Years at Mallacoota
Mallacoota isn’t always on the kiting radar — but when the easterlies blow, it lights up. With the lake, inlet, and beaches offering a mix of conditions, it becomes a dynamic playground for kiteboarders.
2015: Riding Caprian’s Lake on a 12m
Here’s a flashback to 2015 — me (Colin), flying a 12m kite and carving across the shallows near Captain, Stevenson’s Point. Clean winds, clear skies, and calm water made for buttery smooth conditions. These are the kinds of Mallacoota days that stay with you.
January 11, 2020: Gavin Ripping It on a 10m Green Kite
Fast forward to a very different kind of day — January 11, 2020 — just days after the devastating bushfires swept through. The air was thick with smoke, the landscape still scarred, but the wind showed up strong.
Gavin took to the water with a green 10m kite, making the most of an eerie, gusty afternoon in the lake. The session captured a strange mix of adrenaline and aftershock — riding in the aftermath of fire, against a hazy, surreal backdrop.
Here’s a 9-shot sequence from that day:
Video from 11 Jam 2020
14th January 2020: A Shift in Wind and Mood
Just a few days later, on the 14th, the wind swung around. Still smoky, still intense — but with a different energy. Kiteboarding in Mallacoota that week wasn’t just about catching wind. It was about reclaiming a sense of normal, a moment of joy on the water.
This time, Gavin was out again — but the conditions were tougher. The smoke was thick enough to wear a mask, not for COVID, but simply to breathe through the haze. In one image, the small glowing dot in the sky might look like the moon — but it’s actually the Sun, struggling to punch through the bushfire smoke.
Flying a 12m kite, Gavin powered across the lake under the strange amber light. But eventually, the wind eased off completely, leaving him to walk the long way back along the shoreline — a slow return that mirrored the community’s own journey through recovery.
These images capture a surreal session: resilience, improvisation, and the undeniable pull of the wind, even when it disappears.