Bodrum - Muğla - Turkey

On Bitez Beach, near Bodrum, Turkey. Rush Windsurfing is a long established school and board hire that suits both beginners and experts.

If you're looking for a high wind blasting location with warm waters, mild chop and hot sunny days, then Bitez is ideal for you.
If you want to learn windsurfing in a safe, sheltered bay with gentle winds then Bitez is ideal for you too!

This is possible because here we have gentle breezes for the learners in the mornings, followed by wild winds for the experts in the afternoons. Non and apres-surfers will find plenty to do. This is no barren wasteland. Bitez is a relatively quiet holiday beach with the wild nightlife of Bodrum and Gümbet only a few minutes away.

Bitez recently became a self governing local council (Belediye) and the new council swiftly brought in a wide range of positive improvements to the area. If you've been here before you'll be amazed at the changes. Larger scale works include the recently constructed Bodrum International Airport and it's access via a new dual carriageway road from Bodrum and Bitez.

Here's a panoramic tour of the beach. Sit back and enjoy the tour or take control yourself by pressing the buttons or clicking within the picture. You can also click the tower of the mosque to switch between evening and daytime scenes.  
The weather.
The season runs from late May to Early November with the strongest winds being in June through September. Look here for the latest Bitez Bay wind statistics. Temperatures are hot all times, except during the night during the first few weeks at the beginning and end of the season. The sea is warm throughout. Surfers tend to sail in shorts or shorty suits. Forget that steamer or long john. Here's the most recent weather.

The boards
Take your pick from a wide selection of Mistral, Fanatic and F2.
All the sizes you'd expect from 263 to 325 for the short board sailors, and long boards from 330 all the way up for beginners and course racers.

The man
Running the school for over 10 years now, is Rush himself. That's also him up at the top of the page getting a little air out in the bay.
He's a qualified RYA (Royal Yachting Association) instructor with an excellent command of English and an incredibly patient instructing technique.
There's also an uncanny resemblance to a certain Robby if the light is just right.
That's his rescue boat in the background, so you won't have to fear being left to swim home.
In the winter he's a ski patroller in Bolu, one of Turkeys many ski resorts.

The sails
Nearly all are by Naish - Hawaii. Even the beginners ones! You'll probably only ever need two sizes because the winds here are so regular and free from gusts. A 5.5 and a 6.5 should do for most days, with maybe a 5.0 for the occasionally wild ones.
There are trainer sails for those who need them. You can also bring your favourite sail and Rush will find a mast and boom for you.

Accommodation High season is August and things get busy then. Otherwise you can find everything from 5 star hotels (with 5 star prices) down to camp sites, all on the beach. Rush can always help you find something. Or Norman Rouxel - the author of this page. I have two adjacent houses in Bitez. One sleeps 6 and the other suits a couple.

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