Kiteboarding in Squamish before heading home.

I quote" Kiteboarding in Squamish has earned our community the rightful  reputation as a world class kiting destination. This is due to our unique weather conditions which provide a consistent wind flow in the summer months"
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The people at the kiteboarding shop (Squamish Watersports) hired me all the gear - kiteboard, 2 kites (10 and 12m) , wetsuit, booties and helmet. It was all in good condition. The attendant assured me the wind will arrive and be of good strength.
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Squamish is positioned such that it benefits from the strong katabatic winds off the mountains (remember those high school science lessons). This site gives you more detail and here is an excerpt:

In the summer, Howe Sound typically sees outflows (called Squamish Winds because they come from over the town of Squamish, BC) over night and early in the morning, switching to an afternoon inflow. This is because overnight, the air over the Coast Mountains cools and becomes denser, falling through the mountains as a katabatic wind that gets channeled into a mountain wind that then passes out through Howe Sound. By about noon, however, the air over the BC interior will have warmed up and lost density, pulling the winds in from the coast.

The locals charge a nominal fee to use the 'spit' facilities and it is well worth it. For this they have a compressor to pump up the kite, provide a nice mat to cover the rocks and a jetski / boat rescue surface. The spit is narrow and the launch is in an offshore wind so these facilities are welcome.

The wind was strong so the custom made anchors come in handy to keep the kite in place.

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A funky wind meter confirms what I already know.
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The water is chilly, so dress appropriately. I was warm enough in the wetsuit/booties/gloves attire. The wind was strong and steady enough starting with a 12m and working my way to 10m, I was glad not to have much more otherwise another size down would have been needed. Thumbs up for kiteboarding in Squamish.

Wrap up.

***** 5 stars for this trip. *****
Canada is an adventurer's paradise. I put the hassles aside. ( preparation for such contingency was almost right)

I haven't spoken about the accommodation in any detail but it has been all good standard. I used Airbnb to source most of it and chose budget options.  The hosts were all friendly and assisted me when I asked.

I hired SUV vehicles which proved useful for that overnight stay where it was inconvenient to pitch a tent and I was glad I did so.

The Canadian. US and all other nation people be it on a business or social basis were all friendly.

No complaints about Air Canada, the flight was one long hop from Vancouver to Melbourne, a good choice in my books. I made sure I got up an walked around every couple of hours when I wasn't asleep. Customs and airport facilities on both ends were smooth and non-intimidating.
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