Arriving in Viana do Castelo with a suitcase, a backpack, a head full of expectations and one firm belief — that at 48 years old you don’t move to Portugal to improvise — felt like the start of something controlled.
Or so I thought.
Viana is the kind of place that slows your pace the moment you arrive. The river. The Atlantic. The steady wind. That quiet atmosphere that whispers, “Relax — everything flows here.”
And if everything flows… why not try kitesurfing?
Spoiler: because I had absolutely no idea what I was doing.
Discovering Kitesurf in Viana do Castelo
Viana do Castelo is widely recognised as one of the best wind sports destinations in Portugal. Consistent wind, flat-water areas near the river, open ocean conditions — it’s a natural playground for kitesurfers.
But knowing that and actually flying a kite are two very different things.
That’s where Modo Experto School came in.
Not as just another kitesurf school in Portugal, but as a place that speaks to you like a human being from day one. No unnecessary technical jargon. No inflated promises. Just clarity, patience and the reassuring feeling that you’re not in the way — even when you’re clearly the least experienced person in the group.
Learning with Licha: Patience Meets Latin Energy
My first sessions were with Licha, an Argentinian instructor with attitude in the best possible sense.
He had that rare combination: endless patience and the kind of Latin energy that pushes you to try one more time — even when you’re fully convinced the kite personally dislikes you.
Licha doesn’t just teach technique. He transfers motivation. The motivation to fall, get up and try again without turning every mistake into drama.
For a beginner learning kitesurf in Portugal, that mindset changes everything.
Training with Charly: When the CEO Is in the Water
After those initial sessions, I began training with Charly — the CEO of Modo Experto School.
Yes, the CEO.
And no, he wasn’t sitting in an office giving instructions from a distance. He was in the water. Explaining. Correcting. Encouraging. Celebrating every small improvement as if it were his own.
There was no ego. No hierarchy. Just a clear method, positive energy and structured progression.
With Charly, I went from knowing absolutely nothing to completing my first controlled rides.
They weren’t elegant.
They weren’t perfect.
But they were rides.
And for someone starting from zero, that was already a major victory.
More Than a Kitesurf School in Portugal
What truly sets Modo Experto School apart isn’t only technical instruction — it’s the atmosphere.
Teaching here feels like a vocation, not a transaction.
They correct you without judgement.
They challenge you without pressure.
They support you as if you’ve been part of the community from day one.
When you’re far from your home country, that sense of belonging carries more weight than you might expect.
The Beginning of Something Bigger
This was only the first chapter.
The arrival.
The nerves.
The first crashes.
The first successful rides.
What came afterwards — that deserves a second story.
And in a place like Viana do Castelo, with wind that rarely disappoints and instructors who genuinely care, you begin to understand something simple:
It’s never too late to start something new.
Written by Alex Bayona
