Hi, I am a Dutch bloke about to emigrate with my family to Darwin, NT. Do
I or do I not bring my windsurf gear over is the question.
NT seems to be croc infested and therefore not very useable as windsurf waters. What would be the nearest possible location from Darwin to windsurf?
Any suggestions / advice please.
Thanks, Hubert
Didn,t do any windsurfing up there but a lot of sailing. Most wind is about 15 kts,so big boards and sails.Sailed Cats and big keel boats up there, a few crocs in the main harbor but didn,t seem to worry anyone.Stingers are the main health problem up there so avoid sailing in the wet season. Darwin Yacht Club is a great place to relax,have a beer and watch the sun set.The nearest non croc place would be Indo or Perth,your a long way from any where 
Sailed there constantly for 2 years, really friendly crew usually all sail from nightcliff. Never had a problem, locals who had been there longer never had a problem either, you've got sharks and jellyfish to worry about just as much. If I was back up there again I would be straight in. Only time I was ever concerned is when my fin broke and it took me about 3/4 hour to drift back in, you do start thinking then.
hey hubert,they catch over 200 crocs in the croc traps in Darwin harbour each year,but that is a pretty big area and obvoiusly they dont get them all.have seen drag marks on beach where they sail at rapid creek .you should be aware that they are there.lotta people up there dont give potential croc attack much respect.
We only visit rellies up there,and it does look really inviting sometimes ,but i wouldnt sail there,but gnarloo is probably only 3 days drive away so would be good option or bali can be good and cheap from darwin
Hi Hubert. I think you will be disappointed with the sea (wind wise -- accept before and during a cyclone). Crocs are present at the beaches. I started seeing small crocs floating in the surf at Lee Point in the early 00's (they look like drift wood). The Conservation Commission used to lay heaps of traps around the city. They caught a few big ones in Rapid Creek (I used to do heaps of mangrove fishing in Rapid Creek with throw nets and hand lines when I was a kid). The biggest danger are box jellyfish. Despite popular belief, they are there all year round if the water is hot/warm (a bad dry season normally follows a bad wet season). When I lived up there, experts would regularly tell people (via news paper) they would be risking their lives if they went into the sea. A marine expert working at the museum used to perform drag netting demonstrations at local beaches in the early 90's to hit the point home. He said that an adult with a head as big as a tennis ball would give you a few minutes consciousness .. and he would be pulling heaps of these things out of the water. I left Darwin in 2003. Dunno what the status of these nasties are now.
I visit darwin a few times a year thanks to my job and parents living there.
There is a local windsurfing and kiting comunity in Darwin i have mostly seen them sailing in cullen bay area near the sailing club.
Had a talk to one of the windsurfers one day who said he just wears a stinger suit and booties year round and crocs are just as much a threat as sharks are any where.
I know next time i am due a stint in Darwin my gear will be going for the trip. The sea breezes in the dry blow at about 20 knots often a bit more, the only thing missing is flat water.
Thanks for all the replies! Two for, three against...... I will have to get the local flavour first before further decision making. The Bali idea sounds like a great alternative! Thanks again.
Hubert
