I was there in 2012 with Zephyr after winning a comp on Seabreeze so some things may have changed since back then, but here are some of my thoughts. It's still the best kiting trip I've ever been on.
- Dining options are reasonably limited (there were only 2 when I was there, think there are more now) as are the hours some places are open. Best to plan ahead when and where you are going to be eating. The ladies at the info center there were handy for advice on this.
- The local shop is only open at certain times/days and is quite $$ , so I found it handy to bring as much allowed food with you as you can fit in for things like snacks, breakfasts etc. Also handy to have some stuff for a dinner too in case you misjudge timings.
- Take reef shoes. One of the guys on my tour sliced his foot on the second day and had to sit out almost the rest of the 10 day tour.
- Take plenty of sunblock. Sun isn't as harsh as back in Oz, but if out on the water a lot you will go through it quicker than expected.
- The Cocos Club is the spot to go for a few drinks to wind down the day with some locals and probably any other visitors on the island at the time. Great prices too and they also operated as a liquor shop when you may want to take a box of beers or something back to your accommodation.
- Crabs were everywhere. Early morning (or on a late walk home from the club) you might find a bunch of them on the roads but they'll skittle out of your way when they see you coming. Little red hermit crabs also seem to live in pretty much every shell on the beach.
- The islands not large but you might need some way of getting around. It's probably about 4 or 5km from your accommodation to where there best spot is for kiting the lagoon (
www.google.com/maps/place/Air+Force+Rd,+West+Island+6799,+Cocos+(Keeling)+Islands/@-12.1959185,96.8606591,906m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m5!3m4!1s0x2f0ec5c4182700cf:0x24978c06c5a74264!8m2!3d-12.2046914!4d96.8435472) With Zephyr they had 4wds or bikes to use to get you there or back. I think there may have been rental options on the island but not sure.
- It's really safe. We never bothered locking anything up (car or house) while we were there.
- The lagoon (from the area above) is also only best for kiting at certain times each day. At high tide there can be no beach left to launch/land from and water will be over part of the track there. When it gets closer to low tide it can get a bit shallow in places with some of the coral ready to take out your board. But there is a sweet spot in the middle there.
- Wind can be variable there but I was lucky and kited every day from the afternoon I hopped off the plane to the morning of the day I left. If it was light in the morning it usually filled in as the day went on.
- If you've looked at any of the stuff on youtube or the visitors site you will have seen plenty of things for non wind days (or even on windy ones if you just need a rest day from too many days kiting). Snorkelling "the rip" should be a must do thing there but will need to be arranged a day or so in advance. Playing golf across the runway on Thursday is a crazy experience even if you've never played before. Or else go on a tour over to Home island for a great Malay experience.
Hope you have a great time.
