Editor’s note: To avoid confusion, this is NOT a ranked list of the top 5 kiteboarding destinations in the world, but rather a list of top destinations we think you should experience. There are of course many other great spots; however it is virtually impossible to create a ranked list of the top 5 kite spots, because everyone will have varying opinions on what makes a spot great. It is also virtually impossible for one rider to have kited at every single kite spot around the world. If you know of a spot that should be on this list, tell us about it in the comments below, and we’ll include it in our reader’s choice post in the near future.

1. Cape Hatteras, North Carolina

While North Carolina is neither the most exotic nor warmest place in the world year-round, it’s hard to beat this location in the summer months, especially if you live in the United States. And for those who live on the East Coast, Cape Hatteras is just an easy drive or quick flight away to find yourself on its beautiful beaches dotted with blowing coastal grasses! Kitesurfers love it for its generous open space and perfectly consistent summer winds, as well as the fact that they have access to both the shallower sound side and wide open ocean side with plenty of rolling waves. Plus all travelers alike can appreciate the area’s quaint charm, fresh seafood and serene surroundings.

2. La Ventana, Baja California

On the other side of the country and across the border to Mexico you’ll find La Ventana in Baja California. Kiteboarders flock to this breathtaking coastal town for its beauty as well as its pristine kiteboarding conditions, thanks to its steady winter winds and large L-shaped beach. The conditions are perfect for both beginners as well as more advanced kitesurfers looking to practice their skills. Known to locals as the Sea of Cortez, UNESCO declared the sparkling waters a World Heritage Site for its abundance of sea life and natural beauty. Warm, sunny days will lend the perfect backdrop for kitesurfing here, plus you can look forward to awesome Cali-Mex cuisine when you need a break from the water.

3. Maui, Hawaii

There’s no doubt about it–Maui, Hawaii is truly a tropical paradise, but it’s also one of the most incredible kitesurfing spots in the world. Maui has steady trade winds year-round, but you’ll find that the strongest winds are in the spring and summer; and for those who are seeking out monstrous waves, winter is definitely the time to go. Maui offers a lot of space to kitesurf, as surfers, snorkelers and those simply looking to spend the day lounging often flock to different beaches that are better-suited to their needs. The island is warm throughout the year and it’s perfect for both beginners and those with a more advanced skill-set. Plus when you’re not concentrating on the surf, you can enjoy the lush greenery, tropical flowers, incredible sunsets and laidback Maui vibe.

As testament to the quality of kitesurfing on Maui, particularly for wave riding, MAUI was chosen as one of the stops on the KSP World Pro tour two years in a row. Here’s what went down at the Kite Surf Pro Hawaii, along with great images and videos.

4. Boracay, Philippines

Located in Southeast Asia, Boracay is known for its stunning white sandy beaches, and it has become one of the most popular travel destinations amongst tourists. And as an added bonus, it offers some of the best kitesurfing in Southeast Asia! On one side there are a ton of beach-front luxury accommodations perfect for lounging, while the other windier side is ideal for kitesurfing and windsurfing. The windy season is during the dry, winter months, making Boracay perfect for kitesurfers who are looking to escape the bitter chill of winter. In addition to the kitesurfing, Boracay boasts tropical scenery, friendly natives and great nightlife making it the perfect spot for both families and kiteboarders alike.

5. Nabq, Egypt

Situated on the southeastern coast of the Sinai Peninsula in between Dahab and Sharm-el-Sheikh, Nabq, Egypt is by far one of the most exotic kitesurfing locations in the world. The Gulf of Aqaba provides the area with smooth and steady winds while the desert-like beach town provides a beautiful backdrop. The Red Sea is crystal clear and relatively smooth depending where you go, while the weather is great year-round. You won’t have to travel far to find glamorous chic resorts or basic backpacker accommodations, allowing you to lodge wherever you (and your budget) are most comfortable.

Like traveling, kitesurfing is all about adventure, and in addition to these spots, there are so many more to see. Start planning your travels and see where the wind takes you!

Editor’s note: We think Cape Town, South Africa should also be mentioned as one of the top kitesurfing destinations everyone should experience, although we might be a bit biased…

What’s your favorite kitesurfing spot and why do you love it? Let us know in the comments below…

Update: We’ve had a lot of suggestions for top kiteboarding destinations from our readers via our social channels, so we’re planning on doing a follow up article that includes all the suggestions from you guys. So please post a comment below of your favourite spot and what you like about it, and we’ll include it our future post.

Image 1 (Maui, Hawaii) by Richard Hallman courtesy of the KSP World Pro Tour
Image 2 (La Ventana, Baja California) by Raúl Amador Geraldo
Image 3 (Maui, Hawaii) courtesy of the KSP World Pro Tour
Image 5 (Nabq, Egypt) courtesy of High Tech Kite Travel

About the author: Susan is a blogger for InStyleSwimwear.com, an online swimwear retailer based out of Philadelphia. To read more of Susan’s articles or to catch up on the latest news, styles and trends in the swimwear industry, check out their swimwear blog today.

5 Top Kitesurfing Destinations You Must Experience was published by inMotion Kitesurfing.

The inaugural wave riding event at One Eye, Mauritius in 2011 simply blew our minds, and had us and many of our readers glued to our computer screens watching the live broadcasts! We could barely contain ourselves as we reported the results to our readers at the end of each day. Stunning images and videos of the world’s best kitesurfers riding massive clean waves… mostly strapless… made building our unique all-in-one competition reports a truly enjoyable task.  

And it didn’t end there… Over the past two years we’ve seen thrilling KSP action in Hawaii, Mauritius, Ireland, Portugal, Cape Verde, Peru and more…

So it goes without saying, and I’m sure I speak for many other wave riding enthusiasts around the world, that we had great expectations from this year’s KSP tour.

Sadly, things haven’t gone according to plan. Mostly due to the financial crisis many of the chosen host countries have been experiencing this year, the first two events for 2013 had to be cancelled. And now the remaining two events are in danger of sharing the same fate as well.

What the KSP Needs & What You’ll Get in Return

In short, the KSP needs around $ 30 000 in funds to make the last two events of the season happen so they can crown a 2013 Word Kite Surf Champion.

To facilitate this, they’ve set up a fund raising campaign on Indiegogo where fans and supporters can donate money or show their support by sharing the campaign with others. Not only will you be helping the KSP reach their goals, but your generosity will be rewarded with very cool perks and KSP memorabilia such as a post card signed by at least 5 of the world’s best wave kiters, a KSP T-Shirt signed by at least 5 of the world’s best kiters, a custom made surf board, or even the opportunity to live with the KSP riders at either of the next two events and attend the event as a VIP guest, plus receive a 2 hour wave clinic with one of the pros, and much more!

So what are you waiting for? Head over to the campaign page and get in on the action by clicking the link below today! The campaign ends on October 02, 2013 at 11:59pm PT, and all funds received go directly to the KSP, a rider driven non profit organization.

Here’s a teaser video…

…to remind you why we all love the KSP!

If you are reading this article in an email, click here to watch the video.

The KSP Needs Your Help & Support

There’s no doubt the KSP Tour has had a hugely positive impact on our sport not only from a publicity point of view, but also on the development side of kitesurfing. To win the KSP Tour, riders have to invent new moves and push the boundaries, which in turn motivates other riders around the world to keep pushing themselves harder. It’s a win, win for the entire industry!

If you can’t afford to donate money, no worries, you can still help by sharing this article or the campaign page with your friends and fans. Help us get the word out to all kitesurfers around the world, and let’s keep the KSP alive!

Thank you.

The inMotion Kitesurfing Team

PS: Feel free to express your thoughts and support in the comments below.

Save the KSP Kite Surf Pro Tour was published by inMotion Kitesurfing.

There are of course a number of great resources documenting the history of kiteboarding or kitesurfing, but we thought we’d summarise the highlights for you, so you can get back to doing what you live for… kiteboarding. And if you’d rather get body slammed into a mine field of sea urchins on an exposed reef than read an article on the history of kiteboarding, then feel free to skip straight to the video below, which is a humorous and very entertaining look at how it all started.

Seriously though, we can’t thank the producers, Josh Kendrick and Dan Connely enough for this brilliant tribute to kiteboarding, which comes packed with interviews with all the great pioneers of kitesurfing, and is what inspired us to write this article in the first place. It’s 55min long, so if you don’t have time for that, we’ve also included a 6 min video, Short Kiteboarding History by Susi Mai and Robby Naish.

Who Invented Kiteboarding

The story of kiteboarding will vary slightly depending on who you speak to. The Chinese for example are credited with using kites as a means of propulsion as far back as the 13th century. In the 1800’s George Pocock used kites to propel carts on land and ships on the water, making use of a 4-line control system similar to what we use today. And in 1903, aviation pioneer Samuel Cody developed “man-lifting kites” and succeeded in crossing the English Channel in a small collapsible canvas boat powered by a kite. You can read more about the early history of kites here.

Bruno Legaignoux

But the pioneers of kiteboarding as we know it today are the Legaignoux brothers, Dominique and Bruno Legaignoux from Breton, France, who are credited with inventing the first inflatable kite. They first started experimenting with kites in 1984, and in 1985 demonstrated a prototype at the Brest International Speed Week and filed their first patent.

However, they weren’t alone… parallel to this, and all the way across the ocean in Oregon, USA, Cory Roeseler was developing his Kiteski together with his dad, Bill Roeseler, a Boeing aerodynamicist. Cory’s KiteSki became commercially available in 1994, could go upwind and had a rudimentary water re-launch system. In the late 1990s, the Kiteski evolved into a single board similar to a surfboard. The video (around minute 6:40) shows just how instrumental Cory was in the development of kiteboarding.

Cory Roeseler

Development of Kiteboarding as a Sport

In 1997 the Legaignoux brothers partnered with Neil Pryde to produce small numbers of kites, which they then sold under the brand name Wipika. These kites had preformed inflatable tubes and a simple bridle system, both of which greatly assisted their water re-launch ability. Bruno Legaignoux has continued to improve his kite designs, and went on to invent the bow kite design a few years ago which has been licensed to many kite manufacturers, and has become quite popular in modern day kitesurfing. Learn more about the various kite designs here.

First Bow Kite | Image Courtesy of Ocean2Air

In 1998 Don Montague and Robby Naish requested a licence from Bruno, and as part of their agreement, Don Montague developed software which enabled them to design great kites in a fraction of the time. This was one of the defining moments of the sport.

The birth of kiteboarding as a mainstream sport really began in 1998 when Joe Keuhl organised the first kiteboarding event, which took place on Maui in Hawaii. The competition was jokingly dubbed the kitesurfing world championships and all the big names in kiteboarding were there (25 of them). Flash Austin won the competition.

Of course, learning to kitesurf in those days was treacherous. There were no instructors to learn from, no trainer kites, and nobody had figured out that they should launch the kite at the edge of the window yet. It really was the wild, Wild West back then…

One of the unique aspects of kiteboarding is that it developed in a number of different directions all roughly around the same time… on the one hand you had the likes of Robby Naish and Flash Austin boosting massive jumps, while guys like Lou Wainman and Elliot Leboe were pioneering the wakestyle side of kiteboarding. And now, largely thanks to the KSP World Pro Kite Tour, we’re getting back to our surfing roots with strapless wave kitesurfing.

Originally the terms kiteboarding and kitesurfing really meant the same thing, however, in recent years there’s been a push to distinguish the two as different disciplines. Kiteboarding refers to anything that isn’t wave riding, so this would include freestyle, wakestyle, speed and racing, while riding waves with a kite would be kitesurfing. This trend really gained momentum when the KSP tour launched in 2011 with the One Eye Pro in Mauritius.

Video: Upwind Launch of a Sport

If you want to hear how it all began from the pioneers and influencers themselves, we highly recommend watching this video…

If you are reading this in an email or RSS reader, click here to watch the video.

The Future of Kiteboarding

The future is definitely looking bright for kiteboarding and kitesurfing. We’ve got two pro tours, with the PKRA covering freestyle and the KSP geared purely towards wave riding. We’ve got speed and course racing world championships. Kite gear is evolving at an incredible pace, with kites and bar systems becoming safer and more efficient. Kite schools with qualified instructors can be found all around the world, and more youngsters and girls are getting into kiteboarding, which is great for any new sport. On top of that, kiteboarding almost became an Olympic sport last year, and while we didn’t make it for the 2016 Games in the end, we’re confident that kiteboarding in the Olympics is in the not too distant future.

Short Kiteboarding History by Susi Mai & Robby Naish

If you are reading this in an email or RSS reader, click here to watch the video.

We hope you’ve enjoyed this little walk down memory lane. If you think we’ve missed anything important, please do let us know in the comments below and we’ll update the article accordingly. And if you enjoyed this article or the videos, please do share it with your friends.

Note: The first and last image are courtesy of Neil Egerton Photography.

The History of Kiteboarding & Launch of a New Sport was published by inMotion Kitesurfing.

I’m not sure if this category already exists, and I’m pretty sure it will never be in the Olympics, but it does seem to be the best way to describe the trip we just finished, kiting 420 km from Ponta do Ouro in Mozambique to Durban, South Africa.

The Unlimited Kitesurfing Expedition

When Zack and I began hatching the plan, we decided early on that the objective of the trip was primarily to have an adventure, and have fun. This pretty much became our guiding philosophy for the trip and allowed us to really enjoy the journey. Record breaking was never part of the plan, but taking in some of the most beautiful coastline on the African continent, and spending time doing something we love, always was.

We are incredibly lucky as kitesurfers to live where we do; warm water, great waves, and most importantly, very few restrictions. There is no way you could try something like this in Spain, where kiting is all but banned on most beaches. The fact that a trip like this had never been done before and most of the coastline had never been kited, did hold a lot of appeal for us, and luckily for our sponsors as well.

With relatively little organising, we got permission to cross the international border and kite through the spectacular Isimangaliso marine reserve, which is also a world heritage site. The reserve runs for about 200 km from the border with Mozambique to Cape St Lucia, and apart from the two stops at Sodwana and Cape Vidal, is pretty much uninhabited. This part of the coast is truly wild, with high dunes covered in beautiful lush bush. The coast is characterised by big sweeping bays with rocky points and sandy beaches. What’s more, the wind here is usually a consistent 18+ knots.

August is also a great time of year to be on the north coast, with the humpback whales moving north, breaching out of the water as they go. We got pretty close to a mother and calf who were just rolling about on the surface, but we didn’t want to get too close in case she decided to help us break the highest air record. This part of the ocean is full of life, and we saw lots of turtles, who don’t seem bothered by kitesurfers, and often had whole schools of flying fish soaring out of the water in front of and all around us.

In total we spent 6 days on the water, but due to wind issues, they were spread out over two weeks. It turns out August isn’t such a windy month after all. The first 2 days were awesome, wind wise. We took off in the beautiful bay of Ponta do Ouro, and rounded the point into the unknown with 18 knots, at our backs. And it just got better throughout the day. Five and a half hours later we were surfing the waves into Sodwana, 89 km down the coast. The next day was similar to start with and by the time we got into Cape Vidal, 70 km further south, it was gusting 38 knots. But no trip like this is as they say, “just plain sailing”, as that night a cold front came up from the South. So we got to put our feet up for a couple of days in the beautiful Cape Vidal nature reserve, and enjoy some of our sponsored Hansa beer. We also enjoyed fine food and wine prepared by our Dads who were our support crew, following us down the coast in a Land Rover. Cape Vidal is a very special place, with loads of game, including bush pig that were in our camp every night, and Zack even saw a leopard early one morning.

The cold front passed and we got back on the water aiming for Richards Bay. A real highlight of the day was stopping off for lunch at the Jolly Rabino, an old ship that ran aground on the beach just south of Cape St Lucia. The wreck is fairly inaccessible from the land and forms a nice point break. So we got to ride some nice waves on a very unique landmark. We were joined for lunch on the beach by Andrew G.I. and Clinton who pulled in on a jet ski to get some footage of our trip.

As we headed further South after lunch, the angle of the coastline started to change and the wind got very inconsistent, becoming a cross off shore, and very bumpy as it came off the dunes. In the space of under 2 hours it went from gusting 35 knots to nothing. We ended up coming in 20 km short of our goal, with my kite falling out the sky in some seriously pitchy and bitching surf. I took a few solid waves on the head and was getting seriously zapped by the Shark Shield on my board (more on that later), so I jettisoned my board and kite and started a heavy swim in. I got seriously worked again by the shore break and eventually got spat up on the beach, only to discover that my board had ended up going through my kite in the shore break…

From here on it became seriously challenging, with the wind just not coming to the party. We had to really start hunting for the wind, and often ended up going very far out to sea trying to stay in clean wind. We must have been well over 3 km offshore at times. I worked out that often the wind seemed to work in narrow bands, almost like an invisible street, with little or no wind on either side. Often I would get stuck in a lull and end up drifting downwind in the lull, struggling to stay on the plain. The trick seems to be to recognise when you are in a bit of lousy air and get out of it. When doing this kind of kiting in light winds, you have to use your imagination and try to visualise what the wind is doing. Luckily I have quite a bit of experience flying hang gliders, which helped with trying to understand what the wind was doing.

We had a few hard days of kiting without covering much distance and ended up getting stuck in Mtunzini for over a week. Highlights included seeing a massive shark fin while my ass was bobbing in the water about a km and a half out to sea. I was very grateful for my shark shield then, and the occasional electrical shocks became more of a reassuring comfort.

The week off in Mtunzini gave us a chance to rest up and explore the area, as well as Iain’s wine collection. We also got a chance to meet some of the locals, who kindly showed us what serious drinking is all about. Our bodies were taking a bit of a beating. Zack’s knee was poked, my ankle was creaking, and both our livers had shrivelled up in fear. After a week in Mtunzini, and a couple of botched attempts to get out of there, the wind finally gave us a bit of a break. So in the interests of avoiding alcohol poisoning, we snivelled out on marginal wind, and managed to get 20 km further down the coast. The wind completely died again and I ended up having another long swim in to Amatikulu. Once again the pulsing shock of my shark shield was a great comfort, despite the cursing and swearing every time I got zapped. After a good 15 min swim, I eventually managed to drag my sorry ass up the beach, where Zack gave me the news that our support vehicle had broken down. We managed to lump ourselves and our gear up the main road and were rewarded by an angel who took pity on us and bought us quarts of cold beer. So the afternoon was spent on the side of the road waiting for a recovery vehicle, getting hammered in the sun. So, as they say in classics, “‘all’s well that ends well.”

A couple of days later, we got another weather window, so with 110 km to go, we pumped up, swam our kites across the Amatikulu lagoon, and jumped in the sea with steady 17 kts at our backs. The ocean was beautiful, with smooth clean water, and we started making good progress, averaging about 27 km per hour. Crossing the Tugela River mouth was spectacular and the coastline started to change thereafter. The shore becomes quite rocky, with more towns and buildings as we headed south. We also had some nice little waves along the way, and were making good progress, so we stopped off for a break at Salt Rock where we were met by our parents and some family. The wind was still pumping and our spirits were high, so we popped a few pain killers and set our sights on home. We had awesome encounters with two big pods of dolphins, but they disappeared as we got really close, so it turns out they are not that keen on shark shields either.

As we passed Umhloti, with about 35 km to go, we were joined out on the water by a whole group of our kiting mates, which was really great. We were feeling super confident, and having a great time, really enjoying the last day of our epic adventure. Just as Durban came into to view, and we could almost taste the beer at the finish, the wind died again. Kites started falling out of the sky and Zack and most of our mates had a bit of a swim back to shore. Talk about frustration! We had less than 20 km to go and we were told that all our mates, family, and the press were waiting for us at the Dew Catcher where we had planned to finish. Luckily we managed to borrow a couple of 14 meter kites, and a late puff of wind came through, so we headed out again. The sun was going down as we crossed Durban Bay, and once again our spirits soared as it looked as if we might just make it. We rounded the piers without any problems, and saw a nice crowd on the beach in front of the Dew Catcher. I came in with Zack just behind me, to a great welcome from friends, family and dogs.

Needless to say, and in the true spirit of the trip we celebrated late into the night.

Our Gear & Equipment

Kites

We kited 90 % of the trip on the Ozone Reo 10 m kites, which were excellent.

Light bar pressure is a serious plus when doing long distances, and the turning speed and drift ability of the Reo is fantastic on the waves. The Reo also has a massive top end and our 10 handled + 30 knot winds with ease.

The only criticism is that there is not much bottom end for its size, but it more than makes it up in other areas.

Boards

We both had F-one, 6 ft boards, although mine is a few years old and quite heavy due to a previous repair. I think the extra weight actually helped in the choppy conditions, as the board tended to plough through the chop, whereas Zack felt the bumps a bit more, especially on his knees.

Shark Shields

Shark Shields were often, quite literally a pain in the ass. When sitting in the water, the tail can give you quite a shock if it touches you, but it’s well worth it for the peace of mind when in sharky waters, with no wind. The shock isn’t too bad, when the tail touches you, but it is fairly debilitating.

Clothing & Accessories

Gloves and booties are an absolute must. Short finger sailing gloves worked great, and thin booties are the way to go. We tried various types of booties but the thin diving types were by far the best.

20 litre karrimor back pack, with minimal padding, worked well. I had 2 camel packs, 2 litres for energy juice and 2-3 litres for water.

Tracking & Communication

We tried various tracking systems, so our support crew could keep track of us, but the best was the iPhone / iPad combo. I also recommend the life proof covers for the phones.

Our Uniden VHF radios were okay for coms between Zack and me, but were more or less useless for coms with our support crew. The cheap licence free radios would probably work just as well.

Emergency Repair Kit

We carried basic repair kits, including sail tape, duct tape, and spare fins. Luckily we didn’t need to repair any kites on the go, but we both lost fins. A small hand pump is also a good idea although we didn’t need it.

Watch the Video

If you are reading this in an email or RSS feed, click here to see the video.

Support

A special thanks to The Unlimited, who were our headline sponsor, and helped a lot with the logistics, and getting permission for us to cross the border. Thank you also to Sin from Kitesports Africa for supplying us with great kites and support, to Hansa who gave us a lot of free beer, and to Dew Water who kept us hydrated.

The absolute must have on a trip like this, is a great support crew! Massive thanks to both of our Dads, Peter and Iain, my Uncle Ian, and Alec, who were always positive and supportive, and ready with cold beers at the end of every day, and great food and fine wine every night. They embraced the philosophy of the trip with great gusto, and had an adventure and a lot of fun. And that, at the end of the day, was what it was all about…

If you have any questions about the expedition, or you are planning an expedition of your own and would like our input, please feel free to post them in the comments below. If you would like to republish this story, please contact the editor.

Written by

Ross Walters

PS: If you enjoyed this article, help spread the word by clicking the “Like”, “Tweet”, “+1” buttons, or sharing it using the share icons below. Want to read more articles like this? Then Subscribe to iMK, and get our articles directly to your inbox or RSS reader.

An Epic African Kitesurfing Adventure was published by inMotion Kitesurfing.

Hopefully you followed the action via the daily live broadcasts, but if you missed it, don’t worry, we have you covered. We’ve got all the daily updates from One Eye, a selection of the best images and videos from each of the 10 days, interviews with the riders and organizers, and the final results, all in one place, here. We’ve even included navigation so you can jump to specific days. If you haven’t seen it yet, head on over there now, and while you’re there, please share it with your friends if you like what we’ve done.

For those of you who want the short version, here’s a brief account of the event, and some of the highlights that stood out for us.

One Eye, Le Morne, Mauritius, delivered once more for the KSP tour in its second year of running, putting this amazing island reef break back on the lips of kiters around the world. Mauritius tourism officially got behind the event this time, welcoming the environmentally friendly sport of kitesurfing, which is in line with their marketing of the island nation.

This year it was not so much the spot that was the talk, but more the upsets that were delivered in the competition. The event kicked off in some wild conditions adding an extra edge to the already challenging reef, with the usual suspects making it through the early rounds.

Then Jalou Langeree went up against Ines Correia and Kirsty Jones to eventually make it to the final, but once again the local Ninja Bichler would be there to keep the tour riders on their toes. Patri Mclaughlin was up against Mitu Monteiro, with Patri being defeated only to make a comeback to win the event in a final against last year’s One Eye Pro winner and reigning KSP world champion, Airton Cozzolino.

Standout of the men’s was definitely young South African Luke McGillewie who would end up fourth overall. Luke defeated the legendary Mitu Montiero in a heat where Luke was nothing short of clinical in his contest approach, displaying some big impressive turns.

With only three heats to get through, the event was put on hold for better conditions, with the island being fully enjoyed to pass the time. As it turns out, Mauritius has a lot more to offer than just epic reef breaks, pristine white beaches and crystal clear waters… Sea Kart action was one such activity that gave the KSP riders a well deserved break from the challenging conditions One Eye had been dishing out on the first three days. Here’s the video.

The finals were held in perfect contest conditions with the winner in the men’s not being predictable until the last wave. The ladies final showed that the KSP is truly a surf contest where wave knowledge is paramount when Ninja kept her title by beating Jalou.

Finals Highlights Video

If you are reading this in an email or RSS feed, click here to watch the video.

If anything was learnt from this year’s event it was that kite surfing good waves that break properly will be the one ingredient that will help prepare for a spot like One Eye, where for most part the wind has very little affect on the wave quality. Finding such places in your own backyard and not settling for slop is what’s needed to stay in the game, if not then just going out on windless days to get some paddle in training.

Mauritius is one of those magical paradise locations which is worth more than just a kite surf trip. It’s somewhere that you want to spend some good time, to soak it all in, re-evaluate and then make the necessary adjustments before you return to the mundane. Best practice, is to bring a bit of the island life home with you.

Stay tuned for our daily coverage of the next KSP World Tour event. Stop number 3, the Aer Lingus Kite Surf Pro will be playing off on the West Coast of Ireland. Here’s the tour schedule.

In closing, we have to commend the KSP and event organizers for pulling off a well organized competition and for adhering to the high competition standards they have set for the tour. We were also very impressed with the quality of the edited daily highlight videos. We highly recommend you watch these videos, which you can find by navigating to the end of each day here.

As always we’d love to hear your thoughts on the competition and the entire tour in the comments below.

Images courtesy of the KSP World Tour.

One Eye Mauritius Delivers and Surprises was published by inMotion Kitesurfing.

Since many kiters are aspiring to be pro kitesurfers, and based on the response to an article I wrote last year “How to Get Sponsored”, I thought I would do a follow up article on becoming a sponsored rider. I feel it’s important to show the progress I’ve made since creating my profile on Hookit.com. Their platform for sponsorship was instrumental in me gaining confidence in pursuing kiteboarding as a career.

When I first started I had no idea how the business of sport worked, besides competing of course. I first heard about Hookit.com when a representative from Monster Energy drink told me to register on the site, and when a sponsorship opportunity opened up I could apply. Upon creating my profile I discovered many great opportunities for sponsorship with companies like GoPro, Fuel Clothing, Skull Candy, Dakine and more. I began to learn what companies were looking for in athletes and what I needed to work on. I ended up getting 8 different sponsorships in my first year. I began to promote myself within the industry using my sponsor’s brands to gain recognition.

Jessica Winkler (Epic Kites) | PKRA Mexico

The first media connection I made was with inMotion kitesurfing. Brendon provided a platform for me to gain the exposure and credibility required to attract bigger sponsorships and interest from the industry. He published articles I wrote, and promoted them tirelessly. Fortunately these articles were well received by the public and lead us to create the Most Influential Girl Kitesurfer competition (MIGK). The MIGK is an online competition intended to showcase female kiteboarder’s talents in our sport, as well as their commitment to the industry. The success from our first year was outstanding, so we intend running this competition on a yearly basis.

I realized people started believing in me when I began to believe in myself. This in turn made me spend more time on the water, really pushing myself to do more complicated tricks. Eventually when I could afford it, I hired a photographer to take good quality photos so I had something to present when applying for better sponsorship deals. In addition I set up fan pages on Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin and my own website www.jessicawinkler.com. At first it feels egotistical to do all this, but it’s important in order to establish your professionalism as an athlete. Once you see yourself as a professional, others will start to see you as one as well.

Jessica Winkler (Epic Kites)

Here is a list of steps you can take to become a pro kitesurfer, or to increase the value of your sponsorships.

5 Steps to Becoming a Sponsored Kitesurfer

#1 Register on Hookit

Register on Hookit and keep your profile up to date. Post all your sessions, photos and competition results (if you compete)

#2 Promote Yourself

Set up fan pages on Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, My Space and any other sites you frequent.

#3 Post, post, post….

Content is very important, and helps get you the exposure required to attract quality sponsorships. Let people see what you are doing to pursue your career. Write interesting, unique articles and try and get them published on kitesurfing websites like inMotion Kitesurfing, or start your own blog.

#4 Train

Get in the water and push your boundaries as much as possible. Don’t be afraid to take a course or hire a private instructor to help you get to the next level.

#5 Fun

Always have fun and enjoy the ride!!

One year after embarking on this journey, I received the biggest sponsorship offer of my life, Epic Kites. Getting the opportunity to ride professionally for a big name kite company actually brought a tear to my eye. I felt completely overwhelmed with joy and a sense of accomplishment.

Jessica Winkler (Epic Kites) | PKRA Playa del Carmen

After the announcement of me joining the team, amazing opportunities keep presenting themselves. A local Mexican airline magazine contacted me for an interview, as they are writing an article about kitesurfing for their in flight magazine. In the July/August edition I will be featured representing the sport within the Yucatan. It’s a pretty big honor for me, and I’m very thankful. The second big thing is I was head hunted by an extreme sports agency, Viral Technologies, who wanted to represent me. They will now take care of all my future sponsorship and media deals giving me more time to concentrate on running my kite school and training for competitions.

Since the Epic sponsorship, I’ve been going through a lot of different emotions. The world changes a bit when you are looked at as a Pro all of a sudden. You realize you need to walk the walk. You’ve spent so much time and effort marketing yourself to get to this point and now it’s time to live it. It’s an interesting shift. The biggest thing I’ve learned on this journey is you have to believe in yourself. You can do it, but it takes hard work and patience.

Written by

Jessica Winkler

Jessica will be participating in the PKRA women’s freestyle and downwind competition on May 18th in Bucerias, Mexico. She also recently competed in the PKRA freestyle exhibition and big air comp in Playa del Carmen in the men’s category, as there wasn’t one for woman yet.

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How to Increase your Sponsorship Deals was published by inMotion Kitesurfing.

Some of these principles do apply to kitesurfing disciplines outside of wave riding, so be mindful of them, and you may well find ways of improving your current techniques and performance.

A Bucket Full of Air

The Physics

According to our high school science teachers, the physics shows that momentum is equal to mass multiplied by velocity. So the faster you go or the greater your mass then the more momentum you will have. Considering that none of us are going to shed or add any mass of concern to our bodies or board during a session these become a constant leaving the formula having momentum equaling velocity which is quite simple but somewhat useless to our cause of becoming better riders of the waves.

While theoretically correct there is a vital element left out of this equation. This being the inherent momentum to be found stored within the kite. (Hang in there the good stuff is coming.) Let’s leave the formulas behind and take a practical look at what’s to be found in the kite. Think of it like this: Take a big empty bucket and run with it. Now come to a sudden stop. Not too difficult hey? Fill the very same bucket with water and run. Try come to the same sudden stop. Not so easy and it gets messy. The water wants to continue in the direction you were running and you needed to put in a whole lot more effort to come to a dry halt.

Using Kite Momentum for Wave Riding

Bringing it Home to Wave Kiting

So how does this relate to wave kiting? If we consider our kites being giant buckets filled with not water but moving air and that the air is not feather light as we may be tempted to assume, but has a real mass, as we all know and experience when we head off downwind after losing an edge. It’s not so easy to stop, just like running with that bucket of water. We can then agree that the kite has its own independent momentum, which means it has a life of its own and this is something we can work with.

More and more riders in spite of their preference of being hooked-in or unhooked are seeing the advantages in parking the kite, allowing it to drift downwind, then focusing their attention on riding technically in the critical part of the wave as opposed to being distracted by the constant steering of the kite, and the consequences that come along with that. The idea in the park and ride style of riding is to have the kite almost achieve an auto pilot status where it drifts downwind under its own momentum, with the rider trailing loosely behind it attached only by the now un-tensioned lines. If you can attain to this, then you are coming close to wave kiting nirvana, where just about anything is possible.

Bringing it Home to Wave Kiting

The Love Triangle – the Basic Setup Rules

To get the kite to auto pilot more consistently some basic ideas need to be adhered to. The setup of the correct kite for the conditions of the day is important. Being underpowered tends to have the rider out-running/surfing the kite and being grossly over-powered is never healthy. If in doubt a bigger kite for the day especially if the swell is on the larger side is the better choice. With the correct kite in the air, the next step is to fill it with enough wind to first of all give the rider enough general or overall speed to ride the wave successfully and then enough momentum in the kite to keep it happy and flying.

It is kind of like a crazy love triangle, the rider, the kite and the wave. Setting up the cleat or strap adjustment for the present wind condition is also a good start whether you are unhooking or not. In lighter winds this gets more critical. Most important of all though the kite needs to be parked correctly with the right amount of air in it. This is where experience and feel come into play, getting out there and riding will help more than all this theory.

The Rider, the Kite and the Wave | Photo by John Bilderback

Wind Angle and the Full Bucket

Think of this final step of parking the kite full of air as taking a scoop of water out of a pond with the original bucket idea. By putting the kite into the power zone more, or less, with a kiteloop being the greediest of scoops, the kite will be set up to have the correct amount of momentum needed to stay flying without much input, on auto pilot if you like.

Fast breaking waves will need more generous scoops and slow breaking waves less of a scoop as a basic guideline. Wind angle is however a complicating factor. After scooping your bucket with the correct amount of air it is not good enough just to leave the kite parked haphazardly on the side of the window. This may work at times depending on the wind angle relative to the wave, which will vary from cross-off the wave to cross-on to the wave. Cross-off wind allows for an easier park and ride experience with cross-on being the most challenging of the park and ride winds. It is being found that parking the kite more aggressively, using even the much dreaded kite loop, which is not to be that feared when bearing off downwind down the line, is making the cross onshore wave riding experience a lot more enjoyable and radical.

Wind Angle and the Full Bucket | Dean Bottcher

Parking the kite correctly is critical to this whole process lest you find yourself riding past the kite. Some kite designs do perform better than others, but for the most part any hybrid style kite or c-kite can be tweaked to perform admirably, never forgetting that the chicken loop is always there whether you are hooked into it or not, to be used if you find the kite stalling out totally.

Although it should be fairly obvious to most readers, these principles apply mainly to downwind wave riding, down the line and not to the toeside upwind, onshore-wind style of riding waves.

Happy Days, hope the tech talk helps a bit. If you have any questions or would like to add your own wave riding theories and formulas, please add them in the comments below.

Written by

Dean Bottcher

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Using Kite Momentum for Wave Riding was published by inMotion Kitesurfing.

Set in sunny (and windy) Cape Town, South Africa, Colonel Caveman and the Flying Dutchman sets out to promote tourism and kitesurfing in South Africa’s windy city in a unique and rather humorous way.

Cape Town Kiting at its Best

Movie name: Colonel Caveman and the Flying Dutchman

Producer: Kitespotters Production

Camera, editing and producing: Vaughan Harris – Kitespotters

The Story Board

The “Operation Flying Dutchman” is the perfect action-packed short movie promoting Kitesurfing to Cape Town. The story centres around three hard-core top South African kitesurfers who are called for duty by the legendary ”Colonel Caveman” to join in the search for the Flying Dutchman. Their mission is to infiltrate the beaches of Cape Town under the radar using the “Huey” in search of the Flying Dutchman.

In 1680, a Dutch Captain sailing his ship, The Flying Dutchman around Cape Point ignored the notorious Cape of Storms, sending his ship and crew to the ocean bottom. Legend has it that for his sins he forms a table cloth over Table Mountain watching over passing ships, others say they have seen his ghost.

Colonel Caveman and the Flying Dutchman

Scene one opens with a very desolate and remote Cape Town with howling winds leading into the start of a new day. As dawn breaks we are met by three kitesurfers (Colin Heckroodt, Luke McGwillie and Ozwald Smith), making their way to the Huey. The mission is lead by Colonel Caveman (Brad Symington) who arrives late on this Hardly Harley Scooter. Colonel Caveman briefs his team at the Huey Chopper. They are later teamed up with a naval frigate for support. Captain Iona North (Stacey Vass) flies the Huey under the radar and dispatches the crew on to the beach.

The three kitesurfers are met by the howling Cape Doctor (South Easter) and explore the perfect conditions. With the wind pumping we see some of the most insane mega kite loops, massive 12 second big jumps and radical wave action on blistering swells. All this leaves us to believe that the legend of the Flying Dutchman still lives on.

Luke McGwellie

About the Movie

“Colonel Caveman and the Flying Dutchman” has a war-like look and feel about it which may have absolutely nothing to do with kitesurfing at the start of the movie, but the scene is Cape Town and it promotes Cape Town as a tourist destination and of course the famous Huey helicopter that offers tourists daily adventure flips around Cape Town.

The set is hardcore but humorous with Colonel Caveman’s opening speech in a real Afrikaans accent with the use of typical South African slang words mixed with Afrikaans humour.

You Can Help

Now that we have finished our short movie we are looking at producing another one, only this time bigger and better. So if you like this movie, please can we ask you to go to Colonel Caveman and the Flying Dutchman and vote for us?

Your vote you will help us win the prize for the best movie shot for this particular kite video competition. The prize of R10 000 will help us with our budget for our next kitesurfing movie we are planning.

Kitespotters would like to thank all those involved in making this movie happen.

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Colonel Caveman and the Flying Dutchman was published by inMotion Kitesurfing.

It has been a great year for kitesurfing!

We saw the launch of the KSP’s Dream Tour, which has most certainly taken kitesurfing to a whole new level, and also given us plenty to look forward to next year. We also saw Youri Zoon dominate the PKRA tour in an unprecedented fashion, winning almost every competition on the freestyle kiteboarding tour!

So as we see 2011 out, and prepare ourselves for an even better 2012, we leave you with this video documenting the story of the new kiteboarding world champion; Youri Zoon.

Video: The Ultimate Reward

EyEFORcE productions has followed Brunotti team rider Youri Zoon over the last couple of years, filming him on locations across the globe. This epic video documents his career, and the rise of a kiteboarding star.

Youri Zoon

To all our readers, thank you for your support throughout the year. We wish you all good winds and great sessions in the New Year!

The inMotion Kitesurfing Team

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Youri Zoon: The Ultimate Reward was published by inMotion Kitesurfing.

The swell was SW 3.4 m at 11 seconds and was pushing a solid 4-5ft mid-break that had power, was hollow and grinding. The wind was NE 12-14 knots, but with a counter current on the inside, we had the power we needed.

Toeside Wave Riding Advantages

Kite beach in Durban has a more onshore wind and lends itself to toeside wave riding. For those who are new to the wave riding side of kitesurfing, toeside wave riding is where you edge against the kite and once mastered allows the rider the benefit of having a brake (your board or hand) and an accelerator (the kite) as well as a balancing bar (the kite bar) – all these combine to make it a very effective way of riding barrels. On this particular day, the shore break was unforgiving and was not for the faint-hearted. If you crashed your kite, chances are you would not get it back into the air as the counter current was preventing it from re-launching. Scott Hunter had a bad day in the water and tore 2 of his kites in an hour. The boys were pushing the limit, but were paying the price. They had to commit to the barrel as there weren’t many doors being left open.

What this session emphasised was how each form of wave riding has its place and how if you use the kite in right way you can take full advantage of the conditions. There were a few kiters out there that were dominating the session, whereas for most it was a matter of survival. The difference was in the way that they used their equipment to put them in the right position. Wave riding is an art and each form of wave riding is very technical and different – here are a few tips and shots from the day that will help you with this style of riding.

Toeside Wave Riding Tips & Tricks

Craig Chrystal | Photography by Ryan Joffe

Craig Chrystal was one of the standouts – here he is seen loving the intensity! The best tip for toeside riding is to get your speed up. A lot of riders ride on their back foot too much but the trick is to get your weight forward to get your drive – notice how Craig is leaning forward here. Once you have the speed you can direct it and change the angle of the wind. The trick is being able to get the speed so that you don’t need to fly your kite too much. It is also about your kite position – too high and it pulls you off the wave and doesn’t give you drive – get the kite and the board to work together.

Getting Barreled with a Kite

Rob Chrystal Getting Barreled | Photography by Ryan Joffe

Rob Chrystal using his trailing arm to bleed the speed and find the green room. You can use your arm in the wall of the wave to stall or slow yourself down – as he does this he depowers the kite a little as well. Always be aware of your lines in the barrel and carry a hook knife just in case!

Cut Back Tips

Peter Bolton | Photography by Ryan Joffe

Peter Bolton shows off a very effective cut back. The trick is not to lose too much speed; you do not want to come out of this manoeuvre with no speed as it will bring you back into the pit. So try bring your kite a little higher when you do this just in case you need to dive it to get you out of the pocket. Rail to rail surfing – it is all about transferring your weight from the one rail to the next at the right time – a good kite will also not stall and delay before re-engaging – allowing you power throughout this move.

Floater Tips

Rob Chrystal | F-One | Photography by Ryan Joffe

Rob Chrystal Floats a thick section! The floater is a great move that allows you to get around sections but if you drive off the top you can use this to generate speed and it also helps you stay on the face of the wave. Again – make sure you don’t pull the kite back as you want to keep the motion going forward in the same direction as the kite.

So next time you have some onshore winds, even if you have small surf, get on it and start honing your toeside skills so the next time you are faced with decent swell you can make the most of it. The more you practice the easier it will get until it all gels together.

Written by

Rob Chrystal

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Toeside Wave Riding Tips was published by inMotion Kitesurfing.

While my own road to sponsorship centres around kitesurfing, these tips are not just for kitesurfers, and can be applied to virtually any sport.

I should also mention that I am not claiming to be an expert in the field of getting sponsored. Instead, this is an account of my own experience in finding sponsorships, and of what worked and didn’t work for me.

My first encounter with sports sponsorship was when I was in high school. My best friend and I were one of the first girl snowboarders on the mountain (yes I’m that old) and she wanted to be in the Olympics when they decided to recognize snowboarding as a sport. She went down to the only snowboard shop in town and they worked on hooking her up. The sponsors got her the exposure she needed to start competing on a global scale and although she didn’t get into

Jessica Winkler for Oneill Eyewear

the Olympics she did capture 2nd in the world for women’s boardercross.

Getting Sponsored

Sponsorship is an important part of gaining exposure and progressing your career in a sport. When I first decided I wanted to start entering competitions and making a name for myself as a kitesurfer I started emailing companies like Red Bull, Monster and Roxy. Red Bull told me I needed to compete and place in order to be considered but Monster told me to register for a site called Hookit. They would only sponsor athletes who have profiles set up on this site.

Sponsorship Services

Hookit is a free service focused mainly on individual lifestyle sports, although anyone from any sport can sign up. The site is user friendly and full of potential sponsors. Athletes have the opportunity to showcase their talents via photo, video and competition results. It also allows you to register your riding spots and sessions. Once I had set up a full profile I began applying for sponsorships. The application process is simple and there are so many companies to choose from. I ended up getting 7 out of the 8 sponsorships I applied for which honestly really surprised me. The one company who denied my application allowed me to try again 6 months later to which I’m currently waiting a reply on my reapplication.

You can also set up a profile on SME. They recently redesigned their website to make it easier to use. They don’t have a section for kitesurfing yet but neither did Hookit 4 months ago. On SME you upload your best riding videos and you can win a sponsorship and $25K. Another website you can try is SponsorSpace. There are free basic level profiles you can set up to apply for sponsors. I like the site but out of 100 or so people, I’ve only seen 1 person who received a sponsorship so I’m not sure how effective it is. The other sure fire method is to ride hard and compete, sponsors will then approach you!

My Fuel Clothing Sponsorship

Having sponsors really gave me the confidence to write articles, find photographers to film me and to promote myself as an influential kiteboarder. One of the hardest things when you go from casual riding to starting a career in sports is confidence in yourself. I’ve struggled with feeling like I’m not good enough to be sponsored and not wanting to embarrass myself when people expect too much from me. These feeling are normal, but what I’ve learned is that for me it is not about being the best rider or competing, but rather being able to encourage and influence others to achieve their goals with hard work and dedication. Competing in kitesurfing to be well known is no longer my goal. Instead I want to use my support from my sponsors to encourage other athletes to give it a try, and to show other girls that you don’t have to be the best to be admired.

Get Started Today

Taking the first step and creating my profile changed my life because it gave me the confidence to pursue my passion and believe in myself. If you are looking to pursue a similar path, try setting up your own profile on one or all of the above mentioned websites, or nominate yourself on inMotion Kitesurfing’s upcoming “Most Influential Girl Kitesurfer” competition. The top ten girls will be profiled on inMotion Kitesurfing and the winner will receive great sponsorship’s (see competition page for details).

Jessica Winkler

It’s not easy to get recognition for all your hard work in the sports world, so take advantage of the opportunity to be profiled as a real athlete, not a bikini model. Leave a comment below if you want to be notified when the contest begins. Good luck ladies!

Feel free to share your own experiences finding sponsors in the comments, and if you have any questions please ask!

Written by

Jessica Winkler

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How to Get Sponsored was published by inMotion Kitesurfing.

For those of you who don’t know Rob, he is the owner of a well known kitesurfing shop in Durban, South Africa, called Ocean2air. Rob has been flying kites for around 17 years – starting on the beach with skis and foil kites and then progressing onto the water with inflatable kites in 1999. It is safe to say Rob is one of the true pioneers of kitesurfing in South Africa, and is highly respected in the kitesurfing industry.

Rob Chrystal – Photography by Ryan Joffe

Why Kitesurfing?

I started kiting because I was unable to surf when it was windy so it gave me an alternative sport to do, but I never imagined that I would be where I am now – surfing waves with a kite – and not just surfing, but catching more waves, going harder and getting more critical than I could ever have imagined.

Just for clarity, when I refer to kitesurfing, I mean the surfing side of kitesurfing or kiteboarding. In other words, riding waves with a kite.

The Evolution of Kitesurfing

We have seen kitesurfing equipment evolve at an exceptional rate. Boards have gone from long directional boards down to super short wide twin tips and then back to surfboards. Kites have gone from 2 line with no de-power to 4 line with massive de-power. Our tricks have changed from airs and spins to board-offs and handle passes, to kite loop handle passes and now we are starting to take those into the surf. The amazing thing about kiting is that it is a combination of so many sports – each one coming into the arena with their own special set of talents and setting their path. This diversity is what makes kitesurfing so unique. Here’s a great overview of the evolution of kitesurfing, and where we’re headed in the future.

Taking Surfing to a New Level

Surfing has always been a purest sport – it is the surfer, their board and the ocean. It is an extremely gratifying sport where you can spend time at peace with nature in its liquid form. A lot of surfers were against tow in surfing with jet-skis as they felt it went against the grain, but you cannot deny that they have allowed surfers to ride bigger waves and waves that were originally considered not surfable. Kites are nature’s jet-ski – but we now have the advantage of being in the driving seat – so now we can decide which wave to ride and where we want to be! We are now able to switch the power of the kite off, allowing us to surf the wave and then engage the kite when we need it. So if the wave closes out, we can use the kite to power us away from it. Surfing small gutless waves with a kite now gives you the speed to boost or drive off sections and changes the whole playing field!

Rob Getting Barrelled – Photography by Ryan Joffe

Misconceptions of Kitesurfing

There are a lot of misconceptions about kitesurfing. People have been put off by horror stories, often caused by irresponsible practises, or because of bad experiences trying the wrong gear. Some people have gone through the wrong kitesurfing school and have not been taught in the correct manner. Poor instruction could result in people thinking kitesurfing is harder than it actually is or they get scared off and give up. There is also the misconception that the learning curve is a long and hard one but it is actually a fast and fun one and you never stop learning.

Josh Emanuel – Photography by Ryan Joffe

Equally, some kitesurfers stay on a twin tip and never move onto the surfing side of the sport. When you start kiting you generally start on a twin tip as the board is more manoeuvrable and it is easy to change direction. You then move onto the jumps and for most people this is what attracted them to the sport in the first place. Next come the tricks, and as the tricks get more intense, so the risk of injury increases – for the guys doing this as professionals it is worth the risk, but the other guys start looking at the cost of injury and stop pushing it. Let’s face it; there is nothing we hate more than being injured. If you are out the water for a day a week or a year – you hate it. These are the guys that run the risk of losing the stoke, since they end up doing the same thing each time they kitesurf and this can get monotonous… but there is a solution to ensure they keep the stoke!

Keeping the Stoke

The combination of waves and wind is the solution! Have you ever noticed the number of older surfers in the water who are still loving it! They never get bored – they are still stoked! Every day they go out, they surf different waves and create different memories – waves are a variable and it makes them appreciate the good times even more. We now watch the wave size and direction on WindGuru as much as we watch the wind. If you only kite on flat water, you are dealing with a constant. In this case you only have the wind, so you use what you are given.

Where I live on the Indian Ocean, it is arguably year round one of the best places in the world to surf and kitesurf. We have decent surf and wind most of the year but we deal with a variable and this is what we thrive on. I am not saying that we are more stoked than the guys on flat water, but we definitely have something that is unique each time. Going out in 10 – 12ft surf gets our blood pumping a lot faster, and when the surf is running down the line we definitely are pumping our kites a lot quicker.

Lyle Bottcher – Photography by Ryan Joffe

The Essence of Kitesurfing

So for me the way forward is through the waves! For a lot of us it is the waves that brought us here. The waves are our liquid studio and our kites provide us with the lines with which to draw. We are the artist creating our own master piece no matter how big or small. The simple truth is the guy who is cruising and riding the waves at his own beat, is having as much fun as the guy carving it large. This is the essence of kitesurfing. We have the biggest playground and we have the most insane tools with which to enjoy it.

Rob Chrystal – Photography by Ryan Joffe

One Eye in Mauritius is the perfect example of how good it can be to surf with a kite. This is a wave that I surfed as a surfer but when I kitesurfed it: my ride was 5 times longer. I hit the wave in the critical position more often and I had an eject button where I could use the kite to lift me off the wave when it closed out. You don’t get too much better than this when it comes to riding waves but best of all you will ride so many more waves in a session – maximising your time on the water.

Waves may not be everyone’s ideal, but kites are the perfect tool that allow you to ride bigger waves than you would have ever imagined. Fitness is often a major factor that prevents surfers from enjoying their session to the fullest – you now have a kite that can do most of the work for you. Advancements in technology allow you to switch the power of the kite off by parking it while you surf the wave, and to re-launch the kite out the water quicker and with a lot more ease.

I believe that we have yet to scratch the surface of what’s possible and the next generation of kiters are set to be guys who will push the limits in surfing further… when kiteboarders start kitesurfing – the sky is the limit!!

Written by

Rob Chrystal
Ocean2air

As always, we would love to hear your opinion in the comments below… To learn more about Ocean2Air, visit their website at: www.ocean2air.co.za

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Kitesurfing: Taking Surfing to New Heights was published by inMotion Kitesurfing.

The video gives us a unique perspective of the journey to the place Nelson Mandela once called home and which now stands as a testament to times gone by.

Here is a brief account of the action by Mieke and Bart Willems… To skip straight to the video, click here.

Tablecloth spread.  We approached the turquois expanse turned freezing by the daily South Easter.  Car shaking slightly, white caps visible – a welcoming site for 6 enthusiastic kiters.  At the beach, it was evident in the icy spray, sandblasting around the ankles and the tug on our hair – the Cape Doctor was spreading its summer afternoon kite surfer smiles.  The sky looked like an exploded rainbow of kites – like butterflies dancing in the wind.  Behind the temporary foreground bustle on the oceanic playground, understanding the moods of the Cape Doctor and withstanding the Cape of Storms weather, Robben Island was iconically waiting for us.  This was the day!

You can never set up quite quick enough…  Discuss the plan.  Partner up.  Clear up what would happen if the inevitable might happen.  All agreed.  Double-check the essentials.  Ready!?

View from Robben Island

Like a horse smelling water, the Jet ski and its amped crew encouraged us before we set off on the long awaited mission.

Trepidation in our take-off hoots. The usual playing through the waves had seriousness about it.  Quicker than you might think we were in unfamiliar territory halfway between Big Bay and Robben Island. The deep blue penetrated by bright sunbeams was magnificent.  Amazingly being pulled by a kite with the power of the wind, only skimming the surface – once again instilled childlike excitement.  Natural high in its purest distillate!

Penguins welcome us onto the white beach on Robben Island.  We share snacks, smiles, stories and a high 5 for our hero Nelson Mandela before the cold sets in and we head back to mainland Africa…

Successful mission all around.

If you are viewing this article in an email or RSS reader, click here to watch the video.

Kitesurfers: Hennie van Zyl, James Taylor, Bart Willems and Mieke Willems

Jet Ski support: Oliza Boshoff, Tinus le Roux

Distance:  Big Bay to Robben Island approx. 7.5km (4.7 miles)

Time:  30min there, 30 min on island, 20min back.

Kites: All of us used 9m²  kites

Wind departing: 15 – 18 knots

Wind on return:  22 – 27 knots

Cameras: 3 GoPro HD cameras were used to get shots from all angles.

Video Editing: Bart Willems

Written by

Mieke Willems and Bart Willems

For information on projects Bart Willems supports, visit: Getting Rural Right 

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Robben Island Freedom Kitesurfing Mission was published by inMotion Kitesurfing.

Jessica is an accomplished kitesurfing instructor and is best known for pioneering a kitesurfing business on her own in a third world country.

We asked her to share with us her take on kitesurfing and the vital role the sport plays in her life…

A Burning Passion for Kitesurfing

From the first time I saw kites dancing above the water in Victoria, British Columbia (Canada) 10 years ago I was hooked. I used to go down to the water on windy days and just watch the guys practicing jump after jump. I kept saying to my husband at the time, “I want to do that” to which he just replied I would never be strong enough. This is the greatest misconception in the sport but at the time I believed him, so for 5 years I just watched. Finally after my divorce I decided I was not only going to kitesurf but I will excel at it!

I took a 6 month trip around South America and did my first lesson in Mancora, Peru. Leading up to taking this lesson I had only spent a couple of weeks learning to navigate ocean waves and was still pretty intimidated by the power of the ocean. Twice during the lesson I needed to take time out to try to build up confidence in myself. I was never a big swimmer and tended not to excel in water sports due to my discomfort in being underwater.

Jessica Winkler Kiting in Nicaragua

After 6 hours of lessons in Peru I was unable to find another place to complete the course until Jericoacoara, Brazil. I ended up staying in Jeri for over a year. I fell in love with the sport and kited every day. During my progression in kitesurfing I was also taking swimming lessons 3 times a week in the ocean to learn to handle currents, waves and rip tides properly. This was one of the most important things I could have done because kitesurfing can be a dangerous sport and the ocean is a very powerful force. It is very important to understand how to read the ocean and to stay calm in the case of an emergency.

I now absolutely love the water and spend most of my time in it either kitesurfing, surfing, wakeboarding or swimming. Once I got over my fear, I had the confidence to become a sponsored kiteboarder. I am currently sponsored by Fuel, O’Neill, Jet Pilot, You Scared?, ProTec, GoPro, Heart & Huntington, and I have just finished a film for Oxbow.

Jessica Teaching in Nicaragua

Starting the Kitesurfing Romance

Kitesurfing is an extreme sport and people should never try to learn it on their own. A certified instructor is always necessary for a minimum of 6 – 8 hours of instruction. People who attempt to launch a kite on their own without clear knowledge and understanding of the wind window and the equipment, often result in injury or in some extreme cases death.

When choosing a location to learn in I would recommend looking for shallow, flat water with as few hazards as possible. The school should have relatively new, well maintained equipment and knowledgeable capable staff and instructors. You can find this information by looking on Kiteatlas.com or here: Kitesurfing Schools Directory.

Kitesurfing Safety Tips from Jessica

Water safety in kitesurfing is extremely important. When you have so many elements to be concerned with, board, kite, wind, water, waves and other people, safety is number one. For me, I tend to be over cautious with my students. If I see someone kiting in an unsafe manner, I will point out to them how their behavior is endangering themselves and others.

One of the most important things is being aware of yourself in relation to others. You need to keep a good 30 meters of space between you and anything or anyone downwind of you. Always assess your surroundings before launching. Even as a spectator, never stand between the kite and the rider.

Secondly always remain in full control of your kite, on and off the water. If you feel over powered then you need a smaller kite or wait until the wind drops. Accidents happen really fast and the last thing you want is to put yourself or anyone else in danger.

Building the Dream Home – Kitesurf Resort Nicaragua

I ended up taking a surf trip to Costa Rica in June of 2010 to see my mom who was living there at the time. I decided to go to Nicaragua and check it out because it was close. About 10 minutes after I crossed the border I saw a sea of wind turbines facing a big lake with an island made up of two impressive volcanos. I asked the taxi driver to pull over so I could have a look up and down the beach for kitesurfers or windsurfers, but I didn’t see anyone, yet there was a good side onshore wind that day.

Kitesurfing at Amayo Kite Beach, Nicaragua

When I finally got to the beach town of San Juan del Sur, I spent the next week asking everyone about kitesurfing. The only thing anyone knew is that there was a guy who tried to open a school a couple of years ago, but it never worked out and at the moment there was no one doing anything here.

When I got back to Canada after my month trip I decided to start looking for a way to get down to Nicaragua. At the time I was working as a travel agent so I was exposed to meeting all sorts of people traveling to the area. About 2 months later I ended up selling a ticket to a guy who was building an action sports resort in San Juan del Sur and he thought the idea of opening a kitesurf centre was great.

By November I was on an airplane to start my new life. I’ve had experience with starting a kitesurf / windsurf centre in the past. In 2008 I was the Director of Operations for a million dollar Club Mistral / Sky Riders resort project in northern Brazil. That project gave me the confidence and knowledge for starting and working in a foreign country.

Jessica Winkler

Currently I’m living in Nicaragua trying to start the first kite business in the country. There are 330 days a year of wind and strong side onshore winds Nov – May on Lake Nicaragua. I’ve started working with a Nicaraguan family who owns 800 acres of water front property on the best part of the lake. We named the area Amayo Kite Beach after the wind farm consisting of 39 turbines which line the beach. The spot is beautiful, private and empty!

My business Kite Nicaragua is slowly getting off the ground as I am still looking for an investor to help me build it. I myself have been fortunate enough to pick up a few sponsors who believe in me for trying to pioneer the business of kitesurfing by myself in a 3rd world country.

If you would like to know more, or you have any questions or comments, please post them in the comments section below, or contact me directly from my website.

Written by

Jessica Winkler

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Kitesurfing Love Affair with Jessica Winkler was published by inMotion Kitesurfing.

There is a whole new vibe being brought into kitesurfing where sliders are involved.  Kitesurfing due to its nature is generally a solo sport across most of the disciplines.  You are out there on your own, pushing your personal limits and only every now and then do you glance over your shoulder to see what your mates are up to.  Sliding is different.  There will probably only be one slider at your local and that one slider to start with was more than likely the product of much group discussion.  So already there was a team effort even before you got wet.  Then it is all the brainstorming and the group work party actually building the thing, a true riot itself.  Setting it up also requires the hands of a few good people, so once again a time to interact.  But that’s not where it ends, it is really only where it all begins.

Sinisa Misic – La Mercy Lagoon, South Africa

Only one rider can hit the slider at a time so the rest sit and watch in anticipation of their turn as they circulate around.   It is in this queuing for the action that a whole lot of chatting and cheering, oohing and aahing goes down.  Here you will find the place of beauty, where creativity is set free and the soul finds a new expression as each kitesurfer is challenged.  It is this interaction that has been the core of the boarding industry for decades and now it’s finding a path into kitesurfing.  While surfing holds claim to the history of board riding it must be skate boarding that be given a lot of credit for the board riding culture that has filtered back into surfing, wakeboarding, snowboarding, cable and any other form that it takes.  Open any skate mag and you will find that probably 50% of the mag is dedicated to the good old “slider” which in skate terms will be either a hand rail on some sketchy stairs, a pavement curb, park or mall bench or any other item worthy of the task.

Sliding has been around for a long time in many board sports and it would appear that it is going mainstream in kitesurfing or as close as it can get.  In my opinion it is what we need in the sport, especially in the South African context.  It brings spectator value back into the sport in a neat focused package that is oh so easy to market to potential sponsors.  Slider Jams with the beat pumping and the juices flowing are possibly the media draw card that we have been waiting for, which will hopefully bring all the kitesurfing disciplines together again at events.  With the advent of the bungee tow and motorized tow they can even work when the wind fails to pitch.

Our Portable Slider – Sinisa Misic

So what makes a good slider?  From a safety perspective the box slider is the way to go as there is close to no chance of getting pulled through the thing from a misguided upwind approach or slipping under it, not that it happens too easily.  Is the box slider what riders want?  The answer would be yes for every first timer but a no for the more advanced and adventurous.  The mutter on the inter-web is that box sliders detract from the core culture of sliding or “grinding” as it is sometimes referred to in skating, where the metal trucks (wheel axels) eat away at the obstacle of choice.  To further explain – One of the most amazing things with the sliding discipline is the photos and videos that we will see coming out of it.  The subjected kitesurfer is easy to shoot as the action all happens within a confined and “controlled” space.  Multiple angles are available to the photographer by taking only a few steps in any direction.  You also don’t necessarily need photo trained riders to get the money shot as you would need in freestyle and surf kiting.   Skaters have been at it for years and some photographers have made it their bread and butter line.

Sinisa Misic – Kitesports

Herein lies the big quandary of what slider is a good slider.  A skate photo shoot would involve a scout of the town to find the elements that would make a good photo.  Now you answer the question.  How good a photo can you get out of a man made box slider?  Once you got your skills down, and that will take a while on the very same box slider or something similar like a simple rail.  You may then want to follow in the footsteps of the skaters and start looking for alternatives.  Maybe an old bluegum telephone pole or tree that has fallen over, a boat jetty or even the boat when the owners eye is turned, a fence that won’t kill you, a wall, some windsurfer’s masts or any other obstacle or item that you can get in, near to, or across dry land then back into the water.  An open mind is the key here.  These are going to be the shots that the magazines will be featuring.  Sliders that have an element of natural danger are the ones that are true to the core of sliding and the ones that will give you credit amongst your peers.

So the challenge goes out, and other than attacking hazardous obstacles, the quickest way to get beaten on a slider is to try doing it with your fins in.  We have a sign board that we put up on the approach to our slider that clearly states “use at your own risk and nofins.”  It is amazing how many people can’t read at speed, but it does make for good footage.  Riding without fins is a challenge on its own and in a way it separates potential slippers from the dedicated grinders.  Once you start riding your freestyle board without fins (preferably use an old board as it is going to get serious battle scars) you will find some new moves coming to you even in the flat water.  Channeled boards look like they will be the way forward, with or without smaller recessed fins.  Increased rocker is possibly a good thing for moves like the nosepress, it also helps to protect the fins if you using them and may make some grabs easier.  Bindings seem to be the rage but practically they are an extra effort.  Wakeskates, or now referred to as kiteskates (flatter rocker etc.) on the other hand are making a big impact.  They are strapless, bindingless boards being used to do skate tricks on flat water, on sliders, off waves, wherever creativity will take you.  Originally from the wakeboard scene they are most definitely a complement to the kiting outfit.  Landing a kickflip off the end of your slider on a wakeskate will rocket you into stardom for sure!

The possibilities are endless and only our minds limit where this slippery avenue will take us.  If you have not had a slip-n-slide in a while then it comes highly recommended.  Get together with your crew and start knocking one together.

Written by

Dean Bottcher

PS: If you enjoyed this article, help spread the word by clicking the “Like”, “Tweet”, “+1” buttons, or sharing it using the share icons below. Want to read more articles like this? Subscribe to iMK, and get our articles directly to your inbox or RSS reader.

Sliders: The Slippery Slide of Things was published by inMotion Kitesurfing.