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Imagine how it feels to speed across the water powered by a sail in the sky; you're standing
on a board, watching the kite above you, the waves ahead of you, and then you jump right into
the air. Not just a foot or two, but up to 30. You hang in the air for a long moment, then you're
down on the water again and rushing once more across the sea.
This is an action sport at its
best: challenging, fun and simply unforgettable. For many people having-a-go turns into a
serious addiction. community magazine went along to take a look. Kiteboarding is taking the
world by storm. A cross between
windsurfing, wakeboarding
and paragliding,
riders harness the power of
the wind and use it to pull
them across the water with
their feet strapped to a small
board. Raam Schnitman who
runs Kiteboarding Asia says,
”It may sound like surfboarding,
but it’s actually a
very different feel. Awesome,
is how I would call it. Everybody
has their reason for
taking a sport like this up,
and once you do, then it’s
never the same again sitting
in an office watching the
wind outside in the trees. You
just want to be out there,
kiteboarding.”
The question everybody wants answered is how easy is it to learn? The most important skill to
getting going is learning how to control the kite. 80% of the skill needed is learning how to fly
the kite confidently as if it was a part of your body. ”It can be dangerous, if you don’t know
what you're doing. Best to have lessons and at a certified centre, too. It saves damage, and you
learn the skills faster and more competently.” Kiteboarding Asia offers a 3-Day certified Beginners’
course which gives you all the skills to get up and goin a safe and confident manner and a 1-
Day Kiteboarder discovery package. In addition they offer lessons at intermediate and advanced
levels, so that you can practise skills you have already learned. There’s even a 1 on 1 whole
day lesson that is specially put together for the individual, working on his or her particular
needs.
If you are a confident swimmer with an average fitness level you can learn this sport,
and it’s suitable for any age. Children have learned and so have extremely old adults. ”This is
an easier sport to learn than windsurfing,” explains Raam. ”It’s less technical, and you need less
equipment. You will need patience and determination, children through to the oldest adults
can learn, as long as they are fit. But be warned, once you learn, you will gradually spend less
time at work and more time chasing the wind and waves.”
For the general courses there’s a
maximum of 4 students per instructor. At Kiteboarding Asia, the instruction is fun and professionally done, and all safety and equipment setup aspects are covered. It belongs to the International
Kiteboarding Organization, and adheres to their codes. And once you’ve learned? Then you will
find this a very versatile sport. As Raam puts it, ”You don’t even have to wait for a strong wind.
Even a light one makes it possible to go out and have a great time. Another brilliant feature is that
the equipment needed is extremely compact and easy to carry. A board and kite can be stowed
in any car with ease. On planes, it’s the same as transporting a large golf caddy. This is a sport
that never turns into a transport nightmare and you can take
the gear with you wherever you go.”
Not everywhere on the island is suitable for such a sport,
but down in Samui’s unspoilt south, Kiteboarding Asia has
found the perfect place to learn, a shallow sandy bay with
an outlying reef which protects the inner bay and keeps the
water flat like glass. ”For a Kiteboarding Location it has been
sent to us from the gods,” says Raam, who runs another
location in Hua Hin. ”We receive Northeasterly to Easterly
winds ranging from 8 to 20 knot range, perfect for beginners
and intermediates.” Situated right on the beach Kiteboarding
Asia is run out of a spacious office and training centre, which
includes an equipment show room, equipment to test before
you buy, rental, second hand equipment sales and sales of
all the latest 2006 Cabrinha and Airush kites and boards
with the best prices in the world.
Kiteboarding Asia is located at the Samui Orchid Resort,
tiger zoo and aquarium which is close to the Laem Set Inn,
10 minutes south of Lamai. For further information, please
telephone 0 1591 4592. The official website is at
www.kiteboardingasia.com. |