Exercise 3 Kite Surfing

The water-sports kite is different from traditional kites which are usually small, delicate objects made from colourful cotton and flimsy pieces of wood and string. Nowadays, modern sporting kites are made from super-tough indestructible nylon with sail areas of 25 square metres or more. There are no frames to be damaged and they are controlled by many strings and lines.

Kite surfing has taken almost a century to become one of the world’s fastest growing sports. It appeals mainly to younger people who enjoy active lives with a hint of danger.

To master the sport, you really need to learn how to control the kite. If you don’t know what you are doing, the kite could easily take control over you. There are several stages; first of all you need to know how to use the control bar. Then you will get dragged through the water: this is known as ‘body dragging’. When you can control the kite with the direction of the winds, you have ‘powered up’. A lot of practice is necessary. You need to co-ordinate kite, body and board until you can ‘fly’ across the water at speeds of up to 45 mph and be lifted more than 7 metres into the sky.

Nowadays, there are an estimated 200,000 kite-surfers worldwide; they belong to the Professional Riders’ Association which organises events in places from the Canary Islands to the Dominican Republic and Brazil.

The main thrill of the sport is not just the prospect of winning the prize money (up to $25,000 for every event) but the ability to defy gravity and soar up into the air doing acrobatic moves. High speed twists and stunts complete the excitement. The enjoyment from travelling the world, inventing new tricks and winning competitions makes this sport the new ‘must do’ for youngsters.