Kitesurfing also known as kiteboarding is becoming more and more popular across the world. If you go to any beach you are likely to find a few people trying their hand out at kitesurfing. The terminology used in this sport, kiteboarding & kitesurfing, are used interchangably. It just depends on who you talk to. The sport itself is a combination of a few sports, namely windsurfing, surfing, snowboarding & wakeboarding. If you are good at any of the sports listed you really should not have a hard time picking up kitesurfing and should become profescient pretty quickly.

There are a few different styles of kitesurfing:

1) Freestyle – this is the most common type and it utilizes a standard kite & board.
2) Wave riding – here, the focus is on big waves and the board used is designed for riding the waves
3) Wake style – most of the time in flatter water using a board with bindings

The board used in kitesurfing is similar to a surfboard but smaller and many also have foot straps and/or bindings.

In countries like the USA, Brazil, Israel & Australia (and there are more) the sport is really taking off and more and more people are getting involved. The growth of the sports is predicted to be in the 30-50% range year to year.

If you decide to get involved with this craze, it’s important you take lessons. Taking lessons will educate you on all the dangers involved and how you can avoid them. Your instructor will also teach you about all the safety features of your kite and board, how to use them, and the importance of testing them each and every time you go out to site surf. Plan to spend a couple of days participating in the course. Typically then run 2-3 days.