Water sports lovers seem to have been blown-away by this extreme sport: kite surfing. The name is self-explanatory, kitesurfing, also called kite boarding, is a hybrid sport that combines surfing and kiting in order to create an adventurous combo. While many fatal incidents have occurred in the past, this sport can be practiced in a safe and responsible way. For all of you surfers, this new sport could help you improve tremendously your moves and skills on the board.
If you are curious and simply want to try out something new this summer, you should always have an expert near by or someone to give you a helping hand considering that launching your kite can be quite tricky and even dangerous if swimmers are in the water near by. Most kitesurfers like to practice this sport along ocean shores but it can also be practiced on larger lakes or rivers. The idea of using a kite seems like a brand new idea, yet “ the art of Kitesurfing” dates back to the 13th Century Chinese when it was used as a simple mode of transportation” (Source: http://www.kitesurfingnow.com/kitesurfing-facts/history-of-kitesurfing.shtml). In the 19th century, George Pocock, an English schoolteacher with a passion for the sky, innovated the basic kite design by increasing the size of the kite in order to use them as “glide carts on land and ships on the water” (Source: http://www.kitesurfingnow.com/kitesurfing-facts/history-of-kitesurfing.shtml). Despite the fact that its birth dates as far as the 13th Century, in the 1990’s this sport became world-know once surfers and wake boarders of the Hawaiian coast of Maui discovered its beauty. This sport’s popularity increased at an escalading speed in the last years so much that kite surfing school have opened everywhere and spread in all continents of the world from America to Africa. For a complete list of all the schools based on country and location, you can consult: http://kitesurfingschool.org/schools.htm in order to chose the nearest one.
GUST- Extreme Sailing in Africa
Founded in 2005, GUST magazine is the quintessential platform for all kite surfers and water lovers of the world. A South African publication, GUST organizes custom made sporting events. If you are interested in their services or want to remain up to date with all the extreme water sports you can find out more at http://www.gustmagazine.com/what-is-gust-magazine/). GUST is much more than a simple but magazine about kiteboardings, but also an edgy lifestyle and communications brand that promotes wind sports and the gorgeous coasts of Africa all over the world with unique coverage, interviews and interactive videos.
According to GUST’s magazine publisher and editor Janet Lightbody, the role of the media and communication is crucial in order to promote this sport around the world as an adventurous yet also a safe and responsible. This young editor takes her job very seriously, and says: “we have an important role to market kiting in a sustainable way in order to grow and attract new comers into the sport” (Source: http://www.ikiteboarding.com/kiteboarding/articles/janet-lightbody-an-interview-with-gusts-leading-lady.aspx). This magazine is not a conventional sports magazine; it is proud to be based in Africa and even more proud to engage into a lateral campain of touristic promotion, showing off the greatest beach and site to visit.
Kite surfing equipment
According to your location and budget, kite surfing manufactures like Flexifoil, Flysurfer, Gaastra Kiteboarding or Liquid Force will all provide you with innovative quality equipment based on the latest cutting edge technologies. As you might have experienced on your own, kite surfing equipment is quite expensive; from the board to the kite without forgetting the lines and bar, the whole equipment can easily add up to more than a thousand dollars. If you don’t have that kind of money, don’t panic, with some good will and a lot of motivation some cheaper alternatives are available. First of all, you can buy second hand kite surfing equipment at http://www.kitesurfingschool.org/used.htm. If you have a passion for craftsmanship you can also make your own kite or transform your old surfboard into a kite board!
Kitesurfing is an amazing outdoors exercise workout for you whole body that reminds us that, if treated with respect, the ocean can become a real playground for all of us. This sport has gained rapid and increasing visibility in the last 20 years thanks to marketing initiatives like GUST magazine. The adrenaline rush of flying over the ocean cannot be put into words, you need to experience for yourself! Meanwhile have a look at this amazing video from “ExtremeElementsTV“! (Source: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fYBK-wo7BSU).
