Kite Surfing an amazing sport to discover!

Kite Surfing is a kind of water sport just like regular surfing but with a twist. This surface water sport uses the power of the wind to move the rider through the water. The rider will be on a kite board (a small surfboard almost identical to a wakeboard). This sport is also known as kiteboarding in some places, and just like swimming; they are a variety of styles to do this sport.

kite surfing

Freestyle Kite surfing

Freestyle is the most common kitesurfing style and it requires a board (either with or without foot-straps) and a huge controllable kite. Wake-style is the style where the rider flatters the water using a board with bindings. Wave-riding is an advance style that requires a lot of experience; the rider uses a board specifically designed for wave-riding and he focuses on riding the big waves.

The history of kite surfing is considered to have started in the 1800s when George Pocock made use of kites to maneuver cart-like vehicles on land, and ships on the water. He innovated the four-line system, which is still being used today. The attempts were successful as the carts and ships managed to turn and sail upwind. The main objective is to prove that kitepower can be a good alternative to horsepower.

We all know about the kites that lifted people up in the air, this was developed by aviation engineer, Samuel Cody in 1903. Cody’s invention soon turned into the Gliders we know today.

During the 1970s more and more controllable kites were developed and each new kite became more and more efficient than previous ones.

During the 1980s there have been attempts at combining kites with ice skates, roller skates, snow and water skis and canoes. Some have been successful, but none have been good enough to be taken up by the general public.

It was one of the kites patented by Dieter Strasilla that was eventually used as a prototype for today’s kite surfing kites. Strasilla actually attempted to combine his inflatable kites with surfboards.

An important step in kite surfing history

In November 1984, the Legaignoux Brothers of France patented another inflatable kite designed for kitesurfing. This design was modified by sports gear companies to develop their own kites.

Kite buggying was introduced by Peter Lynn in 1990 at Argyle Park in New Zealand. Lynn combined a three-wheeled buggy with an early version of the parafoil kite and made a huge success. Kite buggying became a popular sport with at least 15,000 buggies purchased in 1999.

Kite buggying has been the inspiration of the development of kite boarding as we know it today. In 1994, KiteSki was introduced by father and son, Bill and Corey Roeseler. The kite was water-launch capable and it could go upwind. The ski was modified and eventually evolved into a small board that looks a lot like a surfboard.

Kiteboarding was successfully demonstrated and popularized by Laird Hamilton and Manu Bertin in 1996 in Maui, Hawaii.

The famous Legaignoux Brothers developed another innovation in 1997 and were able to sell the “Wipika,” a breakthrough kite invention designed with preformed inflatable tubes with an uncomplicated bridle system attached to the tips of the wings.

Kiteboards for professional use were developed in 1997 by Raphael Salles and Laurent Ness. Kite surfing was accepted as a mainstream water sport in 1998 and the first official competition was help in September 1998 in Maui; Flash Austin won the event.