Kite Surfing

Introduction to Kite Surfing and history

Kite surfing is the activity of surfing on a body of water powered only by the wind itself, which you harness and control with the aid of a parachute-like kite. Your feet are strapped onto the board and you wear a harness which is attached to a kite with some fairly complex rigging. Thus you can control your velocity and direction by controlling the position of the kite relevant to the prevailing wind at the time. Kite surfing is an enormously challenging and rewarding extreme sport that is growing hugely in popularity worldwide. With miles of beautiful coastline to choose from, not to mention inland lakes, reservoirs and water parks, the UK is a fantastic place to learn kite surfing.

People have been trying to harness the power of the wind to surfboards for years, but it was not until the early 1970s that two French brothers finally managed to design a functioning kite board. The inflatable kite design patented by the same brothers Legaignoux in 1984 still forms the basis of many new designs made today.