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Have kite, will surf

Updated on: 24 March,2011 08:11 AM IST |
The trip team |

If you're the gutsy kinds and love new adventure, we suggest you warm up to kite surfing, the next time the wind, the surf and the seas beckon

If you're the gutsy kinds and love new adventure, we suggest you warm up to kite surfing, the next time the wind, the surf and the seas beckon

You've heard of Para Sailing, Para Gliding, Wind Surfing, but Kite Surfing? What's that and how different is it from most adrenaline-high water sport experiences?

We stumbled upon this kick ass adventure sport that's a huge hit among surfers at Margarita Island off Venezuela's coast in South America.

Hundreds of kite surfers or kite boarders (the sport is alternatively called Kite Boarding) can be spotted along this island's coastal strip in various acrobatic positions while they attempt this surface water sport. Here, the wind is used to pull a rider through the water with the help of a surfboard or a kite board.

The surfer uses a board, with or without footholds or straps, which is combined with the power and force of a large controllable kite to propel the rider and the board across the water.

You'll come across different riding styles including wakestyle, waveriding, freestyle, freeride, jumping and cruising. With advances in kite design technology, the sport has become safer and more acceptable to a larger following, particularly in countries like Australia, New Zealand and through the Americas.