Brendon tries his hand at the latest crave to hit our beaches … but will he get the hang of it?
In the 1970s a few people attempted kite-surfing by using parachutes to pull them on waterskis. Since then, many wild and wonderful attempts have been made to get the water sport to the stage it is at today.
As it can be enjoyed in places other than the surf, the name is now officially kite-boarding. It is a little like windsurfing except the sail is 10m in the air, rather than attached to the board.
The mouth of the Noosa River is a great place to harness the wind and ride the waves, and one of the best female riders in the world is Australian champion Bec Nicholson. She is the perfect person to get some lessons from.
Bec got interested in the sport five years ago after she decided that she wanted to get involved in something different from what she was then doing — studying at university! She had no sailing background but bought a kite and spent three months flying it to become accustomed to its power.
She soon became good enough to enter and win competitions, initially in the men's division as there was no female competition. Her favourite thing now is riding with her friends and teaching other people how to kite-board.
Traqua Kite-boarding Adventures have packages at various destinations around Australia and they offer tailor-made lessons. Clinics run at various times and a phone call or visit on the Internet will let you know where and when you can take up this exhilarating sport.
There are three types of kite-board — directional, which moves in one direction like a surfboard; wakeboard which is very small with not much buoyancy, and a combination of the two which is called "twin tips".
Kites range from one to 24m and can be two line or four line.
