Kite surfing, also known as kitesurfing and kiteboarding involves using a power kite to pull the rider through the water on a small surfboard, a wakeboard, or a kiteboard.

A kitesurfer stands on a board with foot straps or bindings and uses the power of a large controllable kite to propel himself and the board across the water. However, this simplicity also makes kitesurfing challenging. Your body is the only connection between the kite and the board and you have to control them both at the same time: piloting the kite in the sky and steering the board on the water.

The sport is still in its infancy but is rapidly growing in popularity. In 1998, there were probably less than thirty kitesurfers worldwide. In 2006, the number of kitesurfers has been estimated at around 150,000 to 200,000 .

The sport is becoming safer due to innovations in kite design, safety release systems and instruction. Many riding styles have evolved to suit different types of riders and conditions, such as wake style, wave riding, freestyle, jumping, and cruising.

Other variations of using kites for propulsion include kite landboarding, snowkiting, kite-buggying, kite-kayaking and using kites to propel sea kayaks.

Kite History

The Sudanese are credited with using kites to propel canoes across water early in the 20th Century.

In the 1800’s George Pocock used kites of increased size to propel carts on land and ships on the water, using a 4 line control system - the same system in common use today. Both carts and boats were able to turn and sail upwind. The kites could be flown for sustained periods. The intention was to establish kitepower as an alternative to horsepower, partly to avoid the hated "horse tax" that was levied at that time. In 1901, aviation pioneer Samuel Franklin Cody sailed across the English channel powered by a kite.

In the late 1970s the development of Kevlar then Spectra flying lines and more controllable kites with improved efficiency contributed to practical kite traction. In 1978, Ian Day's "FlexiFoil" kite powered Tornado catamaran exceeded 40km/hr.

Through the 1980s there were sporadic and occasionally successful attempts to combine kites with canoes, ice skates, snow skis, water ski's and roller skates.

In 1990, practical kite buggying was pioneered by Peter Lynn at Argyle Park in Ashburton New Zealand. Lynn coupled a three-wheeled buggy with a forerunner of the modern parafoil kite. Kite buggying proved to be very popular worldwide with over 14,000 buggies sold up to 1999.

The development of modern day kitesurfing by the Roeselers in the USA and the Legagnoixs in France carried on in parallel to buggying. Bill Roeseler, a Boeing aerodynamicist, and his son Corey Roeseler patented the "KiteSki" system which consisted of water skis powered by a two line delta style kite controlled via a bar mounted combined winch/brake. The KiteSki was commercially available in 1994. The kite had a rudimentary water launch capability and could go upwind. In 1995, Corey Roeseler visited Peter Lynn at New Zealand's Lake Clearwater in the Ashburton Alpine Lakes area, demonstrating speed, balance and upwind angle on his 'ski'. In the late 1990s, Corey's ski evolved to a single board similar to a surfboard.

Two brothers, Bruno Legaignoix and Dominique Legaignoix, from the Atlantic coast of France, also contributed to the development of kitesurfing from the early 1980s. In 1997 they developed and sold the breakthrough "Wipika" kite design which had a structure of preformed inflatable tubes and a simple bridle system to the wingtips, both of which greatly assisted water re-launch.

In 1996 Laird Hamilton and Manu Bertin were instrumental in demonstrating and popularising kitesurfing off the Hawaiian coast of Maui. In 1997, specialist kiteboards were developed by Raphaël Salles and Laurent Ness. By 1998 kitesurfing had become a mainstream sport, and several schools were teaching kitesurfing. The first competition was held on Maui in September 1998 and won by Flash Austin.

By 1999 single direction boards derived from windsurfing and surfing designs became the dominant form of kiteboard. From 2001 onwards, wakeboard style bi-directional boards became more popular.

The current speed record over a 500 meter (1,640 ft) course, held by Olaf  Marting, is 77.4 kilometers per hour (41.79 knots). A female SA rider, Sjoukje Bredenkamp holds the record at 37.26kts.