Surf Today Kiteboarding

Jan Lisewski has survived several shark attacks during his attempt to cross the the Red Sea, from El Gouna to Duba.

The 42-year old kitesurfer was stuck in the water for 48 hours and had to fend off the giant Red Sea sharks with a knife. Lisewski survived on energy bars, but the time out in the sea was painful.

Everyhting started when ocean winds halted his journey and left him stranded. The Polish kiteboarder sent an SOS signal, but the Saudi Arabian Coast Guard only found him 40 hours after.

Jan Lisewski ran out of mineral water in the first night. He slept on his turned kite. Then, the veteran kitesurfer He spotted a fisherman's ship and managed to fire a safety rocket, but nothing happened.

A 28-year-old kitesurfer has lost his life after hitting the concrete paving at Suttons Beach, in Redcliffe, Australia. The novice rider couldn't control his kite when it was picked up by a wind gust.

Julian Pope suffered severe injuries and passed away at the Royal Brisbane Hospital.

Local witnesses say the young kiteboarder was getting used to the kite gear on the beach and that his kite was caught up in one of the Norfolk Island pine trees in the area.

"The main thing we're trying to get across is that you need proper training. You need lessons and you need to fly them on water not land", says Rhys Porter, owner of the Kitepower School.

Manuela Jungo is training hard for the upcoming 2012 PKRA World Tour. The freestyle kiteboarder from Switzerland decided to complete her studies and gain professional experience before preparing a pro kiteboarding career.

"The most professional kiteboarders start their career in early ages and they do their education on the side or later on but I did it the other way around", explains Jungo.

"I studied and worked until last as Brand Manager for a Swiss luxury Watch Company, when I have decided to change my daily business routine to a peaceful, happy and active live on the beach", she adds.

Lewis Crathern is promoting the sport of kiteboarding in several major media print and broadcast sources. The kiteboarder known for jumping the Worthing and Brighton piers was featured in Channel 5 "World's Greatest Daredevils" TV show.

Crathern reaches the second spot in the program's stunt ranking, as you can confirm here. "Kitesurfing is really starting to make an appearance on mainstream TV", says the British rider.

Recently, Lewis Crathern won the Len10 Megaloop Challenge, in Cape Town, South Africa. "Kitesurfing is really popular out there now and it is certainly the place to be during the cold months of winter back home".

Kitesurfing kites are the most important piece of gear a kiteboarder owns. Launching a kiteboarding kite must follow a rigorous checklist - level of experience of the rider, local wind and weather conditions, kite safety procedures.

Buying a kitesurfing kite is an important investment. You should select a kite which is durable, safe and that might be useful for, at least, a couple of years. If you already own one or more kites, you should buy a kite that works as a backup for different riding conditions and for racing, slalom or freestyle sessions.

Safety issues have been greatly improved in the kiteboarding kites, in the last 10 years. Kite launching, piloting and landing‎ is easier and safer than ever.

Trainer kites are the best option for beginners. These power kite packages are designed to help novice riders learn how to control a kite up in the sky. Bladders, zippers, depowering and emergency release systems are some of the main features you'll find, for the first time. The most popular trainer kites measure 3-to-3.5 square meters.

The analysis of winds and global weather conditions before a kiteboarding session is a very important safety procedure. Before preparing your gear and launching the kite, spare a few minutes assessing the sky and its clouds.

Kiteboarding demands an intelligent approach to clouds. They often tell us how the weather is at the moment, but also what can be heading our way. Normally, your eyes can reach very far away. From where you're about to hit the water, it's possible to get a circular view of dozens of miles.

We also know what's not good for kiteboarding. Strong and instable wind gusts, walls, buildings, electricity wires and general wind turbulence.

Black clouds are a warning sign. If see one or a group of black clouds, then you should probably wait or quit the session, if you're already riding. Black clouds carry rain and very harsh winds that will overpower your kite.

Roberto Ricci Designs (RRD) has launched a new kite board specially designed for racing. The K-Race 70 LTD brings totally new parameters in the equation of functionality and efficiency and puts the stick a little higher when the wind is light.

"Planing with 6 knots of wind and reaching upwind speed of 12-14 knots and downwind speed of 25-27 knots is no longer a dream. We have worked very closely with the help of French rider Julien Kerneur, the current PKRA Racing ranking world leader, to develop both the K-Race 70 LTD and the Addiction MKIII kites to have an unbeatable combination of speed and control", explains RRD.

The new race kite board uses every centimeter available of the board design to be used for maximizing the performance. Thick rails on the tail to improve lift on the fins, extreme tucked under edge on the front and mid section of the board to reduce friction over the chops and create an easier to ride shape.

Aaron Hadlow has suffered a knee injury, while shooting for a new short movie, in the beginning of February. The British kiteboarding magician has hit a kicker and went for a sizeable "Mobe 5".

He landed a little over the front and collapsed his right knee. "I was shooting for the RedBull Media House with a Phantom Camera. We were stepping up the level with some 2500 frames per second super slow motion action", explains Aaron Hadlow.

"Kiteboarding has become more and more technical as the years have gone on so I thought the Phantom would be ideal to show every detail and movement so that it’s possible for the brain to process just what is going on".

Rimas Kinka has set a new kiteboarding Guinness World Record. The rider sailed 401,2 miles (645,6 kilometres) to claim the "Longest Kitesurfing Distance in 24 Hours".

He already owned the previous mark with 313,67 miles (504,8 kilometres), but he improved the record by almost 100 miles. Rimas Kinka started the challenge at 11.20pm, at Whale Harbour, Islamorada, Florida, USA.

The first stop for a rest was after the 100-mile mark. Ten hours after leaving the Whale Harbour, Rimas Kinka had already sailed more than 200 miles. The kiteboarders recovered energy in the second rest, at 200 miles. Light food and water brought him back to the water.

Toby Braeuer, Sam Medysky and Pavel Christiankov have conquered the C2Sky Freestyle Raid and Asian Old Skool Championships, at Mui Ne, in Vietnam. The event was support by Kiteboard Tour Asia (KTA).

Despite the variable wind conditions over the week, all good weather moments were fully used to watch hardcore action in the Freestyle, Old Skool and Big Air disciplines.

"Without a title sponsor for this event, we had been concerned if we could still pull it off, but in the end this round showed us all that the passion for kiteboard competition is a strong as ever in Asia", explains Neil Godbold, KTA founding director.

"This was a fantastic grassroots up effort from all concern; the riders, local sponsors, the tour brand sponsors and our own KTA team - nice one to all concern".

Kitesurfing accidents continue to storm the sport's safety credibility. In West Palm Beach, Florida, a kitesurfer has hit a building on North Australian Avenue, near a mental-health facility.

The unidentified kitesurfer was enjoying a ride in Lake Mangonia, in 15mph wind conditions with gusts of 30mph, when he suddenly suffered the accident. He was treated at St. Mary's Medical Center after complaining of a pain in the side.

In Los Angeles, on the opposite US coast, a 30-year-old kitesurfer was rescued half-mile offshore County Line Beach, Malibu. Local authorities believe the rider was pushed by strong winds.

"We received a call that a kite surfer was in distress, the winds had turned directly offshore and he was turning away from the coastline," said John Larson, Captain of the Los Angeles County Lifeguard Headquarters.

The British Kitesurfing Association (BKSA) has announced the final tour dates for the 2012 season. Despite the cold temperatures, the best kitesurfers in the UK will hit the water between April 6th-9th, at the Clacton "Easter Weekender". There are eight main venues.

The first round of competition will feature Freestyle and Race division. Then, the BKSA National Titles move to the Watergate Bay "West is Best", between April 21st-22nd. Waves are expected to be surfed here, too.

Before summer starts, the Hunstanton "Lifestyles Jubilee Weekender" promises Freestyle, Fun Slalom and Speed action, between June 1st-4th. The fourth stage of the 2012 BKSA kite season will be run at the Essex "Kitefest", between June 15th-17th, where kitelanders will have the opportunity to test their skills.

Futuristic kite turbines will be flying high above the oceans to generate eco-friendly energy to power cities. Corwin Hardham, a kitesurfer, has developed Makani Power, an airborne wind turbine company supported by Google and the US Department of Energy that promises a revolution in the production of green energy.

The Makani concept takes kites up to 400 meters above the ground, in order to get consistent winds at high altitudes. The electricity that is generated is transmitted to the ground along a tether.

The new low cost source of power can be installed onshore and offshore and get the most out of virtually untouched high-altitude winds. Hardham's idea came up while kitesurfing in San Francisco and soon designed a working prototype.

Lewis Crathern is the grand winner of the first ever LEN10 Megaloop Challenge, held in Cape Town, South Africa. The kiteboarder who became famous for jumping the Worthing Pier and the Brighton Pier defeated Sam Light, from the UK, and Giani Aragno, from Spain.

Fortunately, the wind conditions were great and kites were flying high. The new competition format developed by Ruben Lenten proved to be a success. Crather, the stuntman of kiteboarding, was happy to take the trophy.

"I was just stoked to have been in the final with two of my best friends. A megaloop isn't the easiest trick because you have to try and get height while trying to get your kite as horizontal as possible", explains Crathern.

"I've been coming to Cape Town to kiteboard for the last six years and I love it here. The people are friendly and the weather and wind conditions are perfect here," he added.

The World Ice and Snow Sailing Championships 2012 (WISSA) are warming up for an incredible competition, between February 20th-26th 2012, in the USA.

Due to an unusually mild winter, WISSA 2012 will now be held at Chain Lake, which is within walking distance of downtown St. Ignace, the previous event location.

The organization promises there will be plenty of signs showing where to park, at The Little Bear Arena. A free shuttle service will be provided to the event.

The facilities for the World Ice and Snow Sailing Championships 2012 are already being set up and include sauna, heated waxing tent, heated locker room, food tent, beer tent and zamboni. Right now, there is at least 18 inches of ice for kiteboarders and windsurfers. The wind conditions range from sustained 20-35mph.

Kiteboarding will be playing a crucial card in Santander, between 21st-25th March 2012, when a series of trials will run at the Prince Felipe High Performance Centre.

The International Sailing Federation (ISAF) will evaluate the possibility of having kiteboarding in the upcoming 2012 Olympic Games, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

A specialist evaluation team from ISAF has been appointed to look at the format and event management implications, in order to improve the decisions about the inclusion of windsurfing/kiteboarding the in the Olympic sailing competition.

Enthusiastic kiteboarders with years of experience have certainly gathered a true "quiver" of kites. It's easy to get hooked in the sport accumulate several kites for several wind conditions.

SurferToday.com has already reported the story of Kitecyle, a company that is recycling old kites from kiteboarders around the world in order to produce new bags for several purposes.

Now, the Global Kiter Foundation has a few suggestions if you're interested in giving away one or two old kites. There are some great ways of reusing old kites that are just gathering dust in the corner.

First of all, please keep kites out of landfills and give a great opportunity to someone else. Of course, you wouldn't give or sell bad equipment to fellow riders, as it is very dangerous.

Ben Winding and Cat Tanner have claimed the 2012 South Australian Kitesurfing Freestyle titles, held at the Grange Sailing Club, in Henley Beach.

All categories have been run in one day of kiteboarding competition. The level of riding was exceptional as everyone was trying to impress the judges. The huge crowd certainly weren’t disappointed as they were treated to some amazing aerial acrobatics and some equally impressive thrills and spills.

It was also exciting to see a number of the Juniors step up this year and take it to the open men in the Opens category, with several of them making it through to the later rounds.

This is a great step forward for juniors, progressing their riding and getting them ready for future State and National Competitions. These kids have a bright kitesurfing future ahead of them. The future of South Australian Kitesurfing is certainly looking good.

The 2012 PKRA World Tour schedule has been announced. The world's finest kiteboarding championship will kick off in Dakhla, Morocco, on the 28th March, with a Freestyle contest. Riders loved the atmosphere of the Dakhla Attitude camp and the perfect conditions that the lagoon had to offer.

It's promising to be an exciting year with 15 destinations on the calendar giving the opportunity to riders from the farthest corners of the hearth to partake in a PKRA event. There will be 11 Freestyle stops, 8 in Course Racing and a wave event.

A total prize money of over $500.000 is expected to be delivered, for the first time in the history of the PKRA World Tour. In Freestyle, competition judging has been changed. There will be a new scoring system counting the seven best tricks of the heat and a maximum of 12 tricks attempts in 7 minutes.

The goal is to have far better performances and more diversity in the tricks, since the riders will have to land only their best tricks, instead of repeating their easy ones.

The Kite Surf Pro World Championship has released the qualification system for the 2012 season, in cooperation with the International Kiteboarding Association (IKA).

All wave kiteboarders have the opportunity to compete against each other in the exciting world competition. The 24 slots for the 24 riders male fleet are allocated as follows: top 8 riders from previous season are pre-qualified; two wildcards awarded by the KSP Tour, two wildcards awarded by the PKRA and two local wildcards.

For the Women's fleet, there's a 50% quota for the above rules. Remaining slots are solely given to include more nations, which means only riders from nations that are not yet represented will be accepted.

If there are more nations applying then slots are available, places are given in the order of regional strengths, until all slots are filled (in the order South America, Europe, North America, Africa, Oceania, Asia, and then from the beginning again).