Kitesurfing has exploded onto the extreme sports scene over the last five years. We take a quick look at the sport.

Kite surfing or kite boarding is a water-based sport involving the use of an inflatable water relaunchable c shaped kite to tow a specially modified surfboard or twin-tip board that is similar in style to that of a wakeboard.

This sport is quite versatile in that it can also be done on snow, using a snowboard, and on land, using an ATB (All Terrain Board) or mountain board - which is known as kite land boarding.

Kite surfing has the manoeuvrability of wakeboarding and the speed of windsurfing, with kite surfers travelling at a rate of 20 knots (the equivalent of 28mph), but some of the top-level speed kite boarders can reach speeds of up to 40 knots, which is nearing 50mph.

If you have never tried any aquaplaning water sports, the feeling of speed can be quite overwhelming. Couple these speeds with the big air jumps of up to 50-60 ft that some of the better kite surfers can pull off and you have yourself one phenomenal experience.

Equipment & clothing
The equipment and clothing required is a kiteboard, leash, harness, helmet, wetsuit and a kite. These items can be hired from the school, but should you decide to take the sport more seriously, it is recommended that you purchase your own.

If you are buying everything new, then you are looking at around £850 for a board and 12m kite, £120 for a wetsuit, £60 for an impact vest, and £40 for a helmet, totalling around £1180. However, if you buy second hand, you can probably half this sum.

Training & qualifications
According to the BKSA (British Kite Surfing Association), the best way to get started is to take a two to three day kite surfing course at a BKSA approved school. The BKSA recommends that you be able to swim 200 metres in open water and a good level of physical fitness is required. The good news here is that having super-human powers of strength is not a pre-requisite, because it is all about technique.

Like all sports, there are risks involved, but if you receive proper tuition to become aware of the hazards, these risks are minimised. It is important to remain in full control of your kite at all times and watch your lines, especially if there are other kite surfers at the same location. Learning to fly a two-line power kite before you take a course will help you learn significantly faster, though most people are standing by the end of the first day of a three-day course. Within months you can be a competent kite surfer and within six months to a year you may well be pulling off jumps of 10-15 ft

The BKSA website (www.kitesurfing.org) has a wealth of information on getting into kite surfing safely, practical advice, links and lists of BKSA approved schools.

The article Surfing skies by kite originally appeared on 999 Today