Kites & Kitesurfing Playing in the Wind

Turkey Kitesurf

Hong Kong Opens For Kiteboarding

Hong Kong is the location for the Asian Kiteboarding tournament which starts today. This puts Hong Kong in the center of the sport’s spotlight as the top kiteboarders from all over Asia come to participate in the territory’s first championship tournament this week. Cheung Chi Sing, a kiteboard instructor says that kiteboarding is Hong Kong’s fastest-rising water sport since it is more flexible and more affordable than windsurfing. According to Cheung, “A lot of windsurfers are now switching over to kiteboarding. The equipment is less expensive, and there’s the added plus of lighter gear. You can even hop on a bus with your full kit.”

Beginning today, contestants from as far as Australia and Turkey will be competing in two categories. The first category is the ‘freestyle race’ with pits individual kiteboarders against each other while the second category ‘course racing’ groups together contestants and is more technique-heavy. Locals from Hong Kong who are competing include Hill Siu who has already been kiteboarding for four years and Tsui Kit who has been in the game for five years.

Admittedly, the weather in Hong Kong is not very ideal for the sport. In some places they get regular monsoon winds, but in Hong Kong you can only get two days when you’re lucky. However, Lantau Island’s Shiu Hau is becoming a favorite among kiteboarding aficionados because of its easterly winds and flat and shallow waters. There are several locations around Asia which have become hotspots for this sport and one of the most popular ones include Boracay which is located in the Philippines. The island’s relatively flat waters and regular monsoon winds make it ideal for kiteboarding that there are now several kiteboarding schools in Boracay and local tournaments for the sport.

Kiteboarding is also known as kitesurfing in other countries. It is sport that uses the power of wind through drag a rider through the water on a small board known as a kiteboard which is similar to a wakeboard. A kiteboarder uses the kiteboard which can sometimes have bindings or foot-straps that harnesses the wind through the kiteboarding kite to pull the rider and the kiteboard through the water. The number of kiteboarding aficionados has been steadily increasing these past several years and those who are beginners in the sport are now looking for kiteboard for sale in numerous sports shops. For those looking to be engaged in a new sport or are just wanting to try out something new, kiteboarding may just be the adventure you’re looking for.

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For Tricia, the home is the best place to be.

TYF / The Marmara Kitesurf Championships – Alacati, Turkey