Kite Surfing On Lanzarote
The relatively new sport of Kite Surfing has really taken off on Lanzarote over the last five years. In May 2006 the island was even used as the launch pad for an incredible new world record. As Welsh born Kirsty Jones successfully surfed 140 miles from Lanzarote to Morrocco non-stop in nine hours.
March to November are the months when wind and sea conditions combine to create the optimum weather conditions for kite boarding on Lanzarote.
Under Pressure
Due to a dominant high pressure system and the advent of the North Easterly trade winds the Atlantic starts to flatten out a little and wind speeds become more consistent.
Traditionally, this has heralded the end of the surfing season proper and the advent of the sailing calendar. But now March and April also signals the migration to these shores of exotic, multi-coloured kite driven craft along with their thrill-seeking riders.
Only five years ago this sport was virtually unknown and practiced by probably just a handful of cognoscenti around the globe. Now it has grown exponentionally, spawning world championship events, a multi-million dollar equipment industry and a legion of both fans and practitioners worldwide.
Birth of the Kiteboard
But how has this explosion occurred? For the origins of kite boarding we have to look to both France and the US, where separate developments came to coincide in the creation of the sport.
Two nautically minded Frenchmen, the brothers Legaignoux, had become bored of the limitations imposed by sailing and windsurfing. From around 1984 onwards they were tinkering with all sorts of weird and wonderful concepts, such as a giant kite hauled by two very large water-skis.
The key to their success was in developing the idea of a kite that could actually be relaunched once wet or in the water. But the brothers then had ten years of hard slog trying to hawk their ideas to the major surf and windsurf equipment manufacturers around the globe, who hadn’t yet really caught up with them and their invention.
The American Way
Meanwhile, in America, pioneers such as Cory Roeseler and Andreas Kuhn were pursuing a similar tack, looking to break away from the relatively pedestrian sports of windsurfing and surfing by experimenting with equipment such as para gliders and wakeboards.
The breakthrough finally came in 1997 when, with windsurfing undergoing a decline in popularity, major manufacturer Neil Pryde decided to diversify their product range and put the Legagignoux´s brothers ideas into production.
The results were electrifying and immediately kite boarding took off with water sports enthusiasts around the world.
Kiting Takes Off
For windsurfers, here at last was a sport where they didn’t have to sit on a beach all day waiting for winds of 20 knots plus and cart around unwieldly quantities of equipment.
Many surfers also quickly realized that they didn’t really spend that much time actually up and riding, compared to the almost endless action offered by kiting. In addition kite boarding released surfers from some of the more onerous tasks imposed by their sport – meaning no wading, no paddling and no fighting for your wave.
Three other factors also undoubtedly contributed to kite boarding’s sudden upsurge in popularity.
Kite Kit
Firstly, despite appearances, it is actually relatively easy to learn. The curve is not nearly as steep as for say surfing or windsurfing, especially for people already proficient in sports such as skateboarding or skiing.
Secondly, kite boarding requires much less equipment than windsurfing and therefore it is relatively cheap to get started.
Thirdly, kite surfing is really thrilling to watch. The speed, the jumps and the tricks make it an excellent spectator sport, which is vital for it’s ongoing development.
Kite boarding can be an extreme and dangerous sport too. It’s followers have created a code of conduct, which must be adhered to, as many are already concerned that it may be forced off our beaches as quickly as it has arrived.
Novices must learn only with a fully accredited instructor and initially in a relatively controlled environment.
Kitesurfing Fuerteventura
Kiting´s growing popularity was well illustrated last year in Fuerteventura at the Windsurfing and Kite Boarding World Cup, held in Sotavento.
Here, kite surfers demonstrated why their discipline also makes an excellent spectator sport by competing in two main categories. For the first time ever, boarders competed in a speed challenge in an attempt to break the world record held by by American Robbie Niash of 71.25km/h.
The main event though was the Freestyle Grand Prix where riders used wind power to make amazing jumps and turns of up to 15 metres high and 70 metres long.
It’s little wonder that Sotavento will once again be used as the venue for this year’s world championship during the summer.
The south of Fuerteventura possesses virtually perfect weather conditions for the sport with the beach at Sotavento in particular lying in a natural wind tunnel, or acceleration zone. In the summer month’s winds can reach up to 9bft or nearly 45 knots here – perfect for high speed kiting.
Caleta de Famara – Kitesurf Central Lanzarote
On Lanzarote the best spot for kitesurfing is Caleta de Famara on the island´s more rugged north coast. Here strong north easterly winds combine with a constant groundswell to create some of the best kiting conditions in Europe.
Photo Kite Surfing in Famara © James Mitchell
