Kite Surfing in Brisbane, Australia
Kite surfing is a sport that requires plenty of room to move around and strong winds parallel to the shore. Long, straight beaches with moderate waves also help.
The area around the city of Brisbane in Queensland, northern Australia, has all of that. In addition, there are several kite surfing schools in the area, which can help beginners get into the sport and advanced surfers improve.
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Kite Surfing
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Kite surfing is relatively new as a sport. It emerged from experiments with kites and water skis in the 1990s to fuse elements from surfing and sailing into a combination of endurance and show sport. Practitioners include sir Richard Branson, at 60 years the oldest person to kite surf the English Channel.
The kite surfer uses a kite, which functions as a parachute with control ropes, to pull himself and the board over the water. By controlling the angle and surface of the kite against the wind, the surfer can make turns, pull himself and the board out of the water and perform various tricks.
When kite surfing, it is important to have a strong, steady wind which is parallel to the shore. Gusts of wind can be dangerous, causing sudden motions of the kite which can lead to accidents. As the kite surfer moves fast, large open areas are also needed.
Brisbane Kite Surfing
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Brisbane, the capital of Queensland in northern Australia, is situated near long beaches with steady wind and large open spaces. As the area near Brisbane also is home to many of the surfing beaches in Australia, kite surfing has developed as a complement.
Apart from the beaches directly accessible from Brisbane, several companies arrange kite surfing trips to nearby locations.
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Kite Surfing Competitions
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SurfConnect organizes the Queensland Kiteboard Racing Series in Sandgate, outside Brisbane, in September. The riders compete in doing tricks, like grabbing the board, performing turns and staying the longest time in the air.
Kite Surfing Schools
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Learning kite surfing is hard and requires a great deal of training. Since kite surfing is a show sport, coaching is an important way of improving the rider's style and general approach to the waves.
There are several kite surfing schools in and around Brisbane. Some schools offer credits on courses, which can be exchanged for equipment.
The oldest school, BrisKites, has been in operation for eight years.
Kite Riding Teams
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Kite surfing is a social sport as well as a team sport. Exhibiting your skills does not matter if nobody is there to watch.
Several of the kite surfing shops in Brisbane have teams. There are also social gatherings for kite surfers. The South East Queensland Kite Surf Association organizes a Brisbane Ride Day for members of the club. This being Australia, it includes a barbecue. Prizes are the same as for more professional competitions, but also for the best crashes.
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- Photo Credit kite surfing image by Wimbledon from Fotolia.com
