WanderingWhy…

“Shit out… Out… OUT!” came the voice of my Italian instructor over the walkie-talkie. No, I was not being coached through a bowel movement. This was the last thing I heard before being forcefully dragged face first through the water. Breaking the surface, choking and blinded by salt water, the next thing I heard was “Save the kite!”
I’ve spent the last 4 days in Kiteboarding school in Bahia Salinas, Costa Rica. Kiteboarding is a sport that is very popular in my neighborhood back home. I’ve been watching and wanting to try this sport for years but have always put it off due to the cost. Saving for this trip was always in our crosshairs so new toys were not in the plan. But, this trip for us is about doing what we’ve always wanted to do, always dreamed of, and Kiteboarding is something I’ve always wanted to try.

Here I am after the first day:

Just kidding of course. This is my instructor Nicola showing us all how much fun Kiting can be if you work at it. After my third day of lessons Nicola finally had some free time to himself and went out to tear it up for a few hours. I saw how basic the basics I had learned really were. Nicola was out riding with about 6 other very skilled guys and I saw how the basic techniques we just learned really were–this stuff is just second nature to them.

Most of my friends know how important Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (BJJ) is to me. I have spent about the last 7-8 years on the mat day in and out sweating and struggling with all my friends to improve my game. I see parallels to BJJ in life all the time but I saw it especially when trying to learn to kiteboard. Learning to relax under stress, weight distribution, body positioning, use of leverage, adapting to the changing conditions–all the things that come with time on the mat. And it seems progress is made in the sport inch by painful inch. But every little piece you learn is a small victory and from watching the more skilled riders there seems to be lots of opportunities to keep pushing and improving.

The beginner course lasted for 3 days. This is definitely not a sport you can or should learn on your own. The power of these kites is amazing and you could find yourself hanging from a telephone pole or being dragged across the parking lot instead of the water without some basic instruction. Nicola, our instructor, reminded me a bit of a more mellow version of my BJJ teacher (although it could have just been the accent). A great teacher, great Kiter, and all around great guy. I was fortunate enough to have another newbie take the course with me. Alex is my new kiteboarding buddy from the UK.

The first day we spent with a small two-line 2 meter trainer kite and harness to get a feel for kite control, simulated water starts, and relaxing your arms when steering the kite. We got a taste of the power of a larger four-line 7 meter bow kite later in the day learning how to hook up the equipment, use the safety mechanisms, and the new dimension of sheeting in or out to power and steer or depower (not shitting as I joked earlier).

Day two saw more time in the water, working on kite control. We also learned how aggravating it is to try and relaunch while in the water if the kite crashes (hence the wise “Save the kite!” statement from our instructor). The bay we were learning in was forgiving enough to blow us back on shore eventually, but it could be a long swim at times if you could not get the kite back in the air.

Day three was the day where Alex and I earned our reputation as the kite killers. We inflated the first kite only to discover a leak once we had all the lines hooked up. Not a good start to the day and a hint of things to come. We went out and practiced body dragging and graduated to attempted water starts where you actually try to get up and ride. This is where the second kite fatality of the day occurred with the kite completely tearing in midair.

“Put the board under your ass and point it downwind. Good. Now put both hands on the bar and dive the kite down and use the power to stand up.” Nicola said. Easy enough right? Let me tell you–it only looks easy. The learning curve involves drinking more than your fair share of of salt water. But, to the credit of my teacher, I was actually standing on my board and flying over the water for about 50 meters before days end. This was all I could have hoped for. I honestly didn’t even realize I had ridden at all since I was so focused on the kite. I have read the sport is 70% kiting skills and 30% board skills so I guess I had my attention in the right area.

By the end of the course Alex and I were hooked and decided to stay another day to split the cost of renting gear and practice what we had learned. We were discussing renting the gear for the remainder of the day after the lesson but as we secured everything and went to the water to rinse the sand off our hands we heard a loud pop followed by a hissing sound. “Was that our kite?!?!” “Yes” someone said. Fatality number three. Man we were getting to good at this, we didn’t even have to touch the kite now and we could destroy it. We trudged over to Nicola to explain what happened. He didn’t look too happy but after taking his new kite out on the water for an amazing ride he had a smile to match his wrap around shades.

Surprisingly, Nicola let us rent some gear and practice on day four. I had a small personal victory getting some longer rides in both directions using a larger kite (it was all they had left after Alex and I broke everything else). I really hated to leave the next day. Dawn and I both met so many great people at the school and it was the highlight of my trip so far. Alex and I did succeed in breaking our only kite again that day so I think he stayed behind to wash dishes and pay off the debts. At least he’ll be a better rider than me when he gets to Brazil.

This is the kind of sport I love–very technical, fast and exciting, lots of camaraderie, and self competition. With all the places to ride just down the street from me I will definitely be purchasing some kiteboarding gear when I get home.

The black belt of Kiteboarding and the Kite Killer-Nicola and Alex.

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