Why kiteboarding is the ultimate adventure sport for thrill seekers

The Maldives has a reputation for being a playground for the laidback and adventurous at heart. On the subject of popular water sports to try out during your holiday to the Maldives, kiteboarding is an activity that you will learn to appreciate and enjoy as you begin developing a knack for manoeuvring a hand-controlled kite and perfecting your balance on a board at the same time.  

img via flickr

How does kiteboarding work?

As a sporting activity that originated in the south of France, kiteboarding or kitesurfing as it is also referred to has grown in appeal in recent times. This water sport which drew inspiration from windsurfing, surfing, wakeboarding, paragliding, skateboarding and snowboarding, requires the kiteboarder to adhere to a simple and straightforward process. Initially, the kiteboarder will be attached to a large kite that is controlled by hand at all times. Thereafter, the kiteboarder will stand on a board similar in nature to a skateboard or wakeboard and await until the wind picks up, which in turn, will propel the kiteboarder across the water’s surface at an exhilarating speed. 

The growth of kiteboarding

Kiteboarding has been in existence for over 3 decades and as a result, has witnessed multiple changes and tweaks being made to its equipment and the overall ride experience. As at the time of writing, kiteboarding is now performed both at sea and on land. Thus, elevating it to a position where kiteboarders can feel comfortable developing and honing individual skill sets in a preferred environment. Worthy of mention is the fact that kiteboarding is divided into a number of disciplines. These range from wake park riding, wave riding, kite land boarding, big air and kite buggying. Importantly, as pointed out above, the sport has been influenced by a number of land and water-based leisure activities. Therefore, kiteboarders over time have developed a range of manoeuvres and tricks that they keep falling back on and also teach to those travellers who arrive on holiday to Nova Maldives in search of outstanding watersports in Maldives to while away the hours with.

 General tricks and manoeuvres that you can expect to learn on holiday

Finding a reputed water sports centre will be a crucial part of your kiteboarding experience. This makes zoning in on hotel and resort properties that provide such facilities and discussing your requirements at the earliest possible time all the more important. Having met your instructor, you will then be taken through the ‘ins and outs’ of the sport as referenced above before heading out onto the water. Know that kiteboarding is made up of a number of tricks, which are simple to learn and master over a period of time. While a majority of the tricks provided below are used at international kiteboarding competitions, as a visitor to the Maldives, you can expect to be taught some, if not most, depending on how ambitious and passionate you are to learn the ropes of the sport. As a whole, freestyle kiteboarding tricks include regular jumps, spins and rolls, backside and frontside spins, toeside rolls and basic jumps, toeside backside spins, toeside frontside spins, toeside front flips tricks such as the flavour flip, advanced sbend tricks & so much more.

The equipment is of the highest standard 

Although certain kiteboarding kites and boards are only utilised for selected situations and riding styles, as a kiteboarder in the Maldives, you will in variably end up using any or a combination of the following items: for kites, you will either be handed a foil kite or an inflatable kite such as for example, a hybrid kite, delta kite, bow kite or c-kite. With respect to the type of kiteboard, a wave board, race board, foil board, wake-style board or twin-tip board will be given to you by your instructor.