Have you ever dreamt of flying? Of being free? Of exotic destinations where you can cruise, or try out tricks in the tourquoise blue water?

Welcome to kiteboarding magic. Many people get hooked by just seeing these magical creatures out in the horizon. Skimming the waters, being lifted into the air doing tricks and spins, as it seems effortlessly. I think it is the closest thing to a person being able to experience flight. I know that's how I got hooked. About 7 yeas ago on a vacation with my parents I saw these magical creatures doing just that gliding in the far of distance in tandem. I was hooked, as a student with not much money it would take a few years to realize my infatuation. But clearly enough for my 24th birthday I ran away to kiteboarding school (no not the circus). That's right took an overnight bus to North Carolina, ditched my family and friends to hang out with a group of strangers all by myself. I must say it was the most exhilarating experience of my life, I met a group of awesome people who i keep in touch with and e-mail/call anytime I want to escape to get another kitting fix.

Here is my first instructor Katy of REAL in Hatteras NC

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p-Hu7vTc_K8

Alright if you watched the video, you know its not as easy and elegant as it looks. But hey that was three hours, do you remember how long it took you to learn other stuff like a musical instrument, a sport? Yeah I thought so.

First if you begin this sport be prepared to deal with a lot of onlookers, these will be attracted to you like kids to candy. What's that? What's this?

Kite-boarding is a lot like wake-boarding, except instead of the pull of a boat you are powered by wind. Because of the shifty nature of wind, it takes a lot of finesse to get the control down and really harnessing the power of the wind down. But with lessons and practice you will learn to use the power of the kite, edge the board, and adjusting the angles pulls and pushes to get going. However, safety first, with the latest innovations in equipment kite-boarding is becoming safer but you need to familiarize yourself with all the systems available to you first.

Kite-boarding is fun, awesome, addictive and liberating but it can be dangerous and frustrating if you go at it alone. You need to learn the proper technique, how to handle the equipment and how to keep yourslef and others safe.

So lets get started...

1. Trainer Kite and instructional DVDs

DVDs will help you hear the same theory stated another way and help you absorb the concept. In addition they will provide you with terminology used by your coaches such as "wind window" or" leading edge".

A trainer kite is 1-3 meters and will not have sufficient power to pull you through the water, but will help you understand how to control your tool. Once you mastered how to make figure eights and move the kite from side to side with one hand without looking at it, you got one important part of kite-boarding down - controlling the kite, and if taking lessons you will be way ahead. So GO FLY A KITE!!!

This is very important to keep yourself and others safe. Why? Because there is a reason you see those magical creatures boost themselves 30 feet in the air, the kite is a powerful tool and must be used in a controlled manner.

The things to look for in a school:

Location, location location. So you are going on vacation and this is your chance to try this cool new sport? Be careful. Make sure the school in a shallow water location, away from crowded beaches, power lines. It should have constant strong winds but not gusty winds. The location should not be rocky or deep or have heavy waves.

Also look for a place with watercraft support a boat or a jet ski. Chances are at the beginning and for some time you will not be able to get back to where you started. The watercraft support will increase your learning curve because the instructor will always be there, your board will be there and you will waste less time chasing after your board.

Two places I recommend that I tried personally are:

In Aruba: http://www.aruba-active-vacations.com/kitesurf.html

I liked this place because it was shallow water and constant winds, no waves and low currents. The instructors/equipment were good and there was boat support. The lessons are about 50/hour so its a cheaper option to start. Plus Aruba is outside of the hurricane belt and is always warm so a good place to visit any time (especially with low airfare on jetBlue)

In North Carolina Hatteras: REAL http://www.realkiteboarding.com/

This is where I started. They offer fantastic 3 day camps that pretty much get you up and ridding. The center has shallow water, Jet-ski support and genrally good wind. The coaches are fantastic, all great riders that are very safety continuous and will help you learn the rules of the road, pick out your equipment, fix your own equipment and generally be self sufficient as a kiter. More expensive then the caribbean camps though.

So you can go left and right and maybe you have a buddy that can drive down wind or even rent a jet ski with you, or you do not have a buddy but are going to camp and will meet plenty of these kite crazed people there or on the beach at some remote exotic or right in your backyard location.

You need gear to start practicing

Kite:

As a beginner your progression curve depends on the gear you purchase. Choose a kite with ultimate de-power that is no larger then 12 meters. The size depends on your weight and riding conditions (wind).

After you are done with the trainer kite you will need an inflatable kite for the water ( a foil kite will suffice for landboarding but that is for another article).

Bow/SLE kite - Flatter canopy then a C kite and a contoured leading edge. Very user friendly, de-power easily and use a wider wind window for flying

C-Kite - The traditional kite has a C shape. They have either four or five lines int he setup. These are optimal for freestyle riding or unhooked wake style riding, these may be better for more advanced kiters, but with recent innovations have become equally user friendly.

Hybrid - Between a C and SLE kite these combine the good features of both.

Board:

There are many types of boards to choose from but as a beginner you will be best of on a twin-tip large surface board. If you weigh less then 150 pounds a size range of 120-140cm is for you, with the larger sized boards easier to stand up on at the beginning. If you are over 150 pounds 140-175 cm is best.

Harness

This connect you to the kite and allows you to leverage your weight against the kite's power. There are different types: waist harness, seat harness, impact style, vest harness etc. Make sure to try the different styles i your practice session to determine which fit is most comfortable to you.

Bar/ Lines

The lines are used to steer the kite, you hold on to the bar, and the bar is attached to the harness through a chicken loop with a safety system. The lines very in length from 18 to 30 inches in length allowing you to increase decrease your wind window. The bar setup can contain four or five lines and multiple safety system that is in your best interest to familiarize yourself with. Often bars come in packages with kites so be on the lookout.

Other equipment includes foot-straps if not already included with the board, helmet, personal floatation device such as a life vest and wetsuit or rash-guard.

As in every sport make sure you keep yourself and others safe by staying in control and thinking about your next move, and what to do if that move is well challenged by nature.

We often forget once we do a trick, or finally get going that there are others kiters next to us, or that swell we are ridding can totally kick our buts at any moment. So stop your dissolution regardless of how cool you think you are and pay attention, STAY IN CONTROLL.

First of all know how to get back

As beginners we often know how to go out, way out, body drag out, rush after your board out, hello where is my coach on a shinny new jet-ski with my board out. But once you are out on your own know how to get back or have the proper support to get you back. If you have a friend you are kitting with and you know you can't get back on your own team up and take turns playing rescuer and kiter. If you are passed that stage practice under supervised conditions and make sure you can edge your way back.

So you brought your gear to the beach and you are all set to go, well the wind may not be. Beginners should not under any circumstance kite in anything but on shore or side on shore wind, because you will end up way out there very quickly with the wind at your back, with no way of getting back.

Remember responsibility is knowing your limits and getting back to where you started for another killer session the next day.

Never launch into the wind

Always launch from the edge of the wind window 9 or 3 o-clock. I.E. f you are facing a direction and the wind is blowing in your face don't set it there. If you launch the kite downwind, you will give the kite a lot of power quickly in a place where there are people or you do not have full control yet. SO DON'T DO IT.

Relax and quit your yanking

Oop another face smack! But I pulled it really hard and it didn't go. You are not fighting with the kite you are working with the kite to find the right balance between it and you and your board to get going. Yanking and muscling is really not going to help, but will just tire you out and crash your kite.Relax,it takes control, patience and practice.

Power strokes are called so for a reason

When practicing your body drags, make sure to boost outside of the water, make sure your coach is really chasing you, if you are wimpy you are not going to get anywhere. Try to have about 2 solid power strokes when getting up on the board. Here it is important to not grip the bar as this will choke the kite. Pull in on the down let out on the up, keep breathing.

Anticipate going too fast

Keep your speed down by edging and turning upwind, this will help you stay in control and reduce those fun face plants when you realize you are going to fast and can't seem to find a break on this thing.

Keep focused

Woohoo look at me SMACK!!! Make sure you know where you are, where your kite is, and where other people or riders are. Don't get distracted. Yeah its awesome, stay on top of it and it will continue to be that way.

In conclusion. I am totally hooked, I have gotten my friends hooked and people at work are sick and tired of hearing me, but its awesome. A great stress reliever, great workout, you meet a whole bunch of fun easy going people. People who are often career oriented and have interesting lives since this is a sport that requires both a cash input and dedication. You get to go to lots of exotic places and see your skills improve every time taking pictures everywhere you go.

If you have questions about other places to go, or suggestions on how to get started what gear to get, let me know, would be happy to help. Otherwise I hope you go out there and try it.

HAVE FUN!!!

Check this out and more on you-tube

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=THUeB0cFo5w

http://www.sculptr.com/product/action/view/3324/collection/459/page/1