MANY WINDSURFERS HAVE CHANGED THEIR SAIL AND SPANKER BOOM FOR A KITE AND A SMALL CONTROL HANDLE. OTHERS ALTERNATE BOTH SPORTS, BUT THE TRUTH IS, KITESURF IS IN FASHION.

The appearance of kitesurf on the planet's coasts seems to be the end of the reign of windsurf as a popular way to have fun with the wind and the sea. But this does not mean that windsurfing is a sport in danger of extinction, it is just a matter of tastes; although the decrease in the demand of windsurf could result in the reduction in prices of equipment.

Some 10 years ago, the idea of flying over the sea with a kite and a board stuck to the feet, to land in the water, had not even been born. Everyone who tries it gets "hooked", because the sensations are truly amazing, according to the best windsurfers who have tried it.
Kitesurf or flysurf or was born some seven years ago, invented by the French. Some amateurs decided to envolve buggies (carts with wheels) that moved over the sand thanks to the impulse from a large kite. Then they modified it and added air chambers to the kite so that it would not sink in the water, whereas the carts or traditional large boards were replaced by other smaller and lighter ones. Thus flysurf was born, a sport which, in only seven years, has obtained a massive succes, unthinkable for windsurf or other water sports.
This is due to three factors mainly: on the one hand, it is cheaper than the other disciplines; secondly, it is much easier to learn and to acquire a certain skill with a few hours dedication; and finally, with a bit of wind (force 2 and up) one can begin to move with the board, although it depends on the type of kite being used.

Wipika kite, with four lines or strings, is the one that allows movement with this minimun wind, but some consider it to be too large. However, the importance does not lie in the speed in kitesurf, but mre in the sensations. The comments most often heard are of the type: "the silence when you rake off from the sea is awesome"; "you discover new movements and variants of these movements every day"; "in no time at all I have gone from being a beginner to doing pirouettes in the air"; it is really easy going because you don't have to use a sail or a mast, which limit your movements"... All these comments and sensations are what is making this peculiar sailing method popular around de world. However, it is not that easy to learn to sail with a kite that has 25 to 30 metres of lines, thus, the experts recommend taking some initiation lessons for some 150 euros, that are already being given on the Costa del Sol. We must take into account that we have to know how to control the kite, turn with the board, brake, glide and finally, to jump; but it is not strictly necessary to have practised any similar sport before. This new sport combines knowledge of different sport disciplines that have to do with sailing and the use of wind. Thus, tricks from hang-gliding, kite flying, surf, windsurf and water-ski can be applied; this is an all-in-one that lets you go beyond all the others.

Costa del Sol and kitesurf
The Costa del Sol has the features and the right wind for practising this sport, as there is usually a wind varyind from force 8 to 12. When there is a gusty wind or a strong east wind, it is best not to go out, at least for beginners.
Keep in mind that these winds can reach up to 30 knots, thus it is indispensable to have a perfect control of the handle, the kite and the board. The 160 kilometres of beaches of the Costa del Sol allow us to choose between a quiet beach or one that is full of windsurfers, surfers and kitesurfers.
It is best to keep some 60 metres away from the bathing area and we will need an open area to fly the kite and to go into the sea. Thus, we cannot practise kitesurf in busy places, but when this happens, there are always the reservoirs, where in addition to having a strong enough wind, there is also enough room. Málaga has two that meet these requirements: the Guadalhorce reservoir or El Chorro and the La Viñuela reservoir.

Adrenaline highs
Of all the sensations that can be experienced with this "invention", the most spectacular is that of flying. There are jumps that can vary from 3 to 5 metres, and even 15 metres, which the more experienced surfers achieve with large kites, be they inflatable or hang gliding type. The pull that these types of kites provide causes such and adrenaline high that all one can do is let oneself be carried away to jumps of up to 25 metres long, at a dizzying height, this sould never be done close to the shore, as the fall could hurt us. At that distance from the sea, the perspective of this sport changes and it seems that we are hang glinding. In fact, the control handle has a brake in case we do not want to go so high or so fast; but, we may not ever want to use it.