"Robby Naish & Kitesurfing," Circa 1999

[ricki]

Came across this article from almost 8 years ago from the Honolulu Star-Bulletin. It is an intriguing read, look over some of the safety guidelines. Jumping 40 ft. or even staying upwind was a great accomplishment with the early two line LEI kites.




Photo courtesy Robbie Naish
Robbie Naish kite surfing in Kailua Bay.

High as a kite
Kite surfing gives new meaning
to 'getting air' as pioneers leap
40 feet above the waves
Tuesday, July 27, 1999

By Tim Ryan
Star-Bulletin

IMAGINE flying 40 feet in the air above large waves while traveling at blistering speed, suspended from a wing, occasionally doing 360-degree loops.

Welcome to kite surfing, Hawaii's newest water sport.

Champion windsurfer Robbie Naish, owner of Naish Hawaii in Kailua, describes the new sport as a combination of surfing, wake boarding, windsurfing "and a touch of para-gliding."

Unlike windsurfing, which requires strong winds, kite surfing can be done in flat water under light winds while still allowing huge jumps, Naish said.

Kite surfing can be done in wind as low as 5 knots or as much as 40 knots, Naish said. (At the kite surfing competition this year in Leucate, France, a number of kite surfers could maintain control in 50 knot gusts, according to news reports.)

"To me, kite surfing is a jumping sport, not something to ride waves or race," he said. "Who knows how high you can go? The sport is still in its infancy."

Continued at:
http://starbulletin.com/1999/07/27/features/story3.html