We are counting down the last few weeks here in Port Douglas and man are we getting antsy! The beach has been closed down because they spotted a few salt water crocs in the area. Also, just the other day, a manatee washed up on shore after it had been attacked by a shark! Have I mentioned that Australia's wildlife is CRAZY!?
Anyways, I have been fortunate enough to FINALLY have the opportunity to learn how to kite board. John and I took the first class when we were in St.Kilda in Melb. Almost any day of the week you can see kite surfers on 4 mile, but it was always too expensive for us. ($680 for all 3 lessons!). However, my friend Chell (she works at Zinc too), her boyfriend is finishing his kite board instructor class, and he has to teach all three lessons as the final process in his licensing. Lucky for me, its pro-bono, and after having expressed my interest, Chell had asked me if I wanted to join her in this free venture. How could I resist?
The first hour we learned how to control and steer the trainer kite. He quickly got us onto the bigger kites, before strapping us into a belt and having us on a full size leading edge. The rest of the day we spent on safety, both in and out of the water. Not going to lie, I wanted to scratch my eyeballs out in boredom, but I made sure to take everything seriously and pay close attention. We got distracted for a moment by an army of blue soldier crabs, but things got more exciting as we ended the day attempting body drags.
Second day we went over safety again, and then body drags. Let me explain how we are rigged to this 14 meter kite. We wear a belt that has a metal ring on it. On that ring the kite is attached by another loop (the chicken loop) and a harness. The bar you steer with is on the main lines, which is what is attached to your loop. Technically, my waist is what the kite is attached too, and my hands just steer it. Downwind body dragging is when you lay in the water and let the kite pull you. It’s a lot of work trying to control this massive kite so we spent a lot of time doing this. Every once in a while, we got yanked out of the water when we changed kite direction, but this is the best way to learn about kite control and maneuvering.
The third day we did more body drags and eventually made it to up-wind body dragging. Not nearly as fun as downwind; up wind is only necessary for when you are kite surfing and lose your board, and need to swim up wind to get it. It’s pretty awful...water is constantly going over your head, and it’s next to nearly impossible to not swallow gallons. However, Chell and I were very successful in our attempts, so luckily, we didn’t spend long on these.
The fourth day, it was just me. Chell had to work, so I got to spend the day with just Dan, learning how to get on the board. Not as easy a task as it may seem. I most definitely succeed on getting on it, however, I had some troubles staying up. It was quite a rush having the kite pull me with so much force. It was lots of fun actually, but painful too. Face plant after face plant; I kept on going till sunset.
All in all... I’m addicted! I owe an incredibly huge THANK YOU to Dan, our fabulous teacher. He loves what he does so much, and I appreciate more than anything your time and kite that you loaned out to me for the few days we were on the water. And with that said...Chell, thank you for inviting me to join you! I loved the time we got to spend together, and I hope to share my continuing kite boarding experiences with you and Dan. See you in Cabarete, DP!