Kite surfing is the cool new board sport, and West Wales is the cool new holiday venue for it. With our consistent wind, waves and sunshine it's no wonder that top international kitesurfers like Kirsty Jones and Ben Hanbury are based here.
Kite surfing holidays combine the exhilaration of kite flying with the adrenalin rush of surfing - you'll have fun from the first day you learn to kite surf. The learning curve of kite surfing is almost as steep as the lines up to your kite, but Kirsty Jones reckons most people will have the basics mastered in a couple of days. You begin by learning to fly the kite, then suffer the ignominy of being dragged through the shallows behind it (it's fun actually - and great for hangovers).
You then move on to combine flying the kite with standing on the board, and
after that it's up to you to follow in Kirsty's flight path, up to 20 feet
above the waves.
Kite surfing holidays provide a great opportunity to see West Wales' long golden beaches which are perfect for the world's fastest growing extreme sport. So book yourself a kite surfing holiday, sign up for a lesson now, and join the first wave of new riders.
How & where
Kite surfing holidays are the latest craze to hit West Wales - check out the operators in the list to the right for places to kite surf.
There is no need to worry about what equipment to bring on your kite surfing holiday as all of your equipment will be supplied (apart from wetsuits, which can be hired locally). Fully qualified instructors will teach you the basics of both flying the kite and surfing the board over a couple of days. Lessons are usually in small groups of two-four people, or on a one-to-one basis, and cost from £150 for two days (more for individual instruction).
Top Tips
Even though kite surfing holidays are available all year, summer is obviously the best time for weather, but visit in spring and autumn and you'll avoid the crowds. And in autumn the sea can still be relatively warm.
The great thing about kite surfing holidays is that even if the weather isn't playing ball, that's no reason to give kite surfing a miss. You're gonna get soaked through and windblown anyway!
More info
Check out the
British kite surfing
Association's website.