GBF: Kite Crasher

After learning the basics of kitesurfing in Lancelin, I decided to follow my Swiss friend’s Kite Trail to Thailand and practice kiting in a new location.

We spent three weeks in  Hua Hin kiting when the wind was good and exploring the surrounding areas by motorbike on the not so windy days. Because I had already seen so much of the country during my previous visit in 2008, I didn’t feel the need to sightsee on this visit and it was nice to unpack and relax in one place and to be back in Thailand with a purpose … to improve my kitesurfing skills.

If it hadn’t been for the good wind conditions, I would not have spent more than a few days in Hua Hin. It is very touristy and overcrowded by heaps of elderly Europeans wearing way too skimpy of swimsuits!

Kitesurfing in Hua Hin proved to be a very different experience to kiting in Lancelin, where I hadn’t realized how lucky I was to kite on flat water only shared with a handful of other kitesurfers. I found the kiting scene on Hua Hin beach to be very intimidating the first few days. There were easily 50 kiters on the water on a good day and hundreds of tourists on a very narrow beach making it challenging to launch a kite. They were all so unsuspecting as they walked right into the middle of your kite lines, not realizing just how dangerous of a place they had stumbled upon! And the water was anything but flat, there were heaps of waves you had to get past before finding flatter water. As much as I cursed the waves the first day, I actually came to enjoy riding in the waves by the end of the trip!

THE GOOD

I majorly improved my kitesurfing skills! By the end of my time in Hua Hin I was able to ride upwind and I also did a few turns on my last ride.

THE BAD

I had a few bad crashes along the way.

1. I crashed Thomas’ kite very hard on the water causing the inner bladder to burst and the kite ripped. Lucky for me he is a very forgiving person and it wasn’t very expensive to repair.

2. I crashed my kite over the top of another kiter’s lines. This is very very bad. Luckily all of the really terrible things that could happen did not!

THE FUNNY

My journey to becoming a better kitesurfer.

When I wasn’t being tossed face first into the water, I was looking quite goofy as I awkwardly struggled to find my balance on the board. I liked to ask my friends how many times I made them laugh after each kiting session. They laughed alot! I am always happy to be a source of another person’s amusement.

Perhaps one of  funniest sights was Thomas carrying me upwind on a jetski so that I would be able to practice in an area with few kiters and could have a longer downwind session. It was a great idea of his that allowed me more space to practice and allowed him to get a closer look at what I was doing wrong. His suggestions and encouragement helped relieve many of my frustrations as I had a very good kiting session that day and finally rode upwind!

Many thanks to my Thomas and Stevo for the good times, tips and support! : )

You can follow their Kite Trail as they continue to kitesurf around the globe.

To see more photos of kitesurfing in Hua Hin CLICK HERE.

To see more photos around Hua Hin CLICK HERE.