The Knysna area is a firm favourite with adventure enthusiasts – like kitesurfers – and the area is known to provide some great adrenaline-fuelled playtime!
For most holiday makers the wind usually is a mild irritation, however kite surfers keep their eyes on their anemometers (wind meters), and when the prevailing winds pick up sufficiently to propel them forward, they head outside to play.
Ultimate playground
Kitesurfing has become one of the region’s most popular extreme sports, and our ample bodies of water serve as the ultimate playground for these wind riders. It is a thrilling fusion of several disciplines such as sailing, surfing, paragliding, and windsurfing. On windy days both the Knysna Lagoon and Sedgefield’s shoreline are often peppered with the sculpted wings of colourful kites. Winds usually bring big swells and experienced kite surfers often test their limits against these unbridled elements of nature, sometimes soaring at unbelievable heights above the ocean’s restless surface.
A show to write home about
It is extremely exciting to watch. Stuart Barnes, an instructor from Life Kitesurfing with 14 years’ experience, describes this pursuit as “a wild blend of radical riding and free flying. It is the ultimate freedom.”
Accessible for most
The sport has come a long way in terms of kite design and safety and has increasingly become very accessible to young and old. All able bodied, willing humans with average health and fitness can easily access the sport if they are keen and committed. That said, kitesurfers still face the powerful and sometimes unpredictable forces of nature, which makes it a potentially risky pursuit. The risks associated with the sport can be greatly minimised if one first receives instruction from a pro. The Knysna lagoon is better suited for beginners than the open ocean and is an ideal place to start with any kind of kitesurfing instruction. For more information on the best kitesurfing spots, or to find a qualified instructor, visit www.lifekitesurfing.com / www.kitesurfingafrica.co.za.