While Texas is not universally known for its water sports, it does have lots of lakes and rivers – not to mention one of the longest and best coastlines in the United States. Two of the most popular destinations for those interested in water sports are Corpus Christi and South Padre Island. These two southern coastal cities have become water sports Meccas for those visiting or vacationing in Texas. One of the most popular aquatic sports, which has taken off in the past few years in these coastal towns, is kiteboarding.

What is Kiteboarding?

Kiteboarding or kitesurfing, if you don't already know, is like snowboarding on water. Which, behind a boat, is called wakeboarding. OK, now forget the boat and add a giant kite for the power source.

The kite is controlled or steered using a control bar in the hands of the rider. The kite can be flown in specific patterns to generate greater power, or it can be used to jump or fly through the air. I'm not talking about little hops either; you can really get up and float for some serious air time.

The power is directed to a harness by "hooking in." This takes the load off the arms, which helps reduce fatigue. The bar also offers a safety release that can be used to kill power in case of an emergency.

Why Kiteboarding?

Kiteboarding is the fastest-growing water sport in the world, and for good reasons. The freedom of jumping 10, 20, 30 feet off the water, without the necessity of using a wave for a ramp, means that people can go home to a lake and still fly through the air.

* Snowboarders love it as a summer alternative to riding on snow… not to mention there's no lift ticket to buy.

* Windsurfers love it because you can kiteboard in less wind, and the gear fits in an economy car instead of a van, truck, or trailer.

* Surfers can still get out on the water when the surf is too low.

* Wakeboarders can save all the gas money they were putting into their boats every weekend.

* Even people who have never tried a board sport at all are getting into kiteboarding.

Charles Nicotra, a former windsurfer-turned-kiteboarder, says that like many of his fellow kiteboarding friends, their old windsurfing gear just gathers dust or goes onto eBay. “I've heard a similar story from dozens of kitesurfers. It goes something like this: "Yeah, I used to windsurf, but then I bought my kitesurfing gear and my windsurf rig hasn't come out of the closet since."

Getting Started

Just like in any sport, when you are getting started it’s best to seek the help of a professional instructor to help you tackle the learning curve. Kiteboarding is not the kind of sport you can learn on your own. Ryan Riccitelli at South Coast Kiteboarding says, “Learning on your own is extremely dangerous. You risk the personal safety of yourself, everyone around you, and you could potentially get a location banned”. One of the best resources that we found for getting started was the free and downloadable instructional supplement form at www.southcoastkiteboarding.com. This supplemental guide includes information on choosing the right gear, maintaining your gear, techniques and more.

For more help on getting started or arranging lessons you can visit one of the shops below:

Texas Kiteboarding Guide

Air Padre Kiteboarding
5709 A Padre Blvd.
South Padre Island
email: info@airpadrekiteboarding.com
phone: 956-299-9463
www.airpadrekiteboarding.com

South Coast Kiteboarding
14610 Villa Maria Isabel
Corpus Christi
email: ryan@thekiteboarder.com
phone: 361-949-3278
www.southcoastkiteboarding.com

South Padre Island Kiteboarding, Inc.
5208 B Padre Blvd.
South Padre Island
email: bpadz@earthlink.net
phone: 956-245-8343
www.southpadreislandkiteboarding.com

THINGS TO DO IN SOUTH PADRE ISLAND

South Padre Island Music Festival
South Padre Island is known for its beautiful white sand beaches that hug the Texas coast, fishing adventures, and a multitude of other outdoor activities – including surfing, kayaking, and kiteboarding. What it hadn’t previously been known for is its music. That’s quickly changing. The inaugural South Padre International Music Festival played its first tune last November to approximately 10,000 festival goers and beach lovers. Over 60 artists, including Robert Randolph & The Family Band, Reckless Kelly, Patrice Pike, Grupo Fantasma, Robert Earl Keen and Jaguares filled the tiny island. While many people around the country are unpacking their winter clothes during the first week in November, SPI Music Fest has a canvas that’s still soaking in the rays with temperatures averaging in the high 70s. This unique and affordable musical getaway expects to grow twice its size in its second year and rock this Halloween weekend, October 31 to November 2, 2008. For more information and the most updated 2008 lineup, please visit www.spimusicfest.com.