Kite Surfing: Sainte Anne

Kite surfing is an extreme sport that combines numerous characteristics of other activities, including surfing, paragliding, wakeboarding, snowboarding and windsurfing. It is typically practiced along ocean shores and beaches, where the kite surfer utilizes wind collected by a large kite to propel themself on a kiteboard along the surface of the water. Preferred locations are open bodies of water with consistent winds ranging from 10 to 35 knots. The geographical location of Sainte-Anne, Guadeloupe makes it a hot spot for the sport. The beautiful weather, warm, turquoise waters and consistent wind speeds averaging 15 knots attract kite surfers from all around the world. The earliest records of kite surfing there are from the 1800s. A man named George Pocock utilized various sizes of kites to move both boats in water and carts on land. A control system using four fiber lines is still commonly used today.

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