Kite Boarding!

On the northern coast of the Dominican Republic, there is a beach called La Cabarete, where the winds blow at 15-30 km/h on a regular basis. This makes it ideal for kite boarding. In fact, the World Championships are held there regularly. In the US the best place is apparently on a river in the Northwest where there is a regular wind. This is how it works. The kite boarder has a para chute -like "kite" which he is attached to by wearing a harness. The kite catches the wind and depending upon how the participant uses the wind (he has a surfboard with holders to slip his feet into) to do his tricks. This fellow is in the midst of a flip. Others flew into the air, held up by the kite. We marveled at the aerobatics and ingenuity of the boarders. Incidentally, you can see a fellow in the water who has a yellow video camera. We didn't appreciate this at first, and saw one boarder after another skim across the ocean toward him and then do their flips and twists, sometimes almost hitting him. When he finally got out of the water, he explained that he was filming for UTube and Extreme sports.
You might wonder how to get started in this sport. Lessons are given over several hours. And for $500+ USD you can learn how, the price includes the instruction, the kite and board and the insurance. We asked if that insurance was for the equipment and the body or just the equipment. Sorry, just the equipment.