The scene is the South Shore of Kauai, a remote surf spot. Dawn patrol, a surfer paddles out and rips for 2 1/2 hours. The scene is Diamond Head on Oahu, the same day. A windsurfer sails out at 3:00PM and dominates the action for two hours. The scene is Kailua Beach on the East Side of Oahu, the same day. A kiteboarder sails out at 6:00PM and gets major air for 1 1/2 hours.

What do these events have in common?

Robby Naish; just another day for this professional boardrider. The surfing on Kauai, that was for a photo shoot. The windsurfing at Diamond Head, he owns the place and he caught it good. The kiteboarding in Kailua, this is his new passion and Robby is leading the charge.

In 1979, Kailua was the place to be for windsurfing. It was the best place to learn; it had great wind and a community of sailors. The sport boomed. Robby was 16, the World Champion, there were 7 windsurf shops in Kailua and on a good day the bay was filled with windsurfers. I can remember standing on the beach in Kailua in 1982 and a group of Euro's walked up to me with strong accents and asked, "where is Robby?" In their minds, as with millions of people throughout the world, they had linked windsurfing with Kailua and Robby.

That was then and this is now. Robby is presently on sabbatical from the windsurf tour, long gone are the crowds of windsurfers, and there is only one windsurf shop in town.

In 1999, Kailua is still a fun place to windsurf with a slalom board and a big sail, and it is the spot for kiteboarding on Oahu. Again, it is the best place to learn; it has great wind and a community of sailors. The attraction, in a word, is air. Stunt or sport kites have been around for years. Just recently the kites have been made to float and the sport is booming. Again the attraction is air, as in up in the air and staying in the air. The power of the kite combined with lightness of a board that is a cross between a surfboard/wakeboard/skim board and the fact that the sail is not attached to the board makes for jumps of up to 100 meters and loops upon loops.

The kites ranges from 3 square meters to 9 square meters, the control lines are 30 meters in length and getting air does not require waves or high winds. Twelve knots of wind, a 9 square meter sail, a slight little bump or chop and you are flying.
Air, extreme sports seem to be centered on the pursuit of air. In Robby's words, "there is no other sport that has the capacity for getting air as kiteboarding, short of jumping out of a plane."

If you desire more air, are in great shape, are eager to learn, have good body awareness, and realize the need for safety than this sport is for you.

Air
In dead flat water with 20 knots of wind a skilled kiteboarder can do any and all of the tricks performed by a wake boarder or a windsurfer. On any given day in Kailua, when windsurfers are content to plane on an occasional gust, kite boarders are performing radical jumps and loops galore. On a good day anywhere, with 15 to 20 knots of steady wind the elite kite boarders are performing at a level never seen before. In short, kiteboarding is providing elite athletes like Robby the opportunity to redefine the term extreme. At a recent kiteboarding promotion in Lake Garda, Robby jumped over a boatload of Italian onlookers. Needless to say the Italians were impressed and emotional with this display of "air."

In the words of Darrell Wong, "I've shot of pictures of Robby since the beginning. I haven't seen him this stoked in a long time. Kiteboarding has rejuvenated him and revitalized his passion for speed and air. Kiteboarding is about going really fast, jumping really high and getting insane air."

In the words of Des Walsh, "I've para-glided over Kailua Bay, I've raced catamarans all over it and I've windsurfed it on the best days ever. Kiteboarding is right up there with these activities for fun, excitement, the feeling of speed and the ability to get air. The potential of this sport is amazing. Recently, in 12 knots of wind with a 9.0 kite, I did a double spin move. Unlike windsurfing a 9.0 kite does not feel awkward like sailing with a huge sail. Plus, the advantage of kiteboarding over para-gliding is the freedom to let it out. In para-gliding I feel like I'm the designated driver, always focused on safety and playing it safe. In kiteboarding, given that it's water, I feel confident in my ability to push my limits and still be safe. Right now, I'm caught up in the excitement, the more I kiteboard the more stoked I get."

In the words of John Bilderback, "Des Walsh is amazing. I've seen kite surfers before but his level of control, and the ease with which he jumped over my head, drove home how different, and in some ways superior this new sport really is. And following in the tradition of Robby Naish, he is a humble, personable guy with no attitude whatsoever. That always magnifies someone's greatness to me. I hope he makes big bucks and gets recognized."