The latest, most extreme water sport to hit the beaches of Northern Ireland! It looks like a cross between wake boarding and parachuting but is, in fact, Kite Surfing. Kite surfing is one of the fastest growing water sports in the world and adrenaline junkies all around Northern Ireland’s stunning coastline have taken up the challenge. Invented by the French but pioneered in Hawaii the rider is towed behind an over sized power kite strapped to what looks like a snow board, at speeds of up to 30 miles per hour. Besides generating speed, the power and lift of the kite enables the rider to perform breath taking jumps with acrobatic loops and spins 20 feet above the waves. Since 2000 when a handful of dedicated pioneers brought kite surfing to these shores, numbers have doubled every year as the sport’s profile grows. On fine windy days it is not unusual to see 20 or thirty kites in the sky at the more popular beaches. Northern Ireland is almost a kite surfing paradise. Aside from the temperature, wind and waves are in plentiful supply and the choice of wide sandy beaches means there’s always somewhere with ideal conditions.
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