IN The Air

By Ara Jansen


More and more West Australians are embracing kiteboarding and it’s proving to be an exciting sport suitable for young and older men and women.


If there’s one thing that Perth is known for it’s the wind. You can almost set your watch to the Fremantle Doctor and the breezes.


Darren Marshall is one guy who never complains that the wind is up because it’s perfect for one of the favourite things in his life – kiteboarding.


“People hate the wind in Perth unless they have a good use for it,” says Darren. “Once they take up kiteboarding, they become wind fanatics.”


If you’ve seen people off the coast skimming across the waves seemingly attached to a kite but definitely not hang gliding, then you’ve seen a kiteboarder or a kitesurfer. And the sight of them is becoming more and more common.

Darren, like many others, was a surfer before he became a kiteboarder. When he discovered it, he liked the fact that the winds were more regular and predictable than the waves.

The 42-year-old Sydneysider followed the wind to Perth in 2004 and since then has been one of its biggest promoters and supporters. Darren’s company teaches kiteboarding, runs a kiteboarding store in Scarborough and somewhere in between family commitments also manages to catch the wind and waves at least a few times a week.

Between November and January are the best times to get out on the water and pretty much be guaranteed ideal conditions – a stiff 18 – 25 knot breeze. Darren’s favourite spots include kiteboarding at Cottesloe, Scarborough, Safety Bay, Lancelin, Carnarvon, Geraldton, Augusta and Margaret River.

In recent years, developments in technology have meant that kiteboarding is no longer just a sport for big strapping blokes. In fact, women are taking it up in large numbers because it builds strength and has a high fun factor.

“It used to be a very bloke-oriented sport, attracting 25 – 35 year old single males. Now we have people in their 60s, teens and many more women. The biggest growth area is with women. Instead of just sitting on the beach and watching, they’re doing it too.

“It’s not like surfing, which is very solitary. Kiteboarding is the sort of sport where you rely on a bit of assistance and it brings people together. The business throws family days too so that also helps build the community.”

What’s attractive to newcomers and is driving up participation rates is that you don’t have to wait 10 years to become good or even just competent.
“The kites have become very light and easy to control and you can have little muscle and no fitness and really enjoy it at a high level straight away. With a few lessons, in a couple of weeks you can be riding and jumping.”

Always keen for a new challenge, Darren has also started teaching people to stand up paddle (SUP). He says it’s also something which takes no time to learn. If you can stand, walk and use a broom, then you’re mostly set.


www.australiankiteboarding.com.au