to launch a kite on your own you have
to use a kind of anchor, or at least a
rope tied to something heavy, and
since the beaches in Malta are quite
small this can be a bit dangerous,
especially if you are alone. Usually,
I do not make specific plans to meet
up with other kitesurfers but I always
seem to find someone practicing the
sport whenever I go. Unfortunately
there is no Kitesurfing Club yet in
Malta; however you can always find
the same group of people kitesurfing
here and there. There are quite a
few people in Malta who have tried it
out, however it is only a few who are
still practicing it regularly.
What
makes
kitesurfing
more
challenging than windsurfing?
R.V.: I do not personally t hink it is
more challenging than windsurfing;
however they are different from
each other. For windsurfing you need
to have windier conditions than for
kitesurfing. What makes kitesurfing
more challenging in Malta is the
lack of space, as for kitesurfing you
need at least 30m of beach to open
your lines, whereas for windsurfing
you can go off the rocks. In Malta,
especially in summer when the
beaches are packed, we have to
find our own solutions as to how to
launch the kite and where to land
it, as there are the swimmers only
zones in use as well. I would say
kitesurfing is more of a winter sport,
at least in Malta.
Is Malta an
kitesurfing?
ideal
location
for
R.V.: Malta is ideal yes, as it is an
island and you can get all the wind
directions in different locations.
There is no ‘best’ beach, as it mostly
depends on the wind direction, but
the most ideal beach for learning
especially, is (Ghadira) Mellieha
Bay, simply because it is the largest
beach on the island. My favourite
beach has to be Riviera Bay, which is
one of the hardest places to kitesurf
in Malta, as when the wind is strong
very big waves form there. You can
use these waves as a makeshift ramp
to push you up, and you can time the
jump with the kite together with the
wave so you get really high jumps.
However, this is best to attempt if
you are skilled in the sport and you
are an experienced rider.
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