My Kite Surfing Life

It all began when I first saw those colourful kites bobbing high across the sky. In sync with the wind, they seemed to play with the clouds. one would be falling and then suddenly swooping up into the air while another would be keeping a slow and steady pace. one would be graceful while another would be skittish. They effortlessly passed by each other, never colliding.

- Michelle Sky Hayward

The first time I saw those lively kites I was hooked. I remember how the riders looked so in control yet so free. They seemed to go incredibly fast across the water, yet looked so peaceful all at the same time. They were in sync with the ocean, like it was the most natural thing a person could do.

I saw Kitesurfing for the first time in the seaside village of Cannon Rocks, which is in the Eastern Cape of South Africa, just over 100km from Port Elizabeth. It is close to Alexandria, the small farming town where I grew up. I knew I had to do it. Something inside of me just knew that this was going to be my sport; this was going to be my life. With a background in gymnastics and surfing, I knew I would be able to do this. I also knew that this sport would offer the rush of adrenaline and freedom I craved. I desperately dreamt of being in sync with nature and the wind, while simultaneously be doing an extreme sport. Fast forward a few years later and there I was, sailing across the water and living my dream. My dad helped to teach me, even though he had never done it himself, but somehow, we made it work! After I was up and going on the board, my dad then learnt to do it himself. Learning to Kitesurf was such a special time in my life. Kitesurfing wasn’t that popular in Cannon Rocks in those days, particularly out of season, so there were very few local riders and I am so grateful to each and every one of them for teaching me along the way. Once I was confident in my riding, I would occasionally be the only one out on the water. It is not the safest way to Kitesurf, but there would sometimes be no one else around, and I was so addicted to this new passion of mine. There is something about being all alone on an untouched beach and in a wild sea that will stay with me for the rest of my life. That feeling of being all alone and then realising you are not alone at all when nature and the elements surround you.