Killer Dana: 15 Days of Freedom

I just had 15 days of vacation. Read: 15 days of freedom; freedom to go wherever I want and to do whatever I want. No need to wake up at 6:30 in the morning, no need to rush and to worry about an endless to-do list; just the pleasure to take my time and start my day with my cup of hot chocolate, thinking: ”Ok, should I go surfing? Or kiting?” (and frankly, I don’t have enough of these days).

I wish I could tell you that I traveled to a great place and surfed epic waves that would make any surfer jealous. But I decided to stay home instead, and to go kiteboarding every single day. And I was lucky enough to have 15 days of wind. No jokes. My surfer friends don’t understand why I’m so much into kiteboarding… some of them even tell me with a grin that I’m “lost”, and that nothing will ever save me from this obsession. They’re probably right, since I only go surfing when the wind is down.

But I guess sometimes you can really have too much of a good thing: the combination of wind, salt and sun burnt my eyes so badly, I had to stay out of the water for 3 days, with eyes so red and sore I could barely keep them open.

But I’m not going to write a whole blog about 15 days of kiteboarding. Showing you what it was like is, I think, a better idea.

The ever-smiling Torea. I’ve never seen this guy not smiling. Not even once. He is always keen to go kiteboarding and surfing, whatever the conditions. Torea is one of the guys doing the most impressive high jumps and getting the deepest, most perfect barrels. However, he’ll always tell you how great your tricks were and how good your last wave was, never talking about himself, but always making sure to give you some advice to help you out. A great guy with a big heart.

Fetia (meaning “star” in Tahitian) always hangs out on the beach, following her surfer/kiteboarder/windsurfer owner, Isa, wherever she goes. It’s always fun to have a puppy to play with between sessions.

That is where you’ll find me most of the time. This kiteboarding spot has flat water and waves, thus suiting every riding style.

We had a few days of rain. The good thing about it is that you always end up kiting with rainbows – magic moments that stay in your mind forever.

The local kids often come to the beach to look at the guys kiting. They stay there for a few minutes, yelling and laughing, then turn their heads and keep riding their bikes along the beach.

Sometimes I envy my friends because they’re incredibly good, and I’m not there yet. But it’s a great motivation… they are the ones who make me want to become better at my sport. I love them all.

Probably my favorite time of the day; when the wind goes down and everybody packs back in the sunset light, talking about the last few hours of fun. Usually, a few beers follow.