Surfing high as a kite in Port Douglas

KITE-surfing is the latest extreme sports craze and, as Cathy Finch discovers, Port Douglas is an ideal place to learn.

High as a kite ... Port Douglas beach is said to be one of Australia's best for kite-surfing because of its wind angle and room to move downwind Gallery: Kite-surfing »

I AM in far north Queensland and the reef operators are scowling. It's blowing 20 to 30 knots, the waters are rough and the boats are rolling. They know it will be another green day for tourists on the reef.

My kite-surfing instructor, however, grins from ear to ear. "It's makin' me smile," says Brett. "These conditions are brilliant, they couldn't be better. Look at those guys out there on the water. What's the bet they've called in sick from work today? When the conditions are spot-on, you've just got to be out there, man. Where else would you rather be?"

Well, I want to be out there with them, but my expectations are way too high. I imagined rocking up, having a few lessons and cruising off into the sunset under a fun-filled kite. Yes, I realise I may end up in Tahiti, but surely a bronzed, muscled Tahitian man can teach me how to turn around. How bad could that be?

Kite-surfing is the latest craze in extreme sports and in the past two years has proved to be one of the world's fastest-growing water sports.

Brett explains that it generally takes two full days of kite tuition before even attaching a board to the immense power source I will be trying to control.

"It looks easy to stand on your board and hold a kite but the hardest thing is to keep you standing on the water and not flying off into a nearby park. Lofting is great fun over water but not so much fun over land."

OK. So now I'm learning some of the dangers.

"We are here to keep you safe and give you the skills," he warns. "You are learning on one of the best beaches in Australia for kite-surfing. Port Douglas beach has perfect wind angle and heaps of room downwind. Here, there's a field of palm trees, not a line of skyscrapers to run into."

Hence, I don't get to play under a 12m kite straight away. Instead I start with a 3m foil kite to get the feel of things. We sand the edges, fill the kite with air and learn about pigtails, bridles and spaghetti - the mess you have with strings if the kite hasn't been packed up correctly.

There are 20m of line between the kite and the bar and Brett ably launches this little beauty into "the power zone" then "parks" at 12 o'clock.

"When you're on the board, you might park the kite at two o'clock, hook it in and there you have it, happy days," he says, not faltering once, the kite dead steady above his head. "Now it's your turn. Just try and hold it steady at 12 o'clock."

I put on the leash, take hold of the bar and can't believe the astonishing power harnessed under the sail. Instantly, my 12 o'clock plummets to three, I bring it back, teetering between 11 and one. Of course it's my destiny. Before long I'm in a downward spiral.

I can hear the shouts. "DROP THE BAR, DROP THE BAR," but fierce determination and pride takes me flying horizontally across the water, lips flapping in the breeze.

Lesson No. 1: drop the bar and lose the power in your kite so that you don't end up faceless on the nearby reef. Besides, lessons in body dragging successfully come later.

Thankfully, by the time the lunchtime crowd starts to gather on the beach, we are trying to manoeuvre through some neat-looking aerial figure eights. My neck is cranked and my eyes are watering from gazing into the midday sun but I'm starting to have some serious fun.

Farther down the palm tree-peppered beach, several kite-surfing students go through the paces of their training in various states of elation and exhaustion. They tell me it's been a tough few days but the rewards are oceans deep.

My advice is to put aside at least three days to learn the sport.

I had an exhilarating day learning how to harness the power of the wind and ocean but I'm sure in a few more days I would have left Port Douglas beach doing my highly anticipated Double Back Rolls.

Sunday Mail (QLD)