It's really very simple to understand why Windsurfing is such a huge sport here on the island of Barbados. Year round, we are affected by the southeast trade winds, which vary very little and tend to maintain wind speeds of about twenty knots.
The weather in Barbados throughout the year is generally warm and sunny with many great waves. Barbados has been named in the top ten windsurfing locations in the world and annually we host two major international competitions; the Barbados Cup and the Professional Windsurfing Association's Silk Cut Purple Wave Grand Prix, both of which are attended by the top Windsurfers in the world. Our very own local windsurfing celebrity, "De Action Man" himself, Brian Talma has done a great deal for the sport. He has participated in Windsurfing world tours and always promotes our island wherever he goes. He is a sports ambassador for Barbados and for Windsurfing in general. Brian Talma also promotes the sport right here at home always trying to rally support for Windsurfing events and even offers teaching lessons to visitors and locals alike.
Like any other sport, it's important to get and keep the youth involved if the sport is ever going to last. One-way to get the younger generations involved is to make it incredibly exciting and Brian sure does a great job of that. Along with Windsurfing, there's another sport that has recently "taken off" in Barbados, perhaps we can describe it as Windsurfing's extremist younger cousin, Kite surfing. Kite surfing is much like Windsurfing in that it's a combination of sailing and surfing, but with a large kite rather than a sail. The Kite surfer is attached to the board in much the same way a windsurfer is and the kite is then attached to his or her arms. Therefore, the only thing attaching the kite to the board is the person.
Kite surfing takes a bit more upper and core body strength to keep everything in control and as you would imagine, kite surfers lift off the water quite a bit more often than windsurfers do. However, Kite surfing is not all glory. When a kite surfer goes down, it's much more difficult to get back up.
Both Windsurfing and Kite surfing can be loads of fun not to mention a fantastic workout. So for anyone who's looking for a great adventure while on holiday or just looking for something to excite the weekend, check out Windsurfing and Kite surfing in Barbados.
Or just head south for one of the international competitions and see how the pros do it!
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