Kite Surfing History

Kite surfing is a sport that was started in the 1990s but uses technology that dates back to the 13th century when there is evidence that the Chinese used them to aid with transportation. Many men over the years spent time creating devices so people could use kites for movement in both forward and upward motions. Several milestone inventions paved the path to the creation of kite surfing.

  1. George Pocock

    • In the 1800s, George Pocock borrowed technologies used by the Chinese for centuries to create kites that aided mobility. He initially used these kites to help wagons and carts move quicker. At the time there was a horse tax, which taxed the use of horses, so using the kites eliminated the tax. This kite design inspired the design that is used for kite surfing. In 1826 he patented his invention.

    Samuel Cody

    • Years after George Pocock, Samuel Cody became the first man to cross the English Channel using a kite. In 1903, Cody, an aviation engineer and inventor, manned a small boat that used only a kite to propel it. He used kites that he designed that could lift a man off the ground.

    Kevlar Development

    • When Kevlar was created in the 1970s, the world of kite usage opened up because Kevlar is a lightweight material that made the flying lines lighter. The lighter lines weighed the kite down less, so the kite flew with just wind resistance and the kite flyer had more control. This spawned a new generation of sports, and people began using kites with things from canoes to roller skates.

    Kite Skiing

    • Inventor Dieter Strasilla created kite skiing, which eventually inspired kite surfing. Strasilla was from Germany and experimented with parachutes and skis. His designs began in the 1970s and continued to develop into the 1980s. He figured out how to ski uphill using his parachute skiing methods, and he also gained control of the kite so he could be airborne when he wanted.. Strasilla and his friend Andrea Kuhn then used surfboards with the kites and created kite surfing.

    Kite Surfing

    • In the early 1990s two Americans developed a patented system of kite skiing. These men, father and son duo Bill and Corey Roeseler, created the "KiteSki." This was little more than water skis and a kite with a brake. Once this was complete, they worked on using a surfboard with this kite. In 1996, Laird Hamilton and Manu Bertin, professional surfers, started kite surfing and popularized the sport.