Also loves chocolate!

Interviewsonweb

Dilsiri Welikala is one of the top adventure sports persons in Sri Lanka, whose passion for sports has taken him to all corners of the island. Whether water-sporting in the north, east coast, south or west coast, or biking in the mountains, he thrives in the adrenalin rush. Sri Lanka’s first IKO (International Kiteboarding Organization) certified instructor and writer to Travel Lanka magazine, Dilsiri spoke of his love for sport and gave advice to avid sportsmen and women.

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What is your passion in life?
Adventure sports, particularly water sports, is my greatest passion. Anything to do with rivers and the sea gives me a great high. I not only kitesurf, dive and surf, but also hit the rivers to kayak and even snorkel in Sinharaja and Kithulgala.

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What made you take up Kitesurfing?
It was a natural progression. I started bodyboarding when in school. Then was introduced to diving the world of extreme sport. When I heard about a kite camp way back in 2008 I collect all the money I had and went for it. I was hooked and life was never the same.

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Where do you Kitesurf and which is your favourite place and why?
I have kitesurfed all over Sri Lanka. It is paradise. We were the first people to kitesurf in Jaffna and quite recently I was the first to kitesurfing on the Adams Bridge in the Palk Strait. Sri Lanka is a special place for the sport, every location I kitesurfed gave me a new thrill, a new experience. Jaffna was pretty raw, Mannar was a discovery, Arugam Bay and Okanda heavenly, the South Coast, Mirissa and even Mount Lavinia and Kalpitiya just breathtaking! Its epic Kiting in Sri Lanka.I have kitesurfed all over Sri Lanka. It is paradise.

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What technicalities should you learn in Kitesurfing? Is it safe?

Kitesurfing is an extreme sport and you must learn through proper certified instructors. The International Kiteboarding Organization (IKO) is a world renown organization that offers structures lessons. I would recommend that you learn through IKO accredited instructors. In Sri Lanka there are a few Instructors. I became Sri Lanka’s first IKO instructor and now teach during the weekends.

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Who have you met in your Kitesurfing sessions?
Tons! From countries like the Andaman Islands to Reunion Islands, Japanese Indians to Indo Dutch nationals. Mixed, varied and fun. People who quit their regular jobs to pursue following the wind to those whose entire families are kiting buffs!

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What other sports do you do?
Biking, Surfing, Kayaking, Stand Up Paddle Surfing, Bodyboarding, Diving…gone are the days when I played boring sports like Rugby, Hockey and Soccer (smile).

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How do you balance sport, work and personal life?
Working at MAS is pretty cool. The culture supports my way of life. I usually do all the sports during weekends and balance it off quite well. I am a follower of Jesus and have not forgotten the need to have a balance spiritually as well. Sports like surfing and kiting actually help make one more spiritual and you are with nature and closer to creation!

I am now on a mission to use the sport of surfing to change communities for the better. I am working with the local ‘beach boys’ – my brothers in Mount Lavinia and teach them how surfing can be used to generate a good income. If you want to be part of it buzz me.

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How does sport help you in life?
Sports have thought me many things; Leadership, teamwork and understanding team dynamics, working towards a goal, courage, how to celebrate victory and accept defeat and the list goes on.

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Sports also taught me how to change lives. Sports; be it just a simple walk to a hill or a paddle on a boat, opens the eyes of people to the rich world we have around us. Their lives become a bit more colourful.

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What advice do you have for Sri Lankans who wish to do serious sporting as a hobby?
Just go for it. Have a dream and pursue it. However remember in Sri Lanka unless you play cricket, the other sports don’t have it easy even if you go to the highest of levels. So I would recommend that you get qualified in a profession. Do your studies, do your degrees or diploma’s. If you can manage a day job whilst doing sport that’s the best way forward in Sri Lanka. At least until all sports are recognized.

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What advice do you have for visitors to Sri Lanka on sporting holidays?
It’s epic in Sri Lanka. It’s an all year round destination for sports. However remember quality cost money. So don’t sacrifice quality for a few rupees. I think our lives are more important than that.

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From: http://interviewsglobal.wordpress.com/2011/10/08/dilsiri-welikala-sri-lankas-renowned-adventure-sports-person/

Refreshingly Sri Lanka, just as in the advertisement! Kite, surf and discover

I don’t even know anymore when and how the idea came up to travel Sri Lanka. I heard a lot of things about it- everybody I to, told me different things. Wind, no wind, dangerous, friendly people, many animals, empty and endless beaches, kiteschool on the east coast, the guidebooks tell us Kitesurfing is on the westcoast,amazing surf, slow travelling, rainy season or not- time to find out all those things myself.
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Once arrived in the airport we went straight to Negombo, 10km away from the airport , our first contact to local transportation, which turns out to be super super cheap but which requires a bit of patience as well. Kite and discover country and people that’s the plan. Not very well prepared, but open for surprises and what ever comes up, we are quite flexible in our travelplans- actually there is none. All we got is a map and a quite old guidebook, some tipps of all the Boracaypeople who visited in the last few weeks and a couple of local telephone numbers thanks to KTA, who wants to do a tourstop here in May, which Stephan should check out.
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Nice to be back to warm climate and exotic, but spicy food. First stop for us is the fishmarket in Negombo- colourful women, which were supposed to smoke cigars (but they didn’t) and all kind of fish that you can imagine, tons of fish getting dried in the sand on the beach and busy fishermen coming in with their catch of the day and cleaning up their nets.

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My boardbag got lost and shame for the airline we can’t not wait to get to the spot, so they have to bring my kite to wherever we end up- and they won’t have been happy when they got to know where we ended up. Out travel brought us straight to Kalpitiya- a place in the middle of nowhere, but an amazing place which will always stay in memory, also the travelling there. First lesson Sri Lanka: Local buses are slow, very slow- maximum speed allowed is 60km/h, but normally the road is so bad or the bus is so full with people who hop in and out, that you make max. 30km/h distance. So it took us long- a couple of bus changes and we found the kitemekka and an idyllic place called Kite Kuda with many lagoons and endless beaches for long downwinders and a group of people, all loving the same: kiting.

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6 basic bungalows without windows and doors, actually more a roof to be covered by rain and enough for what you need with an amazing view in the middle of the sanddunes.From your bed you see the stars and listen to the howling wind. Our home for the next few day- kite, eat, sleep, perfect to relax and a very amazing crew taking care of the place. Thanks to Leo and Mischi and Dilsiri, who showed us all the surrounding kiteplaces as Fabio lagoon on an awesome downwinder and Puttalam lagoon on a very special daytrip. Thanks also to Stephan with his VW bus to take us around for the trip.

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If you are a kiter and going to Sri Lanka- don’t miss to join one of the islandhopping trips in Putalam lagoon with loads of space and countless kitespots. The wind is on every day and the lagoon just next to Kite Kuda offers perfect training conditions. Beginners are up on the board within a couple of hours. Shallow warm water and constant wind and we get motivated to learn new things.
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New schools and resorts will start in the next few year here for sure. Evenings are filled with delicious buffets of the chefs Leo and Mischi, bonfires, rumcoke and chats about the latest tricks learnt. Almost the end of the season and the weekend fills up with expats who ve been living here for more then 20 years, who didn’t leave the country because of war or tsunami and who went through all the difficulties and run a health gym or produce t-shirts or kites for Core and North and paragliders for U-Turn.

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Time to say good bye from a place where we will definitely return and thanks to Stephan to take our kiteluggage by VW to Negombo- it would have been a hassle travelling in those local busses, where are double amount of people that fit are squeezed in. Stephan showed patience travelling with me, who gets easily bored after sitting squeezed for hours in a bus and comes up with funny questions that need to be googled at night. I leave out the T-Shirt story in detail, but every pant is stitched by 8 tailors and a bra by 11 people (nothing automatic J) and there are as many sign languages as languages worldwide, which means someone german does not use the same sign language someones uses here- thanks to Mr. Google, important things that one should know.
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I don’t know how many busses but we ended up somewhen after 8 hoursin the middle of teaplantation in the mountains in the highest city of Sri Lanka 1800 m in Nuwara Eliya. We are very open in our travel plans and decided to skip Adams Peak, although the weather would have been cold but wonderful for a climb in the night, cause the hike starts at 1 am to be on top for sunrise. Next trip…. We realized you can not see all in 2 weeks, you have to pick!

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We joined the teapluggers in Nuewa Eliya and visited a teafactory. Sri Lanka is the biggest tea exporter world wide. One factory produces 2500 kg of tea each day and there are 325 factories in the country. Green tea and black tea are made from the same leaves, just manufacturing is different. From the bush to the packed tea ready for the tea auction in Colombo it takes 24 hours only.
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Best thing to visit the are with a spectacular train ride through beautiful nature of jungle, teaplantation, mountains and waterfalls and ended up in a small town called Ella, a paradise for hikers and outdoorfans and the night ended pretty relaxed with a beer in one of the many nice bars- truly a backpackerplace and more and more tourists are coming told us the locals, happy about it.

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From Ella we tried to find our way to Arugam Bay, famousfor Surfers on the east cost of Sri Lanka. Just 6 km outside of town we hopped out of the bus as the 6^th highest waterfall of the world waited for a climb. Monkeys were playing in the water and we made our way up to the different pools and enjoyed a refreshing swim- definitely worth the climb.
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So happy to get a change from the local busses as a truckdriver offered to take us to Wellawaya to catch the bus from there to Arugam. I don’t know how the hours were passing in the busses, half sleeping I got awake by Stephan being super excited by seeing wild elephants and from time to time roadsigns: Take care, elephants passing. We found a very special place to stay in a treehouse and definitely a break from all those long busrides- “day off tomorrow” with scootertour to the different surfspots like crocodile and elephant rock with big beachbreaks and Pottuvil point, one of the best spots to surf in the whole country. 7 years ago the Tsunami destroyed the whole area and everywhere are signs showing the way where to run in case another Tsunami is hitting. Very strange feeling. We ended up in Arugam for a sunset surf- where it gets pretty busy and 30-40 people share the beginner waves.

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Super happy that we got some we ended up with an incredible BBQ of Beach hut. The difference of kiters and surfers got obvious for us- 5 am all the surfers are up to go for their first session. The Muezzin woke us up with sunrise anyway and even us made it next morning for the first bus direction back to Wellawaya. We finally wanted to see some animals and decided to go on one of the Safaris in Yala Nationalpark. 6 hours and a sore butt we arrived in Tissa, the starting point for Safaris and still ín travelmode we booked a jeep right away for the afternoon safari. Beautiful landscape and after a while we discovered elephants playing in a pool, waterbuffalos, monkeys, many different birds, crocs, wild pics, just the bears and leopards we couldn’t discover. After a beautiful sunset and a safari definitely worth the money we ended up in one of the local restaurants with Kottu Roti, a noodlelike dish mixed with veggies and whatever, a bit spicy but yumm. The restaurant owner gave us a short cookinglesson and we definitely will try ourselves preparing at least some of the things.
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Used to travelling one of our last stops brought us to Mirissa in the south- a very relaxed beach with big shore break also surfable and cute fishrestaurants on the beach and very few travelers. We expected a maximum 4 hours busride for our last day, but it took us again 8 hours on our last day to find our way back to Negombo- new speed record for 200 km I would say. Worst traffic and slow busses. But soon this will change as they build a speedtrain just along the coast, which will bring definitely loads more tourists who stuck so far in Unawatuna and Bentota.

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Back in Negombo we were very happy to meet Mischi , Stephan and Holger with his wife again. An amazing dinner in “Tusker” a restaurant owned by a Belgian closed my amazing trip. Thanks to travelmate Stephan for sharing countless hours in the busses, hikes, spiciest and who still continue 3 more days before going back to Boracay, he will for sure enjoy the silence without me and I m curious if he is healed by busriding or if he continous 3 more days discovering Sri Lanka??!!

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Anyway thanks to all the amazing people we met on our way and who made that trip fantastic- Dilsiri, Leo and Mischi, Stephan- thanks for all your hospitality and support.There are many many more places to see in Sri Lanka, I only chose a handful and will be definitely be back. Fingers crossed for all your projects and keep me updated until I am back! This beautiful place is on the top of the list and I ll see you soon!
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Full article with pictures on Kathrin Borgwardt's Blog:
http://kathrinborgwardt.blogspot.com/2011/10/refreshingly-sri-lanka-just-as-in.html#!/2011/10/refreshingly-sri-lanka-just-as-in.html

Stephan Hertig writes about Lanka Kitesurfing

Time has come to say good bye to Sri Lanka.. I had a great time here and would like to thank all the people along our way thru Sri Lanka.

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We had a seriously good time here with lots of good people who helped us and gave us a lot of tips and hints where to go and what to see... as we did not really plan much ahead. I think that is the best way of travel, to listen to the locals and not to guidebooks only, specially if u like to see some real people and not just the once that are focused on tourism and money.

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So first of all thx to Mischi for the great hospitality and time here at his home in Negombo and at Kite Kuda. Has been great to see u again after so many years... it's been a while since we learned to kite in Costa Rica.

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The to Dilsiri, Leo and Mike for the great time in Kite Kuda and the special treatment, the downwinders, the flat water lagoon sessions and good nights at the bonfire. U guys been a great help to our trip as well.

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Good luck wt all ur projects and i will be back for sure ((-; and hey... not to forget my travel mate Kathrin, has been some great travels, relaxed and slow riding bus rides, some hikes and always good choices for dinner... enough bus ride for the whole year now. I also send some special thx to Google to solve our funny question problems that came to our minds while sitting for hours in the busses. u can find some of them in the did u know sections of my last few blogs...

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Off to Hong Kong tonight, to meet up wt Cabrinha and Neil to discuss the new KTA season and i got a new neardy baby waiting for me there.. (-: i'm officially Mac'ified as well as all my new toys for the water aiaaiaiiaiii... ready to test em out on Boracay!

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..btw did u know that there are nearly as many different sign languages as our normal spoken one. This question came up on a random bus ride where we seen two guys talking to each other in sign language.. we ask our selfs if we would understand them if we could speak the German sign language.

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sooo long and good time last forever in my memories.

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Peace out

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Stephan

Family Affair - Kiting Cabraals!!!

The Cabraals were one cool family. Chilled and high on life they took onto the sport quite easily. Suvan one of Sri Lanka's fine swimmers along with his brother Hemaan seemed to already have the kitesurfing genes in them while Shaneez their mother also enthusiastically progressed to the board starts! Cousin Mark also was eager to progress onto the boards unfortunately the winds died on us the last day.

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This is the sport and what makes it all the more beautiful. Nature and relying on the elements to propel us on the water.

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Look forward to the next sessions in Kalpitiya. Failing which, Suvan, I am sure you can try yours hands at the sport in India! Perhaps the first Sri Lankan kiter to kite on the waters of India!!!
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Here's what Shanez had to say;
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As a mum of tow active boys who love the outdoors and water activities I have always had to played it safe and keep them away from extremesports.  However with Dilsiri he put me at ease right from the start with his explanation of safety and its importance. During lessons he had time for all of us and I was surprised howquickly the boys moved on and Suvan was on the board.
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I was also surprised how fast he got me at ease with the kite and the board and made me feel safe in the water. A place I usually don’t. Thanks Dill can’t wait to get back on the board with you!! Shanez

Hiran Cabraal, German kiter Pascal and Raphal, Hemaan Cabraal, Mark Perera,
Suvan Cabraal and Shanez Cabraal.

Suvan on the board for the first time

Loaded up Kitemobile with no room to move the head!

Shanez in full control of her kite

Vlad, the chilled out Kiter Speaks

Vlad is the most chilled out Australian I have met. Took to kiting and was totally hooked. Do come back Vlad, Kappalady awaits your arrival and coffee making skills! Ps: We'll get your kite sorted asap!

This is what he had to say; 'If you want to learn how to kitesurf, it really helps to have a good location and a great teacher. Tick and tick. I took two lessons with Dil, and the thing you really notice about him is his passion and enthusiasm for teaching. He just wants to teach people how to kitesurf.

He was very patient with me and extremely perceptive. His tips on technique and minor details that could be improved got me up and riding in no time. I ended up buying a Faith Kite and staying by the lagoon for 3 weeks of blissful kiting. 

I would definitely recommend for anyone wanting to learn how to kitesurf to come to beautiful Kalpitiya and get a few lessons with Dil'.

Vlad with Ajmal in the background

Nadine takes on Kitesurfing in Sri Lanka!



Posers! Nadine, Vlad and Dil with their
Kitesurfing Sri Lanka T Shirts

Student Testimonies - Dennis & Lisa

Dennis (Germany) and Lisa (Australia) were part of a bigger group that came to learn the sport. Tremendous progress was made by both students.

"It was the first time i tried this fascinating sport and it won't be the last. Sure, the first few steps are the hardest and sometimes you need a lot of patience but when the wind finally catches the kite and you  "fly" over the water, you understand that people get addicted to kite surfing;" Dennis

"Great weekend. Amazed how we learned to control these huge kites in just 2 days. Great outdoor experience and lots of fun in the water. Thank you Dilsiri, for you patient and professional guidance;" Lisa

Beach training with Trainer Kite

Punping a the New Spirit Kite

Support buddies

Concentration, perseverence...

Student Testimonies - Petr & Lena

We were quite sure that we will like kiteboarding because of its similarities to other board sports such as snowboarding and skiing, its outdoor characteristics, proximity of sun and smell of the ocean. Even though we can hardly stand up after a 3-days course, we decided to buy the kite right after the course. We feel even bigger impression and more enthusiasm right now and cannot wait for the next opportunity to fly the kite again!!!

We are both very happy, that it was exactly Dilsiri who was our first kite-instructor and we both hope to improve our kiteboarding skills to become real kiteboarders soon, so that Dilsiri can be proud of us! Dilsiri, many thanks for the wonderful experience, it was you thanks to whom we fell in love with kiteboarding and Sri Lanka!

Petr & Lena

Faith's new Ram Air Kite

Trainer kites are the best way to start

Kite aerodynamics

A watchful eye and support

Fixing the straps!

Petr has his first ride!

Kitesurfing Sri Lanka featured on Travel Lanka!

Be a part of the coolest sport during the hottest time in Sri Lanka! - Sunday Times 2010

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Kite Jam 2010 – Sri Lanka’s first Kitesurfing event is held at the Kappalady Lagoon in Kalpitiya

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These guys didn’t quite make it for the Bradby, neither did they opt for parties in Colombo – they chose something closer to their hearts, closer to nature, something that would give them a rush - Kitesurfing!

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Kitesurfing blends a number of high powered sporting disciplines such as windsurfing, surfing and wake boarding. The kitesurfer uses the power of the wind to power a kite which helps propel one along a body of water at high speeds with the use of a kiteboard.

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Kitesurfing has come a long way since its inception over 15 years ago. In Sri Lanka the scene has slowly but surely gaining popularity. Currently there are around 15 resident kitesurfers, expats and a few locals involved in the sport.

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Sri Lanka is fast becoming a popular destination for the sport with ideal winds, water temperature and mixture of sea and lagoon enticing the freestyle and wave riders alike.

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Kite Jam 2010, Sri Lanka’s first kitesurfing event held on June 26 attracted 16 kiters from all over the world including professional kitesurfers. Two events were held, the Jump Event and the Timed Event won by Leo Moret and Hannes Knoltz respectively.

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Kalpitiya boasts of perfect conditions for kiting. Understanding the potential this location, Elements (Pvt) Limited, a BOI company is in the process of setting up Sri Lanka’s first Kite Village which would offer luxury accommodation, kitesurf lessons, equipment and other related products.

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Kitesurfing in Sri Lanka is here to stay, and you could be part of the coolest sport during the hottest time in Sri Lanka!

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The writer is a team rider for Faith Kiteboarding (www.faith-kiteboarding.com) and runs Sri Lanka’s only Kitesurf related blog – see www.kitesurfingsrilanka.com

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View the article by clicking
http://sundaytimes.lk/100711/Magazine/sundaytimesmagazine_04.html

Oh, how I long to head to Arugam Bay!

Been on this island for 28 years and have travelled a lot but Arugam Bay still remains the best and most exciting place on this island paradise. Jungle beaches with amazing breaks, winds in the afternoon for some kitesurfing amongst the surfers, the crocodiles and ruines, nights under the stars and food....oh, how I long to head to Arugam Bay again.

Early in the morning I wake up,

Grab my Board Shorts and Surfboard,

I run to the bay....

Arugam Bay,

Thats where I want to be,

Arugam Bay,

Thats where I want to stay

Q & A with Sri Lanka's First Female Kitesurfer

Keshini became Sri Lanka's first Female Kitesurfer last weekend....
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Q - How did you first hear about Kitesurfing?
A - My sister... she was going on about a guy in her office who does it and she wanted to try it out.. and that it looks 'easy' (ha ha ha). After that I heard my cousin Dilsiri (Dil) was totally into it. My 1st real experience with a kite was in Hikkaduwa when Dil took his Kite out and offered to tow me along... ofcourse I was tooo heavy for that, so i had only one more option, go and learn it myself!
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Q - How did you get about learning the sport?
A - I was really lucky. I was able to tag along with my cousin Dilsiri and Julian and watch them kite. It was then that Mischi (Dil's teacher as well) offered to give me a lesson with the baby kite. Honestly that part was not fun and now I would say getting past that point is the hardest, but most definitely worth it. I took my proper class a few months later as Mischi had left the country and I was teacherless.
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But to my rescue Marc was there to give me another lesson and he did some drills with me which gave me more confidence with the kite. Meanwhile I had my share of drags with my face in the sand but now looking back I will not have it any other way coz one of the most important lessons you can learn in kiting is to respect the wind and other elements.
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Take the time and learn to feel your surroundings. As Julian will say you should be able to control the kite blind folded. This is where Aussie Mike came in after a few drags I still wanted to learn but I still had that fear in me and was too scared to enjoy the full potential of the kite. Mike really encouraged me and told me as long as I'm in the water nothing will hurt me. It was then that I slowly started to enjoy the kite more and more.
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Right now I need to build confidence and step out with the kite. Since then Mischi has been back and been teaching me to get on to the board and I have been loving it. I still have a long way to go but what really helped me learn the sport is the kiting community in Sri Lanka who have been so welcoming and helpful.
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Q - Was it scary?
A - YES !!! Kiting is such a humbling process and you are left in awe of God's creation. Honestly I'm still a bit scared but I push myself to keep going and every time I have not been disappointed.
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Q - Did you have any ‘narrow shaves’?
A - Ha ha ha ha... well !!!
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Q - Would you recommend this sport to your friends?
A - Most definitely! But it’s not something that can be taken lightly, you have to be at it and not give up. But sure its a sport that anyone who is willing can do.
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Q - What is your dream in terms of kitesurfing?
A - My dream is that this sport can be used to develop the country without spoiling it or exploiting it and of course to do JUMPS with the kite!
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Q - Any parting words?
A - KITE ON...... :D