Meet the Mombasa kite surfing hero turning the sport into big business

By PHILIP MWAKIO

Located on the scenic Mombasa Beach Hotel beach frontage is Pepea Kite Surf. The place has become popular with both tourists and locals. 

Kite-surfing or kite-boarding is a surface water sport that combines aspects of wake-boarding, windsurfing, surfing, paragliding and gymnastics into one extreme sport.

And John Koyiet is making a huge kill out of the sport. He has been able to eke out a living by training tourists and locals.

Koyiet, an accredited kite-surfer with the International Kite Organisation, charges what he describes as a modest fee of Sh25,000 for a three-day kite surfing lesson for novices keen on the sport.

Roping in locals

He targets mostly locals, whom he prefers as they are easier to find than the seasonal overseas tourists.

“I am well aware of the fact that to most locals, this is beyond their reach and I have a tailor made package that fetches much less and there is room for negotiation,’’ he says. 

With the earnings from teaching kite-surfing lessons, Koyiet has been able to employ two extra instructors and is able to cater for his immediate needs.

He says that beginners undergo theoretic sessions where one is taught how a kite flies.  There are different styles of kite-boarding, including freestyling, free-riding, down-winders, speed, course racing, wakestyling, jumping and wave-riding.

Last year, the number of kite surfers was estimated at 1.5 million persons worldwide. The global market is worth US$250 million (Sh21.75 billion).

Great idea

Prior to this new job,  Koyiet, who attended high school at the St Marys Seminary, Kwale County had taken up a modeling career.  But after a major disappointment involving his mentors at the school, he decided to puruse an unusual career in water sports.

 “I was a good swimmer in school and even represented my school in swimming competitions,’’ he says. He also loved sailing. Koyiet who owns and operates Pepea Kite Surf would go on to land a job at the Mombasa Yatcht Club in 2005, where he used to sail dinghies     (rubber inflated boats).

  In 2007, he crossed the borders to Dar es Salaam. It was while in Tanzania that Koyiet met an Austrian national who owned a huge sail boat christened the May Flower.

The boat used to ferry tourists across the two East African states. “During sea voyages, we would sail for almost eight hours a day when we had clients onboard. These sea trips broadened my knowledge in both navigation and water sports,’’ he said.

 Koyiet can easily pinpoint various locations along the coastline. He knows those that are rocky and others that are sandy and ideal for kite surfing.

  Today, kite-surfing is a sport that has taken Kenya and the East African coast by storm. The Kenya Tourism Board has since taken keen interest in promoting the sport as one of the major tourist attractions at the Coast as it seeks to diversify from traditional attractions.

The Coast experiences year round good, natural weather and an average of 300 days of wind per year. When the wind is at 15 knots, those are the best months for kite-surfing, usually from July through September and January to April.

Looming danger

“With this reliable wind and a variety of kiting conditions found along the Mombasa Beach frontage - not forgetting the open reef  - it is an ideal spot for the sport,’’ Koyiet says.

 Being next to a star rated hotel, Koyiet says, the advantages of kiting and kite-boarding at Pepea Kite Surf are many. He says there is ample beach space available, flat water or waves, turquoise clear water, no kiters on the beach, landing and launching facilities, just to name but a few.  Experts say that cross-shore and cross-onshore winds are the best for kiteboarding.

 Offshore winds pose the danger of being blown away from the shore in the event of equipment failure or loss of control. Offshore winds are suitable in a lake or when a safety boat is available, however they are generally more-gusty.

Direct onshore winds carry the risk of being thrown onto land, and are thus less favorable.

There are also basics of flying with a trainer at a height not exceeding three metres high. And additional safety requirements on how to land and how to launch.

There are tips on recovering the kite board if you lose it in water. Other parts of the sport  include kite relaunch to a level where one can ride shorter distances on water, n both directions - right and left.