observation 8

On Saturday the 17^th I met up with Paul Ricciardi at 1:20 P.M. Paul is a Hollywood local who heard about kite surfing five years ago on TV. However, it was not until two years ago that Paul’s friend inspired him to try kite surfing. Paul stated, “Kite surfing always looked like so much fun, I just didn’t know how to get started.” Paul’s friend Jason taught Paul how to kite surf on his own equipment. John said he learned quickly and after only a few sessions in the water he was looking into purchasing his own gear. Paul managed to get used gear online at a reasonable price through Craigslist.com. Paul still uses the same gear today, showing how durable and well built some kite surfing gear is. Paul said the hardest part about kite surfing is riding against the wind. Paul also stated how his favorite part was jumping and riding with his other friends. Paul plans to continue kite surfing recreationally into at least his 40’s, as he often sees people even older out kite surfing. I thanked Paul for coming out to meet me on this rainy day and bid him goodbye.

Observation 7

Today, I went to East Coast Kiteboarding, a local kite boarding shop in Ft. Lauderdale. I first walked around and looked at different prices of gear and equipment like kites, harnesses, bars and lines, boards, and pumps. Most of their equipment was pretty expensive, and a few of the expert kites even cost more than $2,000. I talked to the one of the shop assistants about prices on gear packages, and he said that they sell a complete best setup for $1,500. However, this price does not include the board and a few other small objects that can add up in price. East Coast Kiteboarding also gives kite surfing lessons at multiple locations throughout Southern Florida, in four different stages. Each stage teaches different techniques, for example the first stage teaches safety features and basic kite flying maneuvers. Shockingly, each stage cost $350 and with four stages this can be a very expensive way to learn to kite board. After talking to the shop assistant for 10 minutes, I took a business card and bid East Coast Kiteboarding goodbye. It seems like they provide quality lessons and gear, but only at a very high price.