While South Africa’s Cape Coast offers many great spots for kitesurfing, from Langebaan to Wilderness Beach, nowhere quite matches up to Big Bay or Blouberg on a summer’s evening when the Cape Doctor rears her head and south-easterly winds find the perfect complement in gentle rolling swells. Combine this with the postcard Table Mountain backdrop, a spectator-friendly beachfront setting and the best sunsets in Cape Town and Big Bay was the obvious choice for the return of the Red Bull King of the Air kitesurfing competition.
The first round first of the competition got underway on Tuesday but had to be abandoned as conditions were just not ideal. So when a blustery south-easter greeted Cape Town on Thursday morning – kitesurfers knew they were in for a treat. Cape Town locals and foreign visitors came down to Big Bay in their droves to support and a building wind saw an epic afternoon and evening for the kitesurfers. The Red Bull King of the Air sees the world’s best kitesurfers performing spectacular aerial manoeuvres with the aim being to get the most height, distance, and difficulty in their tricks, while neatly sticking the landing.
Early rounds saw the kitesurfers giving it their all, with spectators getting behind Ruben Lenten from the Netherlands, who entered the event as a wildcard having not competed in 2016 due to a battle with cancer. His return to competitive kitesurfing was with a vengeance, and from the get-go it was clear that he was in it to win it. Aaron Hadlow from the United Kingdom, and two-time defending champion of the Red Bull King of the Air, appeared to be taking it easy at first but gave a killer performance in his semi-final against 21-year-old Lasse Walker, convincingly clinching his place in the final just as the sun set behind Robben Island. But this year saw the reign of a new king in Nick Jacobsen from Denmark. Unfortunately, a hard slam in the early stages of the final saw Lenten battle with injured ribs, leaving it a fight to the finish between Hadlow and Jacobsen. A dying wind and a lack of swell meant spectators were treated to a show of skill virtually in the breakers. One minute to go and it is virtually neck to neck but Jacobsen wowed crowds and the judges with some last-minute manoeuvres to claim his first international win.
Planet Kitesurf is proud to announce that we have just opened an office in Cape Town and we can’t wait to welcome more visitors and kitesurfers to this stunning part of the world. While we can’t all loop like Jacobsen, we can enjoy the spectacular scenery and fantastic kitesurfing conditions in Cape Town and Blouberg has to offer!
