IKO KITEBOARDING CENTER AND TEAM
IKO Kiteboarding Center
The KITEBOARDING CENTRE was founded in 2002 and has been sucessfully
running kite surfing camps ever since. It is the only International
Kiteboarding Organisation (IKO) affiliated school on the island
of La Graciosa.
All IKO Kiteboarding centers commit to:
1. Respect the safety rules
2. Lead courses with IKO qualified instructors
3. Teach by using inflatable kites
4. Follow IKO quality standards
5. Recognize the trainee's level with the Kiteboarder Card
Instructors
All of the team are IKO qualified instructors and skilled watermen
with many years experience kite surfing and coaching. All are
multi-lingual and speak a basic level of English. They also
have a keen interest in other sports such as sailing, surfing,
snowboarding and mountain boarding.
Coaching and IKO Courses
If it's your first attempt at kite surfing you will start with
the IKO beginners course outlined below. Upon completion of
the course you will recieve an IKO kiteboarder card which can
be used anywhere in the world to further your training.
If you have already attained a kiteboarding level through
an IKO affiliated school then bring your IKO kiteboarder card
and the team will allocate a course to take you to the next
level.
All lessons take place on the natural beaches and lagoons
that are dotted around the island of La Graciosa or on the
deserted beach below the cliffs called "Los Riscos"
in Lanzarote (a short boat ride away).
Check out the IKO website
for further details about the IKO centers, courses
and safety.
Equipment
All the equipment used is specifically designed for beginners
and intermediates with safety being the key factor. Students
will use mono and bi-directional handmade boards by 'Why' and
both 2 and 4 line kites by 'Siroco' and 'Wipika'.
The kite center also has an inshore rescue boat (zodiac),
for safety and getting you to the parts other kiteboarders
cannot reach. As there are no roads on the island only tracks
the center also has 4x4 vehicles to explore it.
Safety
Safety is an important factor when participating in any sport
especially water sports. The center is constantly striving to
create a safe environment to learn in. To achieve this it follows
the IKO safety rules, all equipment is checked and maintained
on a regular basis and an inshore rescue boat is used to provide
backup in the water.
The island of La Graciosa has a medical center and a doctor
on 24hr call. In the unlikely event of an emergency there
is a helicopter on 24hr standby that can airlift people to
the General Hospital in Lanzarote. |
