Korean Job Discussion Forums

Forward Observer · Joined: 13 Jan 2009 Location: FOB Gloria

Wondering if there are any kiteboarders/kitesurfers in Korea. Your experiences here? Abroad?

How much did your setup run you? Best places to purchase equipment?

Discuss.

VanIslander · Posted: Sun Jan 25, 2009 2:30 pm Post subject:

surfing with a kite Laughing

a child's idea no doubt

i haven't seen it in this country - and i go up and down the coasts each summer - though there's plenty of windsurfing in the southeast and some off Jeju

Forward Observer · Joined: 13 Jan 2009 Location: FOB Gloria

Actually, it's pretty hard from what I understand...kids would prolly get hurt if they tried it.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kitesurfing

http://images.google.com/images?hl=en&q=kitesurfing&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=X&oi=image_result_group&resnum=4&ct=title

loralh · Joined: 11 Nov 2008

I don't know about kite surfing in Korea [I'd be interested!] but there is great kite surfing along the coast in South Africa.

lsrupert · Joined: 27 Aug 2006

I've never seen it here in Korea, but I did see it in Boracay, Philippines over Christmas break. My friends and I wanted to try it, but couldn't justify the cost. Your first lesson cost $90. This was just teaching you how to control a smaller version of the kite. You aren't allowed onto the board, and into the water until you have taken quite a few follow up lessons. Too expensive for us! Still sounds like fun though.

VanIslander · Posted: Sun Feb 21, 2010 3:51 am Post subject:

On a couple of Saturdays in January and February this year I have seen kiteboarding here on Jeju, at Hyopjae beach. (Not as silly looking as I'd thought it'd be.)

The weather has been 14-18 C in the afternoons both times I witnessed the action. The winds are constant, the water shallow and beautiful, ideal for the sport.

I didn't see kiteboarding on Geoje when I lived there, but I met a woman in 2006 teaching English on the island who said she was certified and needed to go to Australia or America to maintain her certification (as a trainer I think, needs every two years to somehow re-certify).

BobbyOrr · Joined: 01 Jun 2009

I saw people doing it on the Han about a month ago under the bridge at Jamsil.

I've done a lot of windsurfing in my time, but never tried kitesurfing. I windsurfed in Boracay over x-mas vacation and the kitesurfers were flying. It looks pretty easy once you get the hang of it.

kitekid

wanderkind · Joined: 01 Jan 2012 Location: Japan

Hi there, I figured I'd bump this, it's a couple years old and I'm interested in all the same info, but current.

Wind surfers?

Kiteboarders?

Can someone tell me how much it usually costs to educate / outfit yourself to proficiency in these sports in Korea?

I'm a long time Laser/dinghy sailor and I'm coming to Korea, probably Busan (but if you have other reccommendations for locations to teach and do these sports I'd love to hear!), and I'd like to find something cheaper to do on the water while I'm there. Those two have always really appealed to me!

kitekid · Posted: Sat Apr 28, 2012 3:06 am Post subject:

I met a bunch of the Korean kiteboarding folks last year at an international kiteflying competition at Dadaepo Beach (Busan). Great bunch of folks!

Get in touch with Dongnam Ryu.

He's one of the two IKO certified instructors in that area. He's also a dealer for several major brands.

His email is namakorea at hotmail dot com

The intro course runs around KRW 150,000-200,000 (equip rental is included).

An entire course (like 20 hours) is KRW 600,000-KRW 700,000.

Other kiteboarding places in Korea: Han River (Seoul), Pyeongtaek-ho (Asan), Sihwa-ho (Gyeonggi Province), a few cities on the East coast (e. Kangnung, Donghae, and Pohang) and Jeju Island.

The biggest scene, though, and the best, IMHO, is Dadaepo.

Here's some sweet vid of Dongnam at Dadaepo:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IskLrpfxRAw

wanderkind · Joined: 01 Jan 2012 Location: Japan

Ah, unfortunately I ended up settling in Incheon. Hopefully I can get over to try it out on the Han River some time.

wintermute · Joined: 01 Oct 2007

Consider getting a trainer kite. Here is a good video about them.

http://www.kitepower.com.au/kitesurfing/trainer-kites.html

You just need a nice open space. The mudflats of Incheon, maybe?

Time spent on one of these definitely improves your kite handling skills, so you could progress much more quickly in your paid kiteboarding lessons.

Once you get a bit of skill with the trainer kite, you could get some kind of all terrain skateboard and use the kite to pull you around on that, if you didn't have immediate access to water and the full kit.