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internationally. For Maramenides,
taking lessons is a necessary pre-
requisite to handling kitesurfing
equipment on the water.
“Kitesurfing is an extreme sport,
he says. “Kitesurfing is a dangerous
sport. And that’s the reason we get
some of the beaches closing us down.
People watch us and they think,
‘Oh, I can do this. Let me purchase
the equipment on eBay.’ Sometimes
they buy used equipment. They try
to set the equipment up. They try
to launch it at public access points
where people are and then they start
getting in trouble. They can even
hurt someone else.”
Maramenides says trying to
attempt the sport without lessons
would be like trying to fly an airplane
without proper instruction.
“Kiteboarding, while certainly
not in its infancy, is a relatively new
sport to the majority of the world,”
Daniel says.
The town of Wrightsville Beach
has restrictions on kitesurfing, so
beachgoers will mainly see kiters
on the north and south ends of the
island. Kiters are required to follow
the same laws as surfers regarding
beach safety.
The goals of kitesurfers are the same
as those of other ocean enthusiasts: to
have fun and be safe, Daniel says. It’s
this idea that Daniel and Maramenides
hope to instill in others, as well as
their passion for kiteboarding.
Kitesurfing requires a significant
amount of time, considering the time
Oliver Klokman, a Scratch Kiteboarding
instructor, heads out for a kitesurfing
session during Tropical Storm Andrea.
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The goals of kitesurfers
are the same as those of
other ocean enthusiasts:
to have fun and be safe,
Daniel says.