{"id":14986,"date":"2024-10-16T10:25:20","date_gmt":"2024-10-16T07:25:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.visitsaaremaa.ee\/surfisaar\/"},"modified":"2025-01-07T09:52:32","modified_gmt":"2025-01-07T07:52:32","slug":"surf-island","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.visitsaaremaa.ee\/en\/discover\/sea\/surf-island\/","title":{"rendered":"Surf island"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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Kitesurfing made its way to Estonia around the turn of the century, and it was likely the people of Saaremaa who first inflated the kites on the beach. One of the first to start kitesurfing on the island\u2019s beaches was Kaur.\u00a0<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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With no one to learn from, he spent the first summer constantly patching up his broken kite. But it turned out to be a valuable skill. Even today, Kaur is the go-to person if you need help fixing damaged kites. A few years later, Kaur\u2019s wife Rita grew tired of constantly waiting for her husband who was always gliding across the sea. That is when the first women took to the water.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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In addition to building speed (Kaur\u2019s personal record is 88 km\/h and Rita\u2019s is 70 km\/h) and mastering high jumps (Kaur\u2019s best is 19 m and Rita\u2019s is 8 m), kitesurfers also perform spectacular tricks. Kaur is certainly one of the best kitesurfers on Saaremaa in this area. But dangerous tricks have never been the goal for either of them. For both Kaur and Rita, kitesurfing is primarily about the sense of freedom that comes with a trip to the sea. The sea, the waves, beach conversations during calm moments and the wind in their hair while surfing \u2013 all of this has kept them hooked on kitesurfing for years. They both consider Tehumardi to be their favourite surfing spot on Saaremaa.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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Mayor of Saaremaa enjoys catching waves on a surfboard in his free time<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Kitesurfing is also a great passion of the Mayor of Saaremaa, Mikk Tuisk. About ten years ago, when he was looking for a new hobby, he considered both motocross and kitesurfing. Given his love for extreme sports and the risks involved in both activities, he decided that kitesurfing was the more sensible choice. Back then, there were not many surfers on Saaremaa, so Mikk had to teach himself how to kite. And he did not just want to kite \u2013 his goal from the start was to go faster, higher and stronger. His first jumps came quickly, and today, spectacular tricks are his specialty. He considers the \u2018board-off\u2019 one of the most technically challenging tricks he has ever mastered. One day, he promises to master the \u2018Jesus walk\u2019, a trick that has so far remained just out of reach. Mikk considers Pidula beach his favourite spot to kitesurf. As a rural municipality mayor with such an important and time-consuming job, is there even time to get out to sea? With enough determination, anything is possible \u2013 and Mikk has plenty of it, both on his surfboard and in running the rural municipality.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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How to become a kitesurfer?<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Would you like to head out to sea with a kite? While kitesurfing offers an excellent workout and serves as therapy for many, physical fitness is not the top priority when starting out. Although having a sports background can help, co-ordination is the key to mastering kitesurfing. Your hands, feet, eyes and brain all need to work in sync. There is no perfect age to learn kitesurfing \u2013 you can start as a schoolkid or even as a pre-retiree. What truly matters is your determination and the understanding that this is an extreme sport, requiring you to be ready for the occasional mishap. Some particularly gifted learners manage to get up and ride within six hours. However, that is more of an exception. For most, it takes a bit longer.<\/p>\n

How much does it cost? Training in Estonia typically costs between 60\u201375 euros per hour. Additionally, you will need to consider the cost of equipment. New gear from a surf shop can cost several thousand euros. However, for beginners, second-hand equipment can be a great option and, with proper preparatory work, it can be just as good as brand new gear. In this case, you can get by with a thousand euros or even less. Miniloots<\/a> offers kitesurfing lessons on Saaremaa.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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A suitable beach within 30 minutes<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Today, Saaremaa is home to a thriving kitesurfing community, with around twenty to thirty active surfers. But who are they? At the beach, you can find a teacher, a journalist, a businessman, a doctor, a sailor, a physicist, a dental technician and more. Whether you are a surgeon or a cosmonaut, once you are on the beach, you are just a surfer \u2013 one of the crew. Beach friendships are often long-lasting and strong, and the diverse group of people helps broaden one\u2019s worldview. Those who come from afar are also welcomed with open arms. While there are many surfers, Saaremaa\u2019s beaches still offer plenty of space for everyone. Unlike in Tallinn or P\u00e4rnu, where there is one kite after another on a \u2018good day\u2019, Saaremaa beaches offer ample room for all. When there are 25 kites on the water at the same time, it is already considered quite busy.<\/p>\n

Unlike many other sports, you cannot kitesurf whenever the mood strikes. Surfing requires wind. Not only does the wind need to be strong enough, but it also has to blow from the right direction. The beauty of Saaremaa is that you can always find a beach with the ideal wind direction within a half-hour drive, making it one of the top surfing spots in Estonia. If you have the right size kite, you can surf on about a third of the days. Surfing is not limited to summer \u2013 autumn storms bring the best conditions, offering the \u2018sweetest\u2019 surfing weather of the year. To quote the surf classics: \u2018On Saaremaa, it does not matter which way the wind blows. What matters is that your car\u2019s tank is full.\u2019<\/p>\n

Saaremaa\u2019s surfing spots are waiting for you!<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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See in addition<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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