Kitesurfing, kiteboarding, uses wind power to pull a rider through the water on a small surfboard or a kiteboard (which is like a wakeboard). Generally kiteboarding refers to a style of riding known as free-style or wakestyle where as kitesurfing is more waveriding oriented. These two styles usually require different boards and specific performance kites.

A kitesurfer or kiteboarder uses a board with or without foot-straps or bindings, combined with the power of a large controllable kite to propel him- or herself and the board across the water. In 2006, the number of kitesurfers has been estimated at around 150,000 to 210,000, with 114,465 inflatable kites sold that same year.

The sport is becoming safer due to innovations in kite design, safety release systems, and instructionFact: date=February 2007. Many riding styles have evolved to suit different types of riders and conditions, such as wakestyle, waveriding, freestyle, jumping, and cruising.

Kitesurfing is one of many forms of kite propulsion, which include kite landboarding, snowkiting, kite buggying, kite skateboarding, kite jumping, and using kites to propel sea kayaks.Mark Harris Sea kayaking and kites, July 2002 A kite can even propel a large ship.

History

The Chinese are credited with using kites for propulsion in the 13th century.Jakob Jelling History of kitesurfing Kitesurfingnow

In the 1800s George Pocock used kites of increased size to propel carts on land and ships on the water, using a 4-line control system - the same system in common use today. Both carts and boats were able to turn and sail upwind. The kites could be flown for sustained periods. The intention was to establish kitepower as an alternative to horsepower, partly to avoid the hated "horse tax" that was levied at that time.Peter Lynn A brief history of kitesurfing, Aquilandia.com, 2006 In 1903, aviation pioneer Samuel Cody developed "man-lifting kites" and succeeded in crossing the English channel in a small collapsible canvas boat powered by a kite

In the late 1970s the development of Kevlar then Spectra flying lines and more controllable kites with improved efficiency contributed to practical kite traction. In 1978, Ian Day's "FlexiFoil" kite-powered Tornado catamaran exceeded 40 km/h.