He's Taking a Wing Above the Waves

We're always looking for new ways to ride waves," says Pete Cabrinha of his Maui, Hawaii, surf fraternity. Enter their latest obsession: kiteboarding, a hybrid, extreme sport that is a cross between windsurfing and wakeboarding. A rider is harnessed to a giant kite as he steers a board that is strapped to his feet. The allure: taking off and soaring 50 ft. above the water as you glide over the waves, then perhaps dropping in on one. If that's not enough, copy Cabrinha and invert. "When you're upside down looking up at the kite, time just stands still," he marvels.

That's why adrenaline junkies are turning in their sailboards. "Kiteboarding is a worldwide phenomenon," says John Bryja, editor of SBC Kiteboard magazine. In Europe, where windsurfing is big, Germany, Holland and France dominate the market--brothers Dominique and Bruno Legaigoux invented the style of kite most kiteboarders now use. Kites are also taking off in the Middle East and Japan.

Still, the gang from Maui rules the scene, including the new pro tours. Cabrinha sponsors his own team, which includes Julie Prochaska, who this year was named best female kiteboarder at the World Extreme Sports Awards in Munich, Germany. To complete the circuit, Cabrinha had partnered with sports manufacturer Neil Pryde, who is based in Hong Kong, to create a personal kite line.

--By Stacie Stukin/Los Angeles