Letting it all go

Bulabog Beach located on the east side of the island is best for kite boarding and windsurfing.[Photo provided to China Daily]

Thanks to the wind, the reef-protected waters off Bulabog Beach is ideal for wind-surfing and kite-surfing. It is a competitive venue for the Asian Windsurfing Tour. The Boracay International Funboard Cup competition also takes place here in January every year and lasts a whole week.

Bulabog beach on the windy side draws kitesurfers from around the world. During the season those surfers are seen along the 2.5 km stretch of Bulabog Beac located on the east side of the island－best for kite boarding and windsurfing between November and April, and various other water sports from May to October.

The wind made it for us to even stand in the water. My teammate and I helplessly saw the kite flying randomly, in all directions, with no clue about how to control it. I heard the yelling of Brian in my left ear. "Let it go! Let it go!" he shouted. There was only the sound of waves in my right ear.

I hadn't got the time to figure out how to "let it go", when a pull from the flying kite nearly lifted me up from the surface of the shallow water. I did not loosen my grip on the bar of the kite. I lost balance, and was pulled into the water.

"You need to let it go when you can't control it," said Brian, "That's the No.1 rule in kite-boarding."

It was among several useful tips that I learned about sports－and life.

The key in controlling the kite is to let it go according to the wind direction, while adjusting my position in the water.

Gradually I may "master" the kite, make it fly steadily or even at my will. It is a kind of art in collaboration betweenthe wind, the kite and the body.

If I lose the control and still grab the bar, the kite blown buoyed by the wind may drag me in the wrong direction and I may crash into other surfers or boats. I should drop or let go of the bar of the kite as soon as possible to keep myself safe first.

In a way, my instructor really "let it go" in his life. He came from the mid-west of the United States to Boracay after his construction business failed seven years ago. After he tried kite-surfing, he decided to stay on the island, and had been there since then. He had no plan of leaving the island.

For the rest of my classes, I was struggling between how to control the kite and when to loosen the grip on the bar.

It was a major achievement for me and my teammate when we could stand firm in the water and at the same time keeping the kite aloft.

Maintaining the kite fly at a low level above in the shallow waters of the sea, I recovered from Brian's yelling, and began to appreciate the stunningly beautiful scenery all around me.

I noticed that the emerald-colored seawater off the kite resort beach was as peaceful as a baby sleeping in a broad arm. A couple of local fishermen walking on the beach with their dogs waved and shouted hello to us.