Winds of change: Living The Kiting Life
29 Jul 2012
Niels Herbold had a stable job and a steady income as an accountant. He sat at a desk and stared at a computer screen, typing numbers for a living, until he was asked to move to the Caribbean on behalf of his company, where he learned about kiting for the first time. Here was a sport that was a good combination of other sports, and it captured his imagination and interest.
“By 2010, it was clear I was not enjoying my job,” says Niels. “I tried to quit, but my company offered me a 3 month sabbatical instead.” At that time he went to Brazil and fell in love with the area. Early in 2011, he quit his job for good, making a major life change from the desk to the kites and waves. By May of last year, he became a kiting instructor. He went back to Brazil for five months and began to teach kiteboarding there and became the co-owner of a school.
He had become a certified instructor in California before he had quit his job. He admits that he needs other things besides kiteboarding, so he is also opening a restaurant on the water to be combined with the school. The goal for the restaurant is to provide a good variety of foods as the Brazilian diet can be bland, as it’s based on rice and beans. Niels says a special diet isn’t necessary for kiting. He says anyone can kiteboard, and he has taught people who weighed up to 150 kilograms. He says that you go to a gym for fitness, but with the freedom kiting offers, fitness comes with it. This is good news all who want to have fun while getting fit. In fact, Niels has a motto, “No Stress” which dovetails in with that nicely. “That will be the name of my restaurant, ‘No Stress Lounge,’ he tells us. Sounds easy and relaxing, doesn’t it?
Currently, Niels is teaching in Vietnam, a job he found posted on the IKO Job Bank by an IKO School in Vietnam. He says there are many more students in Vietnam, and the kiting salary is enough to finance the living in that country. In the beginning, he taught himself by watching videos and discussing with others how things were done. His first kite was a 2-line kite. He says that IKO classes teach much more than you can figure out on your own and the lessons are well worth it. He recommends lessons for everyone, especially if you want to progress and progress at a faster rate. Kiteboarding might look easy when someone who is trained is doing it but it is harder than you think.
Niels describes Vietnam wind conditions for kiting, “in Vietnam, the winds blow at high speeds but the upside is, if a student learns here, he can ride anywhere.” He says he prefers a wind speed of 22-25 knots, and doesn’t like to kite below 15 knots. “When the wind is 50 knots or more, it can be dangerous when it gusts even higher.”
Getting to the kite site in Brazil can be a challenge. From California, it’s a 21-hour flight, and then a 3 hour car ride north. Niels recommends getting a taxi, because driving laws are less restrictive than U.S. driving laws. He says once you are there, it is well worth the long trip as the kiting conditions are out of this world. The location of this kiting paradise is Ilha Do Guariju. Niels has purchased land there and will have his restaurant and school in that location. Remember to get a visa from the Brazilian consulate before making the trip.
Niels recommends a training kite for the beginning kiter. “An instructor makes it look very easy,” Niels says. “But the thing about kiting is you can make so many progressions in so many ways. That’s what’s great about it.” As for someone who wants to be an instructor, he says “I would ask why someone wanted to become an instructor. Everyone’s reasons are different.” He says it can be difficult getting enough students to make a living depending on the location of the school. He says that it can be difficult in Brazil because of the extensive coastline.
Niels joined IKO because it was the biggest organization in the kiting world and because they teach to standards. IKO also was a logical progression for him.
In the end, it was the variety and freedom that kiteboarding offers that caused Niels to leave his computer and his desk to seek the sun, wind, and waves. The human spirit needs more than the same old routine in order to soar. It seeks to soar on the wings of the wind far away from the commonplace work world. Take that leap of faith and on the lines of a kite, set your spirit free to travel the world and teach others to soar as Niels Herbold did.
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