Podcast: totallyrandomman talks to Frank Van Zoggel of Villa Vedici about Kitesurfing in Kampot

As you surf languidly through the tranquil sea waters, the surf lapping gently at your feet, you watch a majestic kite of many colours rise into the air and billow out like a giant sky jellyfish. Bang! All of a sudden you are propelled through the air like a human shuttlecock, the power of the wind shooting you through the sky in a great rush of adrenaline as you soar upwards at speeds of 70kph. This is kitesurfing, the bastard child of wakeboarding, windsurfing, surfing, paragliding, and gymnastics and now you can try it within a few hours drive of Phnom Penh.

Frank van Zoggel learned to kitesurf and trained as an instructor in his motherland, the Netherlands, but his heart is very much in South East Asia, where he spent many of his formative years. He has been running Kitesurfing training from Villa Vedici guesthouse in Kampot for a few months now and the session are quickly growing in popularity, mostly by word of mouth. The coast near to Kampot has great conditions for the sport; consistent winds for eight months of the year, in two seasons, November to February and April to August; and shallow waters which are ideal for learners.

On the course you learn how to set up a kite, safety, launching and relaunching and the art of body dragging. And after five or six hours training you attempt your first water start.

To book a kite surfing session call Frank Van Zoggel at Villa Vedici, Kampot Province on 017 291 782, email vedici [at] hotmail [dot] com or skype frank.van.zoggel. A beginner’s course costs $240.

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This article first appeared in the inaugural issue of The Advisor - find the archives online and downloadable

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