WITSAND NEWS - The Breede River played host to the Breedezicht Airtime Witsand event during the weekend of 20 January.
This event brings riders from South Africa and around the world to this coastal town in hopes of chasing big air dreams and airtime glory... and the R16 000 in cash prizes, of course.
Witsand has always been a popular spot for wind lovers, known in the kiteboarding world for it's butter flat water - a favorite for freestyle riders that do wakeboarding type tricks.
On the event weekend however, riders come to Pili Pili with the intention of getting in the air and staying there for as long as possible.
Typically, kiteboarding Big Air events seek out the riders that can jump the highest, and do the most extreme tricks - events like Red Bull King of the Air and the Red Bull Megaloop Challenge.
The Airtime Witsand event takes a unique approach; It's not about how high the rider jumps, but how long the riders stays in the air.
This is tracked by Woo devices which attach to the kiteboard to measure these statistics.
In an event like this, anybody has a shot. Aiming for airtime requires a different style of riding and strategy than going simply for height.
A rider can get the longest hang time without having the highest jump.
This event is open to anyone and often sees amateur riders in the finals.
Joshua Emanuel took the top prize of R10 000 in the Bull Shark division. Emanuel is on the Core Kiteboarding International team, the current Woo World record holder for highest jump, and the winner of the Red Bull Megaloop Challenge.
He'll be fighting for another major title at the upcoming Red Bull King of the Air.
In second place by only a fraction of a second is fellow Core team rider and previous Airtime Witsand champion, Ross Dillon-Player.
Julian Hunyh. Photo: Manie van der Hoven
Just shy of the top podium spot, Player was the one who took home the Airtime Witsand trophy for his performance in an earlier heat, where he achieved the day's best hang time of 8.1 seconds.
In third place was Matt Maxwell and Pieter Botha took home fourth, with an incredible 0.1 seconds separating each rider in the final round.
The Shark Bait division riders were competing for the R6 000 cash prize. This division included lightweight riders, including men, women and juniors.
The riders worked hard to claim their spot, and the final saw The Brand Stable rider Jenna Venter take home the prize, with second place going to 15-year-old Julian Huynh. Annechien Tabek took home third place and Joshua Venter took fourth.
Next year's big event - the Airtime Witsand Festival will include the Airtime Witsand Kite competition, Windsurfing Fun Race, Catamaran Fun Race and Foil Fun Race.
Off the water, event participants and attendees can expect community events, braais, live music and after parties.
For information on Airtime Witsand and the Airtime Witsand Festival contact the crew at witsandkite.com or kitesurfing.southafrica@gmx.ch.
The dust has settled and things are on their way back to normal in Witsand as the Airtime Witsand event riders, crew and kiteboarding fans and spectators make their way back to Cape Town and beyond, ready to take to the skies.
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