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South Pacific Kiteboarding competition graduates to the big league by hosting the final event of the 2009 PKRA World Kiteboarding Tour.
The 9th Edition of the Teri Kite Surf Pro 2009 was recently held in November 2009 on Pointe Magnin, Nouméa, New Caledonia, home to the world's largest enclosed lagoon.
Kiteboarding is one of the fastest growing, highly sought after extreme sports on the planet, and what better place to wrap up this year's world tour than one of the most outstanding and remarkable locations of the world.
The combination of strong easterly trade winds mixed with pristine crystal clear and flat-water make for the perfect freestyle riding conditions. The world's most famous and radical freestyle kiteboarders disputed the coveted kiteboarding PKRA world title.
On show were in the men's division were five times world champion Aaron Hadlow and South African Kevin Langeree, fighting to win his 6th straight world title.
These 'Kings of Kiteboarding' were stretched to their maximum as they faced extremely tough competitors from Youri Zoon, who is stronger than ever, and local hero, Tom Hebert who is one of the best riders in the world.
In the women's division, Bruna Kajiya was on schedule to win her first PKRA world tour title, however Polish wonder girls, Karolina Winkowska and Joanna (Asia) Litwin, (winner of the Germany event) were present to ensure an extremely tough and unpredictable competition.
In addition to the freestyle competition, a long distance race was held from the Phare Amedée (Amédée Lighthouse) to the Nouméa event site. This is a fun, and highly anticipated race where windsurfing legend and sponsor of the event, Robert Teritehau competed.
The Teri Kite Surf Pro 2009 event was organized by the Kiteboarding League of New Caledonia, LVLNC, the private titles sponsors are Teri , Nissan, Orangina, Ramada Plaza and SeaDoo. Special support from: NRJ, Air France, RFO Nouvelle Calédonie, and Total.
To view the final results please visit http://www.prokitetour.com/
New Caledonia’s lagoon and coral reef were added on 7 July to UNESCO’s list of world heritage sites in official recognition of their extraordinary wealth of biodiversity.
New Caledonia’s marine waters harbour a unique coral ecosystem comprising 23,400 km² of lagoons and around 8,000 km² of reef formations, constituting one of the world’s most diverse and extensive reef systems. The barrier reef encircling the Main Island stretches over a distance of 1,600 km, comparable in extent to Australia’s Great Barrier Reef.
Exceptional Biodiversity
New Caledonia’s marine biodiversity is estimated at over 15,000 species! However, many species making up the underwater fauna are endangered or even threatened with extinction. New Caledonia’s lagoon is home to the third largest population of dugongs in the world and during July and August, the southern lagoon is a favourite breeding ground for hump-backed whales, much to the delight of local whale watchers. Turtles are also regular denizens of the lagoon, which is home to 4 of the 7 species found in the Pacific Region and, importantly, shelters major green turtle nesting grounds. New Caledonia’s lagoon and reefs are also populated by nautiluses, sharks, Napoleon fish, rays and many more marine species.
A stunning wealth of coral formations
The reefs currently comprise around 350 hard coral species, as many as Australia’s Great Barrier Reef! Soft coral species number around 500 and 90 species of gorgonian fan coral have been listed. The reef’s architecture is exceptional, with arches, tunnels, canyons and caves… The corals are equally magnificent, offering a brilliantly coloured feast for the eyes, with the crystal clear water ensuring perfect visibility.
A diver’s paradise
Many sites can be explored within a 20 metre diving depth, making them easily accessible to amateur divers. So take the plunge and dive into the depths of this breathtakingly beautiful lagoon!
