Kicking off the Kite Surf Pro’s (KSP) inaugural World Championship Kite Wave Tour on September 23, 2011, the remote African island of Mauritius will host the first of three kite surfing world tour stops this season.

Sanctioned by the International Kiteboarding Association (IKA), the KSP is the official world championship kite surfing tour, a non-profit association launched at the beginning of the year that aspires to showcase the pinnacle of kite surfing in the best conditions on the planet — the near-perfect fusion of wind and waves that top kite surfers dream of.

A class association within the International Sailing Federation (ISAF), the IKA (International Kiteboarding Association) governs the sport of kiteboarding, which is broken up into three main disciplines: freestyle kiteboarding, kiteboard racing and kite surfing, which is essentially surfing with a kite.

Promising to deliver high-caliber and action-packed kite surfing, the KSP One Eye Pro on Mauritius will take place September 23 to October 2, 2011. One Eye, the world-renowned Mauritian kite surfing wave, will set the stage for the first of three 2011 KSP World Tour events. Amidst stunning scenery, pristine turquoise waters, and perfect surf, the event will take place directly in front of the Indian Resort & Spa, at the base of Le Morne Mountain, a UNESCO world heritage site.

Truly a global tour, the men’s division of the KSP will feature 22 competitors from more than 10 countries, including Airton Cozzolino (Italy), Bruno Bordovsky (Brazil), Bear Karry (USA), Ethienne Lhote (France), Filippe Ferreira (Brazil), three-time Kite Surfing World Champion Guilly Brandao (Brazil), Ian Alldredge (USA), Jeremie Eloy (France), Jesse Richman (HI), John Amundson (HI), Jon Modica (USA), Juan Pablo Diban (Chile), Lee Harvey (Great Britain), Marc Ramseier (Switzerland), 2007 Kite Surfing World Champion Martin Vari (Argentina), Mauricio Pedreira (Brazil), 2008 Kite Surfing World Champion Mitu Monteiro (Cabo Verde), Nuno Figueiredo (Portugal), Patri McLaughlin (HI), Sebastien Schmitt (Reunion), Sky Solbach (USA), plus serveral alternate riders.

The women’s lineup for the 2011 KSP tour consists of: Adriana Harlan (H), Ines Correira (Portugal), Kelly Wren Strachan (USA), three-time Kite Surfing World Champion Kirsty Jones (Great Britain), two-time Kite Surfing World Champion Kristin Boese (Germany), Maayke Tadema (Netherlands), Marie Gauton (France), Melissa Gil (Costa Rica), Milla Knese (Brazil), Suzanne Kuiper (Netherlands), plus several alternates.

Raising the number of competitors to 36, three local Mauritian riders (two male and one female) will join the event as well. Designed to give undiscovered talent a chance to compete with the kitesurfing elite, the Wild Cards for the KSP One Eye Pro have been awarded, through a local video competition, to Max Bonieux, Patrick Desvaux de Marigny and Elsa Saintville.

Following the first KSP tour stop in Mauritius, the remaining stops will be held in Pasacamayo, Peru and Ponta Preta, Cape Verde — October 19 to 28 and December 2 to 11, respectively.