The first ever amateur kiteboarding event held in Bahrain attracted riders from Oman, Qatar, Egypt, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia. The format is quite simple.

Each round highlighted a particular kitesurfing technique for the teams to show off their skills and accumulate the highest scores.The first round focused on a kitesurfing basic: air time, and how long can the riders get their board off the water.

The kitesurfers had their hands full trying to get those tricks done before moving on to the third round. The spin round is the crowd pleaser, judging the competitors on how many rotations they can execute in each kitesurfing trick.

Ruben Lenten was invited to judge the riders of the Red Bull Kite The Waj. In the end, he was very pleased with what he saw in the water.

“The level is already there and it’s important to push it. The most important thing is for people to have fun. Kitesurfing gives me a feeling of freedom, and I want to spread that feeling and make people more knowledgeable about the sport,” added Lenten.