Windsurfing is the most dynamic sport you’ll ever know.

The feeling of capturing the wind, riding it across the water that splashes as a welcome relief from the melting sun is only part of a windsurfer’s daily thrills. Whether taking in the light smell of a lake or the rich smell of the ocean and its bay, there is no doubt that the surrounding majesty of the water is a primary incentive for windsurfing.

This is a truly young sport, born about 40 years ago in Southern California. It is the brainchild of an engineer and a businessman (a sailor and a surfer, respectively). It took about a decade for windsurfing to gain extraordinary popularity in Europe. The fever then spread back to its birthplace, and the sport hasn’t looked back since.

It’s still developing, with better equipment coming out each year. It’s truly cutting edge.

And did we mention that you can get up to 50 mph?

Pro windsurfers use the ocean like a skate ramp--spinning on a dime, riding tremendous curls, jumping 30 feet or more from the water’s surface. Sound like fun? Well, it’s a long way from here to there, but it’s also a very fun journey.

This is one of the things you won’t regret. There’s a certain feeling you’ll get from this sport; people define it in all sorts of ways--abandon, excitement, adventure. It boils down to feeling alive. Few activities can do it this well.

And for those who think it’s too complex, too athletic, too expensive, too…well, not them, I say this. You’re wrong. All of the above challenges can be surmounted.

If they’re challenges at all.

Unless you live somewhere extraordinarily dry, such as the deserts of the southwestern U.S.A., chances are you’re close to a body of water that can support windsurfing. And if you’re close, then the battle’s nearly won. Next, all you need to do is beg, borrow, or…well, procure, some windsurfing equipment.

You’ll be surprised how much used stuff there is out there. After that, it’s just you and the water. An instructor helps, of course, as does reading books on the subject. The first step, and the hardest, is believing that you can actually do it.

Once you’re out there, and you catch your first gust of wind while managing to stay upright at the same time, you’ll thank yourself. This is as good as it gets.

You’re riding the wind, and there’s nothing better.

Carl Solf is the author of Windsurfing Secrets including the Windsurfers Ultimate Extra Moves eBook.

www.windsurfing2.com