Zipping across the sea at speed, or lifting off into freestyle jumps and spins, kite surfers are without doubt the coolest dudes in the water – which is one reason why kite surfing is growing rapidly in popularity. On the face of it, the sport might appear to be incredibly difficult and extreme, but it is a lot more accessible than you might think and shouldn’t be passed over by families looking for some adrenalin time together. "You don’t have to be superhuman to do it," says Richard Gowers, Chairman of the British Kite Surfing Association (BKSA). "It normally takes two to three days to master the basics."

The buzz it gives is immense – but kite surfing is not just about speed and adrenalin. Jeremy Waitt, a pioneer of the sport in Britain and Kite Surfing Manager at the UK Sailing Academy in West Cowes, says: "It gives a feeling of freedom – a Mary Poppins experience. Often people have good memories of flying kites with families on beaches when they were young, and there’s this playful aspect to it."

Waitt recommends that families who are looking to try kite surfing might want to consider doing two things as preparation. The first is to learn the principles of flying a power kite by trying it. The second is to go wakeboarding, as the board used is similar and so are the skills needed to stand, steer and stay on it. Children who have already built up board skills by, say, skateboarding, will also have an advantage. Having said that, there is no reason why you can’t turn up at a kite surfing school with zero experience of flying kites or being on a board.

A two-day course at a BKSA-approved school is a good starting point. This will begin with a session on the beach in which you learn to fly a two-line kite. After you’ve got the hang of that, the next step is to body drag. For this, you harness up to a proper kite surfing kite, get in the water, and use the wind’s energy to pull you along. Facing forward, with the wind lifting you up so your head and torso are above water, you learn how to exploit the wind’s 'power zone', angling the kite at 55 degrees to accelerate and raising it to near vertical to stop. "Having good skills in body dragging is the prerequisite to kite surfing with a board. It’s important to get good at it," says Waitt. Body dragging gives a first taste of the excitement of being pulled across water. From there, you progress to standing on the board. It’s possible to be on the board within two or three days, and doing tricks within a month.

An appropriate age for children to start at is 10-12, though a good school might have the equipment to teach youngsters as young as six. The protocol is that a parent or guardian must supervise a child. Because a kite can generate so much power and has the ability to pull you across, and out, the water at such high speeds, kite surfing is a sport that has to be approached with a lot of responsibility and thought for your own safety and that of others. "It has similarites to driving a car. The actual skill isn’t that difficult, but doing it responsibly is something that takes a bit of time, pilotage and common sense. Kites can also be quite dangerous to other beach users. The lines can be quite sharp, so you need lots of room, but you can’t get away from people altogether," says Waitt.

An important safety skill taught is how to let go of the bar and collapse the kite – the emergency stop of kite surfing – which could come in handy were you to find yourself hurtling towards rocks or the beach. It almost goes without saying that you need to feel confident in the water and be a reasonable swimmer – though, of course, as a beginner you will wear a buoyancy aid. The BKSA also recommends that beginners wear a helmet.

Kite surfing is not something that can be treated lightly, and it’s important to get proper training through to a good standard, however there’s no need to be intimidated by it. If you do give it a try, get ready to be seduced by an addictive and exhilarating watersport.

Visit www.britishkitesurfingassociation.co.uk for a list of BKSA-approved schools and important information about safety.

UK Sailing Academy, www.uksa.org

www.powerkiteshop.com gives advice on how to fly a power kite and stocks a how-to DVD endorsed by the British Power Kitesports Association.

www.wakeboardinguk.co.uk gives a list of locations where you can try wakeboarding.