The Kitesurf Centre Team
We at The Kitesurf Centre pride ourselves in having a selection of the most experienced and highly regarded instructors in the UK.
Our instructors are all BKSA or IKO qualified with a vast amount of experience, very friendly, patient, fun and understanding.
Having great instructors really makes a difference to your kite lessons, as kitesurfing can be a difficult sport to teach.
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Tristan Cawte – BKSA Senior Instructor
- BKSA tour competition rider & tour judge
- Liquid Force National team rider
- RYA Kayak Level 2
- Day Skipper Theory & Yacht Surveyor
- 7 seasons instructional experience
- VIDEO
Tristan learnt to kitesurf many years ago and continued his passion whilst attending University in Portsmouth where he obtained a Marine Engineering degree, but more importantly his instructors certificate! On completion he went straight into the industry and taught for schools in southern England and abroad. He gained his senior instructor certificate and subsequently managed several centres. Before establishing The Kitesurf Centre with Thomas, he taught potential kitesurfing intructors the BKSA syllabus in Egypt. Tristan loves going kitesurfing on the stormy days and doing huge jumps and mega loops
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Thomas Cawte – BKSA Senior Instructor
- BKSA tour competition rider
- Liquid Force and Silte team rider
- RYA Kayak Level 2
- 6 seasons instructional experience
- Snowboard team rider for Claim boarding, Monkipoo & Silte
- VIDEO
Thomas initially learnt to landboard whilst studying a Masters degree in Chemistry at Warwick University. After graduation he moved to kitesurfing and taught at schools in the UK. He has a wealth of experience of the beaches around the Camber Sands and Greatstone area due to previously working as a beach lifeguard during summer vacations. Thomas is also a keen snowboarder and for the past 5 years has spent his winters in the French Alps improving both his snowboarding and cooking skills.
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James Underhill – aka ‘Fatboy’
- BKSA Senior Instructor
- RYA Safety Boat Instructor
- RYA Powerboat level 2
- RYA Windsurf Instructor
- RYA dinghy Instructor
- 6 seasons instructional experience
James is one of the most experienced instructors around with knowledge of teaching a range of watersports. He studied Watersports Studies & Management at Southampton University so also knows how to manage a kite school. James is also a very keen wakeboarder and loves to visits the cable parks when the wind is light.
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Paul Hallam – BKSA Instructor
- 4 seasons instructional experience
Paul joined The Kitesurf Centre in the spring of 2009 and had a great first season. He followed this with a year in New Zealand instructing both snowkiting and kitesurfing where he gained masses of experience while running a centre and also took up paragliding. He is now back here instructing and going into his finial year of University.
Doug Wilson – IKO Level 2 instructor
- 4 seasons instructional experience
Doug has been involved in kitesurfing since the very beginning but hasn’t lost any passion for it at all! His Kiwi routes offer a spark that you don’t get from us Brits!
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Rupert Cawte – BKSA Instructor
- 3 seasons instructional experience
- Snowboard team rider for Claim boarding
Rupert first bought a power kite many years ago so that he could be pulled along on his landboard, once he was hooked he wanted a bigger kite and then learnt to kitesurf.
Along with his brothers, Rupert is also involved with the running of the school and is very knowledgeable about the local conditions and equipment.
Rupert is very innovative and has many great ideas, as well as working at The Kitesurf Centre he also has his own design company.
As well as kitesurfing and stand up paddle boarding/surfing, Rupert also loves snowboarding and cycling, he is currently planning a non-motorised trip from London to Paris by bike with a kitesurf across the channel.
