Kite pulling a surfer. What's it called?

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I saw the most remarkable thing at the beach today. A man was on a kind of surfboard, but he was being pulled along by a large kite of some sort, kind of like a parasail, I think. I live in southern Florida where there are not many surf-worthy waves, but it can be windy, and this fellow was just zipping around looking like he was having a wonderful time. He was still out there having fun when we had to leave, so I couldn't talk to him myself.

Does anyone know what this sport is called, and what the name is of the apparatus he was using? Is it expensive to buy one? My husband said I wouldn't have the ab or shoulder strength to do such a sport. (I am reasonably fit now, and used to be a competitive swimmer...in my teens, which was about thirty years ago!) But man, it looked FUN!

I believe it is called kiteboarding. It's kind of popular near the ocean where I go for the summer too. I'm a little interested myself, but it may take a lot more practice than it looks.

I thought it was called windsurfing.

@CarolTuscon - Windsurfing is when there is a sail attached to a surfboard-like board.

And Lahmacun, I've heard that sport called Kiteboarding and Para-surfing.

Windsurfing is where you have like a sail attached to your surfboard and use that to move yourself around. Kiteboarding is where you have a kite like object on a string, high in the sky pulling you with the wind while you are on a board down below. Hope this helps.

Thanks, everybody! I knew I'd get good information from such a great bunch of people. I will start researching it immediately!

I think you're describing a variation of Parasailing. Usually a boat will pull you to a start in the air from the deck, and you can have a small wakeboard or single water ski-type board to bounce off the water as you're going along, and depending on the wind, you can disconnect from the boat or not. For beginners, I don't think you have a board though; the boat just keeps you up in the air fast enough not to need one. Windsurfing is a surfboard with a regular mast & sail, and I'm not familiar with term "Kiteboarding"... Might be a new word for parasailing, or something different; perhaps parasailing without the need for the boat?

I'm no expert, and have never done any of the above, but I do know most all the terms & slang; living within a few minutes of the beaches in SoCal most of my life.

Charles

It's called kitesurfing. You're on a board and you wear a harness where the kite attaches and you can fly along on the waves like a mad thing. You can leap into the air 12, 15 feet above the surface at times. My brother is big into it.