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Dimitri Maramenides

I was born in Athens June 11 th 1969, but I was raised in Africa Cameroon and spent most of my summers back to Greece. When I turned 8 years old, my parents sent me to France into a boarding school. These were one of the worst 6 years of my life. Any way lets talk about kiting because that is why you are here fore.

I started kiting April 2000, here in the USA. First, I thought that kiting was just a waste of time and from seeing all my friends getting hurt or dragged across the beach, the sport did not initially attract me. Until one day when it was blowing 25 mph and no one was around to make fun of me. I had been windsurfing for 22 yrs, competing as a professional in numerous events. Kite surfing at the time was not very important but I had to try it and see what was this sport was all about. I started on a piece of junk, foil kite. I almost got killed. I did not know how to stop the sucker until I crashed it on a tree. I told myself: "forget it, this sport sucks!" Then 5 days after some friends came to the islands and watching them kite for at least 2 hrs, I asked if it was possible for them to let me try their kites. They asked me if I knew how to kite, and of course, I told them "Yes." Bad idea..., as soon as I got the kite, a gust of wind hit and there I was getting dragged across the beach on my stomach. I had to let the kite go. That was the end of my friendship with those guys. My stomach was so red, that I could not lie on it. Two weeks passed before I thought about kiting again when some other friends visited. These guys had Naish kites. I decided to give kite surfing another shot!

I got on it and start going. I was on a 9.5 Naish and a 180m directional board. I traveled a straight line, this time on the water rather than the beach. I ended up about five kilometers (km) downwind and could not get back to the launch site. However, I was so happy that I was able to kite surf without getting hurt. The beauty of the sport is that after you travel downwind, all you have to do is pack your equipment and walk or hitch a ride back up the beach.

I live in Cape Hatteras, Outer Banks, NC in the USA. This is the place I train. And in the winter I travel to the Caribbean.

I also have a wife and 2 lovely kids and it is very hard to leave them when I go to trips, especially when you have kids because I miss them a lot, I have a beautiful family and my wife is very understanding about what I do. She is a Physical Therapist and her father is an Orthopedic Surgeon. So as you can see, I am in very good hands. You probably want to know more about my kids? Well my kids are crazy. For sure you know they are my kids. The oldest one is a girl Olivia 7 yrs old and the other one is a boy Cameron who just turned 3 yrs old in June. They are both crazy and both of them are into kiting, but the craziest one is my son Cameron. People ask him what he wants to do when he gets older, and his answer is: "I want to be better then my dad in kiting".

What moves do you like?

Getting drug on my stomach across the sand or bushes. Well I like to work on new things and try to create new moves. People always ask me how do you call this move you just did, I never seen any one do that. Well the answer is sample: It was probably a mistake and naming then doesn't interest me. Usually my photographer names them for me.

What is the most dangerous thing that has happened to you while kiting?

I don't know how to answer this question because I had a lot of close calls.

I do have plenty of bad memories for example, jumping and having my harness lines slide out of the bar while kite surfing. Then plummeting inverted from 20 feet in the air into two feet of water. Also, pinching a nerve in my back due to a bad landing. However, the worst experiences were breaking my ribs while trying a very hard move in very gusty winds. Another time was when my kite landed on the power. I took the electricity out for 2 hrs. The towns were very mad at me. For a while I was name "Ben Franklin". An other one was when I collided with a windsurfer while both of us were wave riding on a big day. The other time was when I got lofted and almost landed on the parking lot. The other time was when I landed on a tree and breaking my back and heel, should I continue???

Kite surfing can be very, very, very dangerous. I've had friends lose their fingers and ears, get cut by their fins, and get hit by the board. I also have a friend who died while kiteboarding. Please respect the power of the kite and always have someone there to help you.

What other activities do I do?

Martial arts, soccer, tennis, surfing, snowboarding, working out, and spending time with my wife, daughter and son.

Describe your ideal kite surfing conditions?

When it is blowing 20 to 25 mph and I am out inventing new tricks while kite surfing. The only down side is that I will not stop kite surfing until I get the trick dialed which can take up to six hours and lots of ADVILS. I also like kiting during the sunset and among friends. This sport is about freedom and about expressing yourself so if you are ready for the ride of your life, buckle up and lets do this. I do offer beginners and advance kiteboard Lessons, Kite guide, Clinics, and Adventure travel to different countries.

Click on any thing you might be interested in and you won't regret it.

Once again, thank you very much for your time and hope you will enjoy it.