SingularCity member Dan Miner took his first kite-boarding lesson from a buddy and understood immediately why his friend called it a 3-D experience. Not only was he sailing along the surface of the sparkling waves, but wind gusts against the kite lifted him out of the water, a thrilling experience he describes as part sailing, part flying. After his first try, he was off to Maui to test the 40-mile-per-hour winds.

“I got my ass kicked,” says the 48-year-old from Redondo Beach. “I was flying like a rag doll and got slammed. After that, I said, ‘I’m done.’” Although his Maui adventure left him bruised and sore for weeks, Dan didn’t really give up and says kite boarding is now his passion. He loves the power of the wind and the adrenaline rush, but says it took a long time for the scary feeling to go away and for the fun to start.

Dan says it takes every muscle in his body — cardiovascular too. But it’s not just about strength, he says. “In other sports, you can rely on your strength to carry you until your skill level catches up. You can’t do that with kite boarding.”

Since taking up his sport of choice, Dan has done his combo surf-and-sail ride over the aquamarine-colored waters in the Caribbean and off the coast of Mexico, with dolphins swimming just feet away, and tested the cold water and wind off Seal Beach and Sunset Beach. “It’s really about self-satisfaction,” he says. “It’s fun to feel like you’ve harnessed the wind.”

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